Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

SF 1982

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 03/27/2015 09:08am

KEY: stricken = removed, old language.
underscored = added, new language.

Current Version - as introduced

Line numbers 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6
1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.10
2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 2.18 2.19 2.20 2.21 2.22 2.23 2.24 2.25 2.26
2.27 2.28 2.29 2.30 2.31 2.32 2.33 2.34 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8
3.9 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14
3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21
3.22 3.23 3.24 3.25 3.26 3.27 3.28 3.29 3.30 3.31 3.32 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13
4.14 4.15
4.16 4.17 4.18 4.19

A bill for an act
relating to volunteer firefighters; expanding areas eligible for aid; making
the program ongoing; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022,
subdivisions 1, 3, 4, 6, by adding subdivisions; repealing Minnesota Statutes
2014, section 69.022, subdivision 8.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, subdivision 1, is amended to read:


Subdivision 1.

Definitions.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms
have the meanings given them.

(b) "Commissioner," unless otherwise specified, means the commissioner of public
safety.

(c) "Emergency medical services provider" means a licensee as defined under
section 144E.001, subdivision 8.

(d) "Independent nonprofit firefighting corporation" has the same meaning as used in
chapter 424A.

(e) "Municipality" has the meaning given in section 69.011, but only if the
municipality uses one or more qualified volunteers to provide service.

(f) "Qualified entity" means an emergency medical services provider, independent
nonprofit firefighting corporation, or municipality.

(g) "Qualified volunteer" means one of the following types of volunteers who has
provided service, for the entire prior calendar year, to one or more qualified entities:

(1) a volunteer firefighter as defined in section 299N.03, subdivision 7;

(2) a volunteer ambulance attendant as defined in section 144E.001, subdivision 15; or

(3) an emergency medical responder as defined in section 144E.001, subdivision 6,
who provides emergency medical services as a volunteer.

(h)new text begin "Qualifying area" means all counties other than the metropolitan counties, as
defined in section 473.121, subdivision 4.
new text end

new text begin (i)new text end "Pilot area" means the following groups of counties:

(1) southern Minnesota, consisting of the counties of Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn,
Houston, and Watonwan;

(2) west central Minnesota, consisting of the counties of Chippewa, Kandiyohi,
Redwood, and Renville;

(3) central Minnesota, consisting of the counties of Morrison and Todd; and

(4) north central Minnesota, consisting of the counties of Beltrami, Clearwater,
and Mahnomen.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, subdivision 3, is amended to read:


Subd. 3.

Aid payment and calculationnew text begin ; pilot areanew text end .

new text begin For volunteer service provided
in 2014,
new text end the commissioner of revenue shall pay aid to qualified entities located in the pilot
area to provide funds for the qualified entities to pay annual volunteer retention stipends to
qualified volunteers who provide services to the qualified entities. A qualified entity is
located in the pilot area if it is a municipality located in whole or in part in the pilot area,
or if it is an emergency medical services provider or independent nonprofit firefighting
corporation with its main office located in the pilot area. The amount of the aid equals
$500 multiplied by the number of qualified volunteers. For purposes of calculating this
aid, each individual providing volunteer service, regardless of the different types of service
provided, is one qualified volunteer. The commissioner of revenue shall pay the aid to
qualified entities by July 15 of the calendar year following the year in which the qualified
volunteer provided service. If a qualified entity is not a municipality, the commissioner
shall pay the aid to the treasurer of the municipality designated by the qualified entity.
The treasurer of the municipality shall, within 30 days of receipt of the aid, transmit the
aid to the qualified entity.

Sec. 3.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:


new text begin Subd. 3a. new text end

new text begin Aid payment and calculation. new text end

new text begin The commissioner of revenue shall pay aid
to qualified entities located in the qualifying area to provide funds for the qualified entities
to pay annual volunteer retention stipends to qualified volunteers who provide services to
the qualified entities. A qualified entity is located in the qualifying area if it is a municipality
located in whole or in part in the qualifying area, or if it is an emergency medical services
provider or independent nonprofit firefighting corporation with its main office located in
the qualifying area. The amount of the aid equals $500 multiplied by the number of
qualified volunteers. For purposes of calculating this aid, each individual providing
volunteer service, regardless of the different types of service provided, is one qualified
volunteer. The commissioner of revenue shall pay the aid to qualified entities by July 15 of
the calendar year following the year in which the qualified volunteer provided service. If a
qualified entity is not a municipality, the commissioner shall pay the aid to the treasurer of
the municipality designated by the qualified entity. The treasurer of the municipality shall,
within 30 days of receipt of the aid, transmit the aid to the qualified entity.
new text end

Sec. 4.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, subdivision 4, is amended to read:


Subd. 4.

Applicationnew text begin ; pilot areanew text end .

deleted text begin Each yeardeleted text end new text begin In 2015, new text end each qualified entity in the
pilot area may apply to the commissioner for aid under this section. The application must
be made at the time and in the form prescribed by the commissioner and must provide
sufficient information to permit the commissioner to determine the applicant's entitlement
to aid under this section.

Sec. 5.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, is amended by adding a subdivision
to read:


new text begin Subd. 4a. new text end

new text begin Application. new text end

new text begin Each year each qualified entity in the qualifying area may
apply to the commissioner for aid under this section. The application must be made at
the time and in the form prescribed by the commissioner and must provide sufficient
information to permit the commissioner to determine the applicant's entitlement to aid
under this section.
new text end

Sec. 6.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, subdivision 6, is amended to read:


Subd. 6.

Report.

No later than January 15, 2018, the commissioner must report to
the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees having jurisdiction
over public safety and taxes in the senate and the house of representatives, in compliance
with sections 3.195 and 3.197, on aid paid under this section. The report must include:

(1) for each county in the pilot area, a listing of the qualified entities that received
aid in deleted text begin each of the three years of the pilotdeleted text end new text begin 2015new text end ;

(2) new text begin for each county in the qualifying area, a listing of the qualified entities that
received aid in 2016 and 2017;
new text end

new text begin (3) new text end the amount of aid paid to each qualified entity that received aid in each of the
three years of the pilot; and

deleted text begin (3)deleted text end new text begin (4)new text end for each qualified entity that received aid, the number of qualified volunteers
who were paid stipends in each of the three years of the pilot, and the number of qualified
volunteers in the year preceding the pilot.

The report must also provide information on the number of qualified volunteers
providing service to qualified entities in comparison counties in deleted text begin each of the three years
of the pilot
deleted text end new text begin 2015new text end and in the year preceding the pilot, and must summarize changes in the
number of qualified volunteers during the year preceding the pilot and deleted text begin during the three
years of the pilot
deleted text end new text begin in 2015new text end both within the pilot area and in the comparison counties. For
purposes of this subdivision, "comparison counties" means counties designated by the
commissioner to include at least half of the counties that border each group of counties in
the pilot area, as specified in subdivision 1. Qualified entities in comparison counties must
provide information to the commissioner necessary to the report in this subdivision in the
form and manner required by the commissioner.

Sec. 7. new text begin REPEALER.
new text end

new text begin Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 69.022, subdivision 8, new text end new text begin is repealed.
new text end

Sec. 8. new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE.
new text end

new text begin Sections 1 to 6 are effective the day following final enactment and apply for
volunteer service provided beginning in calendar year 2015 and for aid payable in calendar
year 2016 and following years. Section 7 is effective the day following final enactment.
new text end