Excludes fundraising from consideration in appropriating state aid and reimbursement for services to volunteer ambulance companies, including regional emergency medical councils.
Summary
This bill amends the Public Health Law to create a new section addressing volunteer ambulance companies and related regional emergency medical councils. It defines “fundraising activity” for these organizations and specifies that fundraising may include lawful methods used to support their purposes, while excluding prohibited conduct and limiting temporary commercial activity to no more than 90 days in a calendar year.
The core policy change is that money generated through fundraising activities by volunteer ambulance companies would not be counted when the state determines aid or reimbursement for services provided by those organizations. In effect, the bill seeks to ensure that a volunteer ambulance company’s own fundraising efforts do not reduce the amount of state support it can receive. The measure takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Impact
The bill would amend the state’s Public Health Law by adding section 3005-c, changing how state aid and reimbursement are calculated for volunteer ambulance companies and regional emergency medical councils. It would require state decision-makers to exclude fundraising proceeds from the financial calculations used to determine eligibility for, or the amount of, state aid and reimbursement. The practical effect is to protect volunteer EMS organizations from having their self-generated fundraising revenue offset against public funding, potentially increasing or preserving state support for these entities.
Sentiment
The available materials suggest generally favorable treatment of the bill, with the sponsor framing it as a support measure for volunteer emergency medical services. No committee transcript or recorded vote is available, so there is no direct evidence of opposition or amendment debate in the provided record. The bill’s caption and text indicate a straightforward policy goal: helping volunteer ambulance providers retain both fundraising revenue and state assistance.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials, but the main issue likely concerns whether excluding fundraising proceeds from aid calculations could increase state expenditures or create different treatment for volunteer ambulance companies compared with other service providers. Potential questions could also arise over how “fundraising activity” is defined, especially the allowance for temporary commercial enterprise activity and the 90-day limit. Because there are no transcripts or votes, it is not possible to identify any named legislators or stakeholder groups who opposed or supported those details.
Excludes fundraising from consideration in appropriating state aid and reimbursement for services to volunteer ambulance companies, including regional emergency medical councils.
Concerning emergency medical services provided in the state, and, in connection therewith, designating emergency medical services, including ambulance services and air ambulance services, to be essential services.
Increases the tax exemption to twenty percent on real property owned by members of volunteer fire companies or voluntary ambulance services in certain counties.
Increases individual, group, and Medicaid insurance rates of reimbursement for ambulance and wheelchair van services to be equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services.
Increases individual, group, and Medicaid insurance rates of reimbursement for ambulance and wheelchair van services to be equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services.
In incentives for municipal volunteers of fire companies and nonprofit emergency medical services agencies, further providing for definitions, for volunteer service credit program, for service record, for certification and for duties of State Fire Commissioner.