S 8648: Requires the office of fire prevention and control to pay training stipends in specific amounts to volunteer firefighters for completion of certain firefighter trainings; provides that if a volunteer fire company pays training stipends to volunteer firefighters in an amount below what is otherwise required to be paid by OFPC, OFPC shall pay the remaining amount.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8648  IN SENATE January 7, 2026 ___________ Introduced by Sen. ASHBY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Local Government AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to training stipends paid by the office of fire prevention and control to volun- teer firefighters The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Subdivisions 3 and 4 of section 200-aa of the general 2 municipal law, as added by section 2 of part H of chapter 55 of the laws 3 of 2023, are amended to read as follows: 4 3. The office of fire prevention and control may make available state 5 funds through a training stipend to volunteer firefighters for 6 completion of certain firefighter training, as identified and published 7 by the office of fire prevention and control; provided, however, that 8 the office of fire prevention and control shall make available state 9 funds through a training stipend to volunteer firefighters for the 10 completion of the following firefighter trainings, as identified and 11 published by the office of fire prevention and control, in the following 12 amounts: 13 (a) a stipend of fifteen hundred dollars for completion of the basic 14 exterior firefighting operations with hazardous material first responder 15 operations course, or equivalent; and 16 (b) a stipend of twenty-five hundred dollars for completion of the 17 self-contained breathing apparatus with interior fighting operations 18 course, or equivalent. 19 4. No volunteer firefighter [may] shall receive a training stipend 20 from both a volunteer fire company pursuant to subdivision two of this 21 section and the office of fire prevention and control pursuant to subdi- 22 vision three of this section for completion of the same firefighter 23 training; provided, however, that if a volunteer fire company provides a 24 training stipend to a volunteer firefighter for completion of a fire- 25 fighter training listed under paragraph (a) or (b) of subdivision three 26 of this section in an amount less than the amount directed to be paid by 27 the office of fire prevention and control under such paragraph (a) or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11179-01-5 
 S. 8648 2 1 (b), the office of fire prevention and control shall pay a supplemental 2 training stipend to such volunteer firefighter in the amount of the 3 difference between the amount directed to be paid under paragraph (a) or 4 (b) of subdivision three of this section and the amount paid by such 5 volunteer fire company. 6 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.