To Expand Eligibility For Coverage Under The State And Public School Life And Health Insurance Program To Certain Volunteer Firefighters.
Summary
HB1240 expands eligibility for participation in Arkansas’s State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program to certain volunteer firefighters. The bill adds definitions for “fire department” and “volunteer firefighter,” limiting the latter to members who actively perform firefighting-related duties and receive less than $5,000 in total annual compensation from the volunteer fire department they serve.
Under the bill, a volunteer firefighter becomes an eligible participant in the insurance program, alongside certain public school employees and full-time school bus drivers. A volunteer firefighter who enrolls would be responsible for paying the required premium, as set by the State Board of Finance or the cost of the policy, and the bill allows that premium to be paid either through monthly bank draft or directly, in whole or in part, by the employing fire department.
Impact
HB1240 would amend Arkansas Code §§ 21-5-407 and 21-5-410 to broaden the pool of people eligible for state-administered health and life insurance coverage. Its practical effect is to authorize volunteer firefighters meeting the bill’s compensation and service criteria to buy into the State and Public School Life and Health Insurance Program, while also creating payment mechanisms for premiums through payroll-style bank drafts or fire department contributions. The bill does not mandate state-funded coverage for all volunteer firefighters, but it does create a new eligibility category and administrative framework for enrollment and premium collection.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears supportive and straightforward, focused on extending a benefit to a specific public-safety group. The bill’s title and structure suggest a policy goal of recognizing volunteer firefighters’ service by improving access to health insurance rather than making a broader change to the insurance program. No opposition is documented in the supplied context.
Contention
The main policy questions raised by the bill are likely to concern cost, eligibility limits, and who ultimately pays the premium. The bill narrows eligibility to volunteer firefighters who receive less than $5,000 in annual compensation and actively engage in firefighting duties, which may be intended to prevent broader expansion but could also exclude some part-time or lightly compensated responders. Another possible point of contention is whether fire departments should be allowed or expected to subsidize premiums, since the bill permits but does not require departmental payment. No specific objections, amendments, or recorded disputes are included in the provided history.