Relates to the Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Albertson
Summary
A10952 amends the Nassau County Civil Divisions Act provisions governing the Volunteer and Exempt Firefighter's Benevolent Association of Albertson. The bill updates the association’s name and membership language to use gender-neutral terminology, replacing references to “firemen” with “firefighters” and revising related pronouns and descriptions throughout the article. It also modernizes references to the association’s governing and financial provisions so they align with current statutory language.
The bill further revises how the association may use funds and how it receives foreign fire insurance premium tax revenues. Instead of listing older, narrower purposes tied specifically to relief of disabled or indigent volunteer and exempt firemen and their families, the bill states that funds and taxes must be used by the corporation in furtherance of the purposes set forth in the article. It also updates cross-references in the Insurance Law from the former section numbers to the current sections governing foreign fire insurance taxes and related distributions.
Impact
If enacted, the bill would amend local law applicable to the Albertson volunteer fire association in Nassau County and update its statutory framework without changing the basic existence of the corporation. It would affect membership eligibility, governance language, and the permitted use of funds and insurance tax proceeds, while preserving the association’s authority to collect and receive foreign fire insurance premium taxes for fire department use and benefit. The primary legal effect is a modernization and conforming update of statutory terminology and cross-references, rather than a major substantive policy change.
Sentiment
The available record suggests a neutral to favorable posture toward the bill. There are no recorded committee transcripts or floor votes indicating opposition, and the measure appears to be a technical/local update aimed at bringing older statutory language into line with current terminology and insurance-law references. Its progression to Senate Committee status suggests it was treated as a routine local-government matter rather than a controversial proposal.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the available materials. The most notable substantive change is the shift from a narrowly described relief-and-assistance use of funds to a broader “purposes set forth in the article” standard, which could raise questions about the scope of permissible expenditures. However, because there are no transcripts or votes, there is no evidence of organized opposition or debate over that change, and the bill otherwise appears to be a noncontroversial nomenclature and cross-reference update.