New York legislation · 2025-2026 General Assembly
New York A10630: Provides pay per call and paid on call stipends for volunteer firefighters and travel expense reimbursement for call response
Status: In committee, May 29, 2026
Allows an authority having jurisdiction over a volunteer fire department or fire company in a county, city, town, village, fire district, or fire protection district to provide volunteer firefighters with a stipend of a nominal fee for responses to calls and for certain standby services; includes volunteer firefighters within the labor law definition of "employee" of a federal, state or municipal government of political subdivision thereof; establishes the volunteer fire service nominal compensation assistance fund.
What the bill says
An act to amend the general municipal law, the volunteer firefighters' benefit law and the town law, in relation to providing pay per call and paid on call stipends for volunteer firefighters and travel expense reimbursement for call response; to amend the labor law, in relation to the definitions of "employee" and remuneration; to amend the civil service law, in relation to providing volunteer firefighters in the exempt class; to amend the tax law, in relation to including nominal fees paid to volunteer firefighters within the New York adjusted gross income of a resident individual…
From the amended text, May 29, 2026:
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, the volunteer firefighters' benefit law and the town law, in relation to providing pay per call and paid on call stipends for volunteer firefighters and travel expense reimbursement for call response; to amend the labor law, in relation to the definitions of "employee" and remuneration; to amend the civil service law, in relation to providing volunteer firefighters in the exempt class; to amend the tax law, in relation to including nominal fees paid to volunteer firefighters within the New York adjusted gross income of a resident individual; and to amend the general municipal law, in relation to establishing the volunteer fire service nominal compensation assistance fund THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section 200-aaa to read as follows: § 200-AAA. PAY PER CALL AND PAID ON CALL NOMINAL COMPENSATION (STIPENDS) FOR VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS. 1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION: (A) "FIRE DEPARTMENT" AND "FIRE COMPANY" SHALL HAVE THE MEANINGS AS DEFINED IN SECTION THREE OF THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS' BENEFIT LAW; (B) "NOMINAL FEE" MEANS PAYMENT TO A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER OF A STIPEND, FEE, GIFT CARD OR GIFT CERTIFICATE, GRATUITY, OR OTHER QUALIFYING ITEM OF MONETARY VALUE; (C) "PAY PER …