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Subcommittee advances bill to codify rescue squads in volunteer firefighter grant program
Summary
The Cities & Counties Subcommittee advanced House Bill 2,531 to explicitly include rescue squads in the state's volunteer firefighter equipment and training grant program; sponsor said the Department of Commerce and Insurance has already treated rescue squads as qualified recipients since 2022. The bill passed the subcommittee on a 6-0 vote and moves to State and Local Government.
The Cities & Counties Subcommittee voted to advance House Bill 2,531, a measure to put rescue squads explicitly into the volunteer firefighter equipment and training grant program. Leader Cochran, the sponsor, said the Department of Commerce and Insurance began issuing those grants to rescue squads in 2022 and the bill simply codifies that practice in statute.
"We've just never actually officially codified rescue squads in this whole grant process," Leader Cochran said in committee. Members asked whether unspent grant dollars roll back to the general fund or remain available for future awards; the sponsor said he would double-check the statutory accounting but expected the money to remain in the grant fund. The clerk reported the vote as six ayes and zero noes, and the bill now moves to the next State and Local Government calendar.
