Bill Text: NJ A558 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes municipalities and fire districts to require physician's certificate as condition for service or continuing service by volunteer fire fighters; requires municipalities and fire districts to reimburse them for out-of-pocket costs.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee [A558 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A558-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman JOSEPH CRYAN
District 20 (Union)
Assemblyman MICHAEL PATRICK CARROLL
District 25 (Morris)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes municipalities and fire districts to require physician's certificate as condition for service or continuing service by volunteer fire fighters; requires municipalities and fire districts to reimburse them for out-of-pocket costs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act authorizing municipalities and fire districts to require submission of physician's certificate as condition of service or continuing service by volunteers and supplementing chapter 14 of Title 40A of the New Jersey Statutes, and amending N.J.S.40A:14-36 and P.L.1979, c.453.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. (New section) The governing body of any municipality or the board of commissioners of any fire district maintaining a volunteer fire department may require any volunteer to supply a physician's certificate as a condition for continuing to serve as a volunteer or as a condition for being accepted as a volunteer by that municipality or fire district. The governing body of any municipality or the board of commissioners of any fire district maintaining a volunteer fire department may require a volunteer to supply a physician's certificate no more than once a year. The governing body or board of commissioners shall reimburse the volunteer for all costs and out-of-pocket expenses associated with supplying the physician's certificate.
2. N.J.S.40A:14-36 is amended to read as follows:
40A:14-36. a. The governing body of a municipality, by resolution, may appropriate annually such sums of money as they shall deem necessary for the purpose of compensating any volunteer [fireman] firefighter, not in receipt of compensation for his services, for any losses sustained by him while performing his duties as such volunteer fireman.
b. The governing body of a municipality that requires volunteer firefighters to obtain physician's certificates pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall reimburse the volunteers for all costs and out-of-pocket expenses associated with complying with that requirement.
(cf: N.J.S.40A:14-36)
3. Section 4 of P.L.1979, c.453 (C.40A:14-81.4) is amended to read as follows:
4. a. Any employees of a fire district and any volunteer [firemen] firefighter having membership in a volunteer fire company within the fire district may be reimbursed within the limitations of amounts appropriated therefor in the annual district budget for expenses and losses actually incurred in the performance of their duties.
b. The board of commissioners of any fire district that requires volunteer firefighters to obtain physician's certificates pursuant to section 1 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall reimburse volunteers for all costs and out-of-pocket expenses associated with complying with that requirement.
(cf: P.L.1979, c.453, s.4)
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would allow a municipal governing body or fire district board of commissioners to impose a requirement on volunteer firefighters to submit a physician's certificate as a condition for being accepted as a volunteer firefighter, or for continuing to be eligible to serve as a volunteer firefighter, no more than once a year. The bill requires a municipality or fire district that imposes a requirement that a volunteer firefighter submit a physician's certificate to reimburse the volunteer for all out of pocket expenses associated with obtaining the certificate, and amends the laws governing the compensation of volunteer firefighters to allow the volunteer to be reimbursed for the out of pocket costs associated with obtaining the physician's certificate.
