New York Senate Bill S10244

New York 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 5/8/26
• Refer: 5/8/26
• Engrossed: 5/29/26
• Refer: 5/29/26
• Engrossed: 6/5/26

Caption

Relates to the use of certain moneys received by the West Babylon Volunteer Firemen's Benevolent Association and modernization of certain gendered language.

Summary

S10244 amends the 1962 law governing the West Babylon Volunteer Firemen’s Benevolent Association. The bill updates the association’s name and membership language to use gender-neutral terms such as “firefighter” instead of “fireman,” and replaces older pronouns with modern wording. It also revises the composition of the board of trustees, increasing it from eight to nine members by adding one additional trustee position. The measure further changes how the association may use certain insurance-related revenues it receives under the Insurance Law. Under the bill, the foreign fire insurance premium tax moneys and related tax share would no longer be limited to care and relief of disabled or indigent volunteer and exempt firemen and their families; instead, those funds must be used by the corporation in furtherance of its stated corporate purpose. The bill takes effect immediately, but the revised use of tax revenues applies only to taxes due and premiums received on and after January 1, 2027.

Impact

The bill amends a special act specific to the West Babylon Volunteer Firefighters’ Benevolent Association and changes both corporate governance and permissible use of funds. It updates references in the association’s enabling law to conform with current terminology, expands the board of trustees by one member, and broadens the statutory language governing the use of foreign fire insurance premium tax revenues collected under the Insurance Law sections now cited as sections 9104 and 9105. The practical effect is to give the association more flexibility in spending those funds, while preserving the requirement that they be used for the association’s purposes.

Sentiment

The available context suggests a routine, noncontroversial modernization bill. The caption emphasizes both the funding-use change and the language update, and there is no recorded committee transcript or vote history indicating opposition or debate. The bill appears to have been introduced as a local government measure to align an older statute with current terminology and organizational needs.

Contention

The main substantive point that could draw attention is the shift in how the association may use foreign fire insurance premium tax revenues. Previously, the statute expressly limited those moneys to the care and relief of disabled or indigent volunteer and exempt firemen and their families; the bill replaces that specific restriction with broader language tied to the association’s general purpose. That change may matter to members or beneficiaries who prefer the older earmark, although no recorded opposition is provided. The other notable issue is the modernization of gendered terms, which is likely uncontroversial but reflects a statutory update to inclusive language.