N.Y. State Finance Law § 99-q: Volunteer firefighting and volunteer emergency services recruitment and retention fund

§ 99-q. Volunteer firefighting and volunteer emergency services

recruitment and retention fund. 1. There is hereby established in the

joint custody of the commissioner of taxation and finance and the

comptroller, a special fund to be known as the "volunteer firefighting

and volunteer emergency services recruitment and retention fund".

2. Such fund shall consist of all revenues received by the department

of taxation and finance, pursuant to the provisions of sections two

hundred nine-G and six hundred thirty-b of the tax law and all other

moneys appropriated, credited, or transferred thereto from any other

fund or source pursuant to law. Nothing contained in this section shall

prevent the state from receiving grants, gifts or bequests for the

purposes of the fund as defined in this section and depositing them into

the fund according to law. Any interest received by the comptroller on

moneys on deposit in such fund shall be retained in and become part of

such fund.

2-a. On or before the first day of February each year, the state fire

administrator shall provide a written report to the temporary president

of the senate, speaker of the assembly, chair of the senate finance

committee, chair of the assembly ways and means committee, chair of the

senate committee on local government, chair of the assembly local

government committee, the state comptroller and the public. Such report

shall include how the monies of the fund were utilized during the

preceding calendar year, and shall include:

(i) the amount of money dispersed from the fund and the award process

used for such disbursements;

(ii) recipients of awards from the fund;

(iii) the amount awarded to each;

(iv) the purposes for which such awards were granted; and

(v) a summary financial plan for such monies which shall include

estimates of all receipts and all disbursements for the current and

succeeding fiscal years, along with the actual results from the prior

fiscal year.

3. Moneys in such fund shall be expended only to provide grants to

volunteer firefighting and volunteer emergency services organizations

and to statewide organizations which represent the interests of

volunteer firefighters and/or volunteer emergency services providers for

the purpose of encouraging the recruitment and retention of volunteer

firefighters and volunteer emergency services personnel. Such purposes

may include, but need not be limited to: development and implementation

of marketing plans, publicity campaigns, and community awareness

initiatives; design, production and distribution of promotional

merchandise, brochures and other materials; sponsorship of local

community events designed to help recruit volunteers; newspaper

publications, promotional mailings and other advertising designed to

help recruit volunteers.

4. Monies shall be payable from the fund on the audit and warrant of

the comptroller on vouchers approved and certified by the state fire

administrator.

5. To the extent practicable, the state fire administrator shall

ensure that all monies received during a fiscal year are expended prior

to the end of that fiscal year.