Committee asks legislative auditor to expand review of firefighter supplemental pay program

The House Appropriations Committee voted to report House Resolution 5 favorably on April 22, directing the Legislative Auditor to conduct an expanded audit of the firefighter supplemental pay program.

Representative Horton said the committee’s subcommittee work found the original audit covered only six departments and that questions remain about statutory qualifications for supplemental pay, including apparent contradictions in eligibility for certain job titles. "In the original audit, they only audited 6 fire departments," Horton said, adding that the resolution seeks broader data to evaluate how local departments apply the law and whether changes are needed.

Committee members and witnesses discussed the statutory phrase "hired primarily" as central to eligibility determinations and noted that some departments sign off on supplemental-pay eligibility based on Firefighter I certification even for employees whose job descriptions do not require responding to fires. Representative Freiburg said municipal supplemental-pay matters "tend to be problematic" and supported the resolution.

Representative Freiburg moved to report House Resolution 5 favorable; there was no objection and HR 5 was reported favorable. The resolution directs the Legislative Auditor to examine, investigate and audit the supplemental pay program to gather more comprehensive data for potential statutory fixes.