2014 Legislative Changes For The Fire Service HB 1034.

North Carolina State Firemen’s Association

2014 Legislative Changes For The Fire

Service

HB 1034


HB 1034 was the result of 4 studiesconducted over a period of a year

by the Program EvaluationDivision of the General Assembly.

The NCSFA, NCAFC, and our Lobbyist fought hard to get HB 1034 to a point

where the effect would not be negative to our programs.


NC General Assembly

General Assembly

Senate

House

Research Divisions

(PED is one)


FOUR PED STUDIES CONDUCTED

Resulting Report Titles

“Improved Oversight of Volunteer Fire Department Fund and Volunteer Rescue/EMS Fund Needed; $8 Million

Surplus Found” (April 2014)

“Department of State Treasurer Should Strengthen Its Oversight of the Firefighters' and Rescue Squad Workers'

Pension Fund” (March 2014)

“Local Boards and Associations Administer Firefighters' and Rescue Squad Workers' Relief Funds with Limited State

Oversight” (November 2013)“Revenue and Cost Trends Indicate Deficit in Volunteer

Safety Workers' Compensation Fund in FY 2020–21” (February 2014)

http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/PED/Reports/RecentReports.html


As you can see from the titles of the reports, we were

under fire from the beginning

What could have been extremely

damaging to our programs actually

turned out pretty well.


“Overview: Recommendations:The General Assembly should

either consolidate the firefighters’ relief funds and make

administration of all relief funds the responsibility of DOI,

OR strongly improve oversight of relief

funds under their current administrative structures”

This was their opening slide fortheir RF report to the JLPEOC


State AssociationRegional Association

County

Association


NCSFA

NCAFC

Lobbyist

Legislative Committee


HB 1034 Changes

All four programs studied were affected

to a degree by HB 1034, and all are

funded in part by the Gross Premium Tax


Gross Premium Tax(GPT)

GPT Simple Definition = .074 Cents Per $100

of any NC insurance policy containing Fire Coverage

(i.e. homeowners, rental, etc.)


GPT Changes

New Distributions Amounts of The Gross Premium Tax

* Relief Fund 20%

* Volunteer Safety Workers Comp Fund 20%

* Volunteer Fire Department Grants 20%

* General Fund Redistributed to F&R Pension 40%


Relief Fund Changes

- Modernization of language and definitions (i.e. firemen – firefighter)- 1% increase in DOI Admin Fee

- Local and State Board to manage funds prudently according to

Chapter 36E (GS 36E)- Increased Reporting requirements- Electronic Transfer of Checks from

DOI


Relief Fund Changes Cont’d

New Definition of Destitute Added The determination of destitute shall be

based on the inability of the firefighters, through no fault of their own, to provide basic provisions to themselves or their families. Such basic provisions include, but are not limited to, assistance with

housing, vehicle or commuting expenses, food, clothing, utilities, medical care, and

funeral expenses.



ADDITIONAL USES OF LOCAL RELIF FUNDS

- Fire and Rescue Workers Pension Premiums

- Workers Compensation Premiums- Annual Physicals required or

recommended by NC Dept. of Labor or NFPA



“Financially Unsound” Defined *“means that a local fund could not

sustain a requested expenditure or could not make similar payments for five years without the local fund's balance falling

below the greater of the following: (1) Five hundred dollars ($500.00)

multiplied by the number of eligible firefighters in the local department.

(2) Twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).”

* Used by NCSFA when approving disbursements.



Increased Reporting Requirements

For Next Year - 2015Details on the disbursements from local

relief funds, including how much was disbursed for each allowable purpose

and how many members received disbursements for those purposes.



No Legislative Restriction On Amount of Spending

“A local board of trustees shall not be restricted to making disbursements solely

from the interest earned on the local board's relief fund”.


Relief Fund Changes Cont’dREPEAL OF LOCAL LAW PROVISIONS

The following provisions contained within any local act enacted or amended prior to January 1, 2014, are hereby repealed:

(1) Any redirection, at the time of receipt, of funds directed to a fire district under G.S. 58-84-25(c) to a fund other than a local

relief fund. (2) Any restriction that would be inconsistent with G.S. 58-84-

35(d). (3) Any transfer of interest earned on a local relief fund from

the local relief fund to another fund. (4) Any transfer of funds from a local relief fund to a

supplemental retirement fund based on the local relief fund exceeding a certain amount.

(5) Any allowable expenditures that are not within the scope of the list provided in G.S. 58-84-35(a).

(6) Any variation from the certification requirement under G.S. 58-84-35(b)."



REPEAL OF LOCAL LAW PROVISIONS

Simply stated, all relief funds, regardless of the type account they are held in, cannot be hidden and must be reported on the annual financial report; and all funds,

regardless of use, must be administered by the Local Relief Fund

Board.



New Maximum Balance (For July 1, 2015)The balance of a local fire department's

Firefighter's Relief Fund for a given year shall not exceed the product of multiplying the number of

members on the department's roster as of January 1 for that year by the sum of two thousand five

hundred dollars ($2,500).

A local fire department whose relief fund balance, at the time of annual financial report, exceeds the maximum amount above shall not be entitled to

receive a check for that year, and the Commissioner shall redistribute the funds that the department would have received to other eligible

departments, first within the county, then statewide.



New Maximum Balance ExceptionSupplemental Retirement Account (SRA)

A board of trustees of a local Firefighters' Relief Fund may, with the authorization of and under

guidelines provided by the North Carolina State Firemen's Association, dedicate a portion of the local Firefighters' Relief Fund towards providing supplemental retirement. If this SRA approved by NCSFA is used solely

for supplemental retirement within the guidelines provided by the North Carolina State Firemen's

Association, then such dedicated amounts shall not count towards the maximum allowable balance under

subsection (a) of this section. Allowable Maximum - Approved SRA = Reportable

Maximum



All NC Firefighters now protected by NCSFA LODD

Benefit regardless of membership in the

Association.


Volunteer Safety Workers Comp Fund

Changes- Consistent Funding Source (GPT 20%)- NCSFA, NCAFC, & NCAREMS Eligible to

purchase WC Coverage *- Increased Actuarial Review by DOI

- Increased reporting requirements by DOI- Increased Tracking and Information by WC

Administrator (Key Risk)* Benefits the VSWCF because of additional premiums with low loss

risk.


Fire and Rescue Workers Pension Plan

Changes!!! Removal of career separation

requirement.If you are 55 and have 20 years

eligible paid up service, effective October 1, 2014 you can draw monthly

benefits, career or volunteer !!!


Volunteer Fire Department Grant Fund

Changes- For Departments who receive less than $50,000 from the City of County each year in support, the matching grant

changes from 50/50 to 25/75, or $3 for every $1 matching.

- Property acquired from the Department of Defense through the Firefighter Property (FFP) and federal Excess

Property (FEPP) programs is eligible for grants now.


Volunteer Rescue/EMS Grant Fund Changes

- Grants are subject to the following priority order: (i) rescue units, (ii) rescue/EMS units, (iii)

EMS units that are licensed as EMS providers under G.S 131E-155.1, and, finally, (iv) EMS

units that are volunteer fire departments that are a part of a county's EMS system plan.


Volunteer Rescue/EMS Grant Fund Changes

(cont’d)For the grant, "EMS unit" means either (i) an EMS provider licensed under G.S 131E-155.1 or (ii) a volunteer fire or fire/rescue department that is

part of its county's EMS system plan. The unit or squad must comply with existing State statutes and with eligibility criteria established by the

North Carolina Association of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services, Inc.


Both Volunteer Grant Fund Changes

Reimbursement of Funds. – If equipment purchased with grant funds is disposed of within five years of the date of the

grant award funding its purchase, then the grant recipient shall reimburse the

appropriate fund the amount of matching funds used for the purchase of

the equipment, less depreciation.


Both Volunteer Grant Fund Changes

Transfer of Purchased Equipment. – If a grant recipient shall cease to exist within five years

of the date of award of the grant, it shall transfer, subject to the approval of the Department of Insurance, any and all

equipment purchased with such grant funds to whichever department shall assume

responsibility for providing service to the grant recipient's area of service or to another appropriate department that may effectively

use the equipment


General CommentsMany Changes Listed in this presentation for fire

programs also were changed in Rescue

Programs.

The presentation primarily covered changes effecting

departments, not state agency report

requirements changes.


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2014 Legislative Changes For The Fire Service HB 1034.

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Transcript of 2014 Legislative Changes For The Fire Service HB 1034.