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A 3044

Provides that a fire company may elect to include call firefighters within its membership who shall receive a stipend for each call that he or she responds to

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Marianne Buttenschon and 4 co-sponsors

Authorizes fire companies to elect to include call firefighters as members and pay them a per-call stipend, with local control over stipend amounts and eligibility.

REFERRED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · A 3044

Summary of Bill A 3044

Overview

Bill A 3044 would authorize fire companies to elect to include call firefighters within their membership who would receive a stipend for each call to which they respond. The bill is currently in the committee stage, having been referred to the Local Governments committee.

Purpose and Intent

  • To provide a formal mechanism for fire companies to recruit and retain call firefighters by offering compensation structured as stipends per emergency call.
  • The bill makes inclusion of call firefighters voluntary for each fire company, rather than mandating a statewide program.

Key Provisions

  • Authorization for inclusion: A fire company may elect to include call firefighters as members.
  • Per-call stipend: Call firefighters would receive a stipend for each incident they respond to.
  • Local control: The amount and administration of stipends would be determined locally by the fire company, within any applicable local budgets or policies (the bill text does not specify a fixed stipend amount).
  • Scope: Applies to fire companies within the jurisdiction of the bill (as drafted for the state-level legislature).

Who/What Would Be Affected

  • Fire companies: Eligible to elect to enroll call firefighters as members and to implement per-call stipends.
  • Call firefighters: Individuals who respond to calls and would receive stipends when serving as members of the fire company.
  • Municipalities/local governments: Potential financial and administrative impact, including budgeting, payroll, and compliance.
  • Local budgets and policies: Fire company decisions on stipend amounts and eligibility would influence local expenditures.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

  • Introduced: January 23, 2025.
  • Status: Referred to the Local Governments committee on January 23, 2025 (the listing shows the same action twice, likely a duplicate entry).
  • Legislative history: Related prior-session bill referenced as A 5744.

Sponsorship

  • Primary sponsor: Albert A. Stirpe
  • Cosponsors: MaryJane Shimsky, Phil Steck, Marianne Buttenschon, Christopher Eachus

Notes and Considerations

  • The bill does not specify stipend amounts or eligibility criteria beyond being a response-based payment; these details would be determined by local fire companies.
  • The financial impact would depend on local adoption, budgeting, and potential tax or labor-law considerations for stipends.
  • Related legislation from prior sessions (A 5744) may provide additional context or precedent.

If you’d like, I can add a side-by-side comparison with the related A 5744 or outline potential fiscal and administrative implications for a hypothetical municipality.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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