2023 New York Laws › STF - State Finance › Article 6 - Funds of the State › 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.