S 827: Establishes the rural emergency first responder program revolving fund; requires grants be made for qualified farmedic programs.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 827 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE (Prefiled) January 8, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GALLIVAN, OBERACKER -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to creating the rural emergency responder live training program revolving capital fund The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 3003-c to read as follows: 3 § 3003-c. Rural emergency responder live training program revolving 4 capital fund. 1. Definitions. As used in this section, the following 5 words and phrases shall have the following meanings: 6 (a) "participating grantee" or "grantee" shall mean a first responder 7 and shall be defined as local police, fire, emergency services, hospital 8 or clinical staff, or organizations or corporations comprised of the 9 same; 10 (b) "revolving capital fund" shall mean the rural emergency responder 11 live training program revolving capital fund authorized to be estab- 12 lished by the department and administered pursuant to this section; 13 (c) "live training program" shall mean any training program or session 14 at least half of which is scenario based and takes place outside of a 15 classroom setting; and 16 (d) "farmedic program" shall mean the program utilized for training 17 first responders and medical staff in agricultural and rural incident 18 response with a safety first approach through a combination of classroom 19 instruction, field exercises and exposure to the kinds of machinery, 20 chemicals, and structures common to rural or agricultural areas. 21 2. Revolving capital fund. (a) The department, within amounts appro- 22 priated, shall establish the rural emergency responder live training 23 program revolving capital fund. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02915-01-5 
 S. 827 2 1 (b) Monies in the revolving capital fund shall be utilized for the 2 purpose of making grants to qualifying participating grantees to partic- 3 ipate in the national farmedic training program, or other similar 4 program as determined by the department. 5 (c) Funds shall be transferred by the commissioner of taxation and 6 finance to the department for deposit in the revolving capital fund in 7 an amount as authorized by appropriation. 8 (d) Monies in the fund shall be: (i) held by the department pursuant 9 to this section as custodian pursuant to an agreement with the commis- 10 sioner of taxation and finance until transferred to the grantee pursuant 11 to this section, and (ii) invested by the department in accordance with 12 the investment guidelines of the comptroller during said custodial peri- 13 od. All investment income shall be credited to, and shall be deposited 14 in, the revolving capital fund. 15 3. Administration agreement. (a) The commissioner of taxation and 16 finance and the department shall enter into an agreement, subject to the 17 approval of the director of the budget, for the purpose of administering 18 the funds in the revolving capital fund. 19 (b) A copy of such agreement, and any amendments thereto, shall be 20 provided to the chair of the senate finance committee, the director of 21 the division of the budget, and the chair of the assembly ways and means 22 committee. 23 (c) The agreement shall specify that the department shall administer 24 the revolving capital fund in a manner that will benefit the public 25 health by encouraging enrollment in the farmedic program, or similar 26 program, in compliance with all applicable laws, rules, regulations and 27 other requirements. 28 4. Specific provisions required. Upon the effective date of the agree- 29 ment, custody of, and responsibility for, the revolving capital fund 30 shall be taken up by the department, subject to the requirements of its 31 agreement with the commissioner of taxation and finance. Such agreement 32 shall include, but not be limited to, the following provisions: 33 (a) the department shall be responsible for the receipt, management 34 and expenditure of monies held in the revolving capital fund; 35 (b) the department shall maintain books and records pertaining to all 36 monies received and disbursed pursuant to this section and the agree- 37 ment; 38 (c) monies in such revolving capital fund shall be utilized for the 39 purpose of making grants to qualifying participating grantees, to 40 provide participating grantees with improved access to affordable capi- 41 tal to increase enrollment in farmedic or a similar training program; 42 (d) participating grantees shall be chosen by the department through 43 an application process approved by the department and the comptroller; 44 (e) eligible uses of funds so granted to participating grantees shall 45 include but not be limited to: (i) eligible costs as described in para- 46 graph (f) of this subdivision, attributable to the proposed program, and 47 (ii) reserves for credit enhancement including loan guarantees if 48 required to allow grantee to participate in relevant training programs; 49 (f) eligible costs under this section shall include, but not be limit- 50 ed to, all material acquisition costs, wages and fees, furniture, 51 fixtures, and equipment; 52 (g) the department administering the revolving capital fund shall 53 report quarterly on the transactions in the revolving capital fund in a 54 form and manner specified by the comptroller in consultation with the 55 commissioner of taxation and finance, including but not limited to: 56 receipts or deposits to the fund; disbursements; loans or credit 
 S. 827 3 1 enhancement made from the fund; investment income; and the balance on 2 hand as of the end of the month for each such quarter; 3 (h) the department shall be required to invest monies on deposit in 4 the fund in accordance with investment guidelines meeting the require- 5 ments of the comptroller, and all investment income shall be credited to 6 the revolving capital fund, and spent therefrom only for the purposes 7 set forth in this section; 8 (i) revolving capital fund monies shall be held in trust and used for 9 the benefit of eligible grantees; and 10 (j) any other term or condition as determined by the department, in 11 consultation with the commissioner of taxation and finance. 12 5. Grant documentation. Grants from the revolving capital fund shall 13 be made pursuant to a written agreement between the department and the 14 participating grantee, specifying the terms of the grant. The grant 15 agreement shall be in such form and content as shall be acceptable to 16 the comptroller and the department, and may include such other written 17 documentation and/or agreements as shall be required in the judgment of 18 the comptroller and the department. Terms may include rescission of 19 grants if a grantee does not use grant funds in accordance with this 20 section or the terms of the grantee's agreement with the department. 21 § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 22 have become a law. Effective immediately, the commissioner of health, in 23 consultation with the commissioner of taxation and finance, is author- 24 ized to promulgate any rules or regulations necessary for the implemen- 25 tation of this act on or before such effective date.