NY State Senate Bill 2025-S6926

Senate Bill S6926

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Relates to the membership and purposes of the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Benevolent Association of Coldenham Inc.

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Local Government Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Mar 27, 2025	referred to local government

2025-S6926 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A7918
Current Committee:: Senate Local Government
Law Section:: Firefighters' Benevolent Association
Laws Affected:: Amd §§1, 2, 3 & 7, Chap 636 of 1995

2025-S6926 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to the membership and purposes of the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Benevolent Association of Coldenham Inc.; changes the name of the association to the "Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Coldenham, Inc"; updates the purposes of such association and the use of taxes received by such association.

2025-S6926 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S6926

SPONSOR: ROLISON
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend chapter 636 of the laws of 1995 relating to incorporat-
ing the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Benevolent Association of Colden-
ham Inc., and providing for its powers and duties, in relation to the
purposes and duties of such corporation and the use of foreign fire
insurance premium taxes

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This bill updates the incorporation, membership, and purposes of the
Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Benevolent Association of Coldenham Inc.,
modernizing its provisions to better serve its members and the communi-
ty. It also revises the use of foreign fire insurance premium taxes to
align with the corporation's revised mission.

 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:

*Amends Sections 1, 2, 3, and 7 of chapter 636 of the laws of 1995.

*Updates the association's name to reflect gender-inclusive terminology.

*Revises membership criteria to clarify eligibility and ensure alignment
with general municipal law.

*Redefines the corporation's purposes to explicitly include relief, aid,
and assistance to its members and their families, promotion of welfare
and camaraderie, and support for volunteer fire service.

*Specifies that foreign fire insurance premium taxes must be used solely
in furtherance of the corporation's stated purposes.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

The current language governing the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Benev-
olent Association of Coldenham Inc. is outdated and does not fully
reflect the evolving needs of the fire service community. By refining
the association's purpose and ensuring that foreign fire insurance
premium taxes are used effectively, this bill enhances support for
volunteer firefighters and their families. These changes promote fair-
ness, inclusivity, and efficiency in the administration of benefits and
services provided by the association.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

New bill

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the state.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately, with provisions related to
foreign fire insurance premium taxes applying to premiums received on
and after January 1, 2026.

2025-S6926 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6926
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 27, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. ROLISON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government
 
 AN ACT to amend chapter 636 of the laws of 1995 relating to  incorporat-
   ing  the  Volunteer  and  Exempt  Firemen's  Benevolent Association of
   Coldenham Inc., and providing for its powers and duties,  in  relation
   to  the purposes and duties of such corporation and the use of foreign
   fire insurance premium taxes
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Sections 1, 2, 3 and 7 of chapter 636 of the laws of 1995
 relating to incorporating the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's  Benevolent
 Association  of Coldenham Inc., and providing for its powers and duties,
 are amended to read as follows:
   Section 1. Incorporation; membership. A not-for-profit corporation  by
 the  name  of the Volunteer and Exempt [Firemen's] FIREFIGHTER'S Benevo-
 lent Association of Coldenham, Inc., is  hereby  created.  It  shall  be
 composed  of  such persons eligible to membership therein as hereinafter
 provided as shall (a) notify the secretary of the Volunteer  [Firemen's]
 FIREFIGHTER'S  Benevolent  Association  of  Coldenham,  Inc., in writing
 prior to  the  organization  meeting  of  such  corporation  hereinafter
 provided for of their desire to become members, or (b) shall attend such
 meeting  or an adjournment thereof, and also such persons so eligible as
 may become members of such corporation, pursuant to its by-laws.
   § 2. Persons eligible to membership. All persons who are now  or  have
 been, or hereafter shall be active volunteer members of the fire company
 or  corporation  of  Coldenham and who have heretofore acquired or shall
 hereafter acquire the status of exempt volunteer  [firemen]  FIREFIGHTER
 as  defined  in  section  200  of the general municipal law or any other
 applicable law by virtue of having rendered service in said fire  corpo-
 ration  or fire company in such district, and all persons who are now or
 hereafter shall be active volunteer members  of  said  fire  company  or
 corporation  shall  be eligible for membership in the corporation hereby
 created; provided that any person who has been expelled or  removed  for
 cause  from  membership  in  any fire department or company shall not be

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD10688-01-5
 S. 6926                             2
 
 eligible to membership in such corporation. The membership of any person
 in such corporation shall terminate when [his] THEIR  membership  as  an
 active  volunteer member of the fire company or corporation of Coldenham
 shall  terminate  before  such persons shall have acquired the status of
 exempt volunteer [firemen] FIREFIGHTER as defined in section 200 of  the
 general municipal law by virtue of having rendered services to such fire
 company or corporation.
   §  3. Purposes. The purposes of [such corporation shall be the mainte-
 nance of suitable headquarters for, and the promotion of friendly  asso-
 ciation  for the betterment of the members of such corporation and their
 relations with the community, for the promotion of fraternal intercourse
 among the members of such corporation, to study  and  disseminate  among
 the  members  of  such corporation the most efficient manner of fighting
 fire, the relief, aid and assistance of such members and their  families
 who  are  disabled or indigent and to acquire real and personal property
 such as may be necessary for the  purposes  herein  set  forth  and  the
 promotion of the welfare of the volunteer fire service within the terri-
 tory  now served or which may hereafter be served by the fire company or
 corporation of Coldenham] THE CORPORATION CREATED BY THIS ACT SHALL  BE:
 (A)  TO  PROVIDE  RELIEF, AID AND ASSISTANCE TO THE VOLUNTEER MEMBERS OF
 SUCH CORPORATION WHO ARE DISABLED, INDIGENT OR INJURED IN  THE  PERFORM-
 ANCE OF SUCH MEMBERS' DUTIES, AND SUCH MEMBERS' FAMILIES; (B) TO PROMOTE
 AND  SAFEGUARD THE WELFARE OF THE VOLUNTEER MEMBERS OF SUCH CORPORATION,
 AND SUCH MEMBERS' FAMILIES; (C) TO PROVIDE FOR THE HEALTH AND SAFETY  OF
 THE  VOLUNTEER  MEMBERS  OF  THE CORPORATION; (D) TO MAINTAIN A SUITABLE
 HEADQUARTERS FOR  THE  PROMOTION  OF  FRATERNAL  CAMARADERIE  AMONG  THE
 MEMBERS  OF SUCH CORPORATION; (E) TO ENHANCE THE MORALE OF THE VOLUNTEER
 MEMBERS OF SUCH CORPORATION BY PROVIDING SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL  ACTIV-
 ITIES  FOR  THE  VOLUNTEER  MEMBERS  OF  SUCH  CORPORATION;  AND (F) THE
 PROMOTION OF THE VOLUNTEER FIRE SERVICE WITHIN THE  TERRITORY  PROTECTED
 BY SUCH COLDENHAM FIRE DEPARTMENT.
   § 7. Precept for payment of foreign fire insurance premium taxes. Such
 corporation  shall  collect  and  there  shall  be  paid to it all taxes
 imposed by section 9104 of the insurance law for fire department use and
 benefit upon premiums for insurance  against  loss  or  damage  by  fire
 covering property situated within the Coldenham fire district within the
 towns of Newburgh and Montgomery located in Orange county, New York. The
 officers  of  said  corporation designated by its by-laws to collect and
 receive the aforesaid tax shall have all the powers and  be  subject  to
 all  the provisions of the insurance law, relating to treasurers of fire
 departments. Such corporation shall also be entitled to receive a  share
 of the tax distributed pursuant to the provisions of section 9105 of the
 insurance  law,  based  upon  the business written in the territory with
 respect to which it is entitled to collect and  receive  the  tax  under
 section  9104  of the insurance law.  Such taxes shall only be used [for
 the care and relief of indigent volunteer and  exempt  firefighters  and
 their families] BY THE CORPORATION IN FURTHERANCE OF ITS PURPOSES AS SET
 FORTH IN SECTION THREE OF THIS ACT.
   §  2.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
 the amendments to section 7 of chapter 636 of the laws of 1995  relating
 to  incorporating  the Volunteer and Exempt Firemen's Benevolent Associ-
 ation of Coldenham Inc., and providing for its powers and duties made by
 section one of this act shall apply to taxes due on premiums received on
 and after January 1, 2026.

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