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Missouri lawmakers consider expanding tuition awards to volunteer firefighters to boost recruitment
Summary
Companion bills (HB 3439 and HB 3480) would remove volunteers' exclusion from the Public Safety Retention and Recruitment Act, making long-serving volunteer firefighters eligible for tuition awards subject to appropriation; witnesses argued it would aid rural recruitment while lawmakers raised fiscal and certification concerns.
Representatives Peggy McGaw and Mitch Boggs presented companion bills (HB 3439 and HB 3480) to include volunteer firefighters in Missouri's Public Safety Retention and Recruitment Act so volunteers could qualify for tuition awards and related incentives.
Representative Mitch Boggs said the change would modify the statutory definition of "firefighter" to remove volunteers' exclusion and add guardrails — residency in Missouri, enrollment in eligible training programs, minimum service requirements (for example, six years on the department), and prioritization — while any actual tuition awards would be subject to appropriation.
Rep. Peggy McGaw said the proposal reflects recruitment struggles in small towns such as Hardin and cited the flood history and local impacts to explain why volunteer incentives matter.
Committee members questioned the fiscal plan and implementation. One member cited the fiscal note's worst-case full-implementation estimate of about $4,200,000 (noted as a possible future-cycle cost) and an initial-cycle estimate under $100,000; sponsors said those figures depend on participation and that appropriators would prioritize recipients if funds are limited.
Local chiefs and associations testified in support. Malcolm Cunningham, fire chief of the Hardin Fire Protection District, described volunteers' certifications and rural response demands and said inclusion in the program would be a meaningful recruitment tool. Jorgen Schlain of the Fire Service Alliance urged the committee to acknowledge that volunteer firefighting is equally dangerous as paid positions and that volunteers deserve access to tuition awards subject to appropriation.
Matt Thompson of Boone County Fire Protection District said his district uses volunteers extensively, has training and residency programs for recruitment, and expects actual program participation will be lower than the fiscal note's worst-case assumption. Chance Hepla of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry also voiced support on public-safety and workforce-development grounds.
Committee members flagged implementation questions (who qualifies, certification verification and whether adding volunteers could prompt future expansions to other part-time responders) and stressed the role of appropriation.
The committee concluded the hearing on HB 3439 and HB 3480 with no recorded committee vote at this session.
