House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

In the near future, I will be reintroducing legislation (previous HB 1190) which will amend Chapter 78 of Title 35, the Fire and EMS Grant Program.

As you may recall, we amended this chapter in June of 2016 to both reauthorize the grant program and make enhancements to the program. One of the changes made in the 2016 law provided that, if two or more fire or EMS companies merge, the newly formed entity is authorized to continue to receive each individual company's grant in the aggregate for up to ten years after the merger.

For example, if three fire companies merge and each were receiving $12,000 from the grant program, the new entity would be entitled to receive the aggregate of $36,000 for ten years. At the end of the ten-year period, the newly formed fire company would receive only $12,000.

My legislation would amend Title 35 to do away with the ten-year provision so that fire companies can continue to receive the aggregate in perpetuity.

Please consider sponsoring this important legislation that would assist our volunteer fire companies.

Previous Cosponsors: Zimmerman, Irvin, Roae, Struzzi, Wheeland, Gillen and Webster.