The State Senate passed four bills – including one sponsored by Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, – that would offer additional tax credits and education benefits to volunteer firefighters and emergency responders.

Griffo authored legislation (S.2727) that would expand the tax credits available to volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers. The state has sought to encourage more emergency volunteers by enacting a state income tax credit and local real property tax exemptions. However, volunteers are unable to receive the property tax exemption and income tax credit at the same time, according to Griffo.

Griffo represents the 47th Senate District. It includes a swath running through the middle of St. Lawrence County, from Massena to Fine, including Potsdam.

The bill would remove these restrictions and allow volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers to receive both the tax credit – up to $200 off their income taxes – and tax exemption, which is generally limited to a maximum $3,000 reduction in the assessed value of their homes, Griffo said.

“Whenever there’s an emergency, our volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers put their lives on the line each and every day to answer the call, no matter the hour or weather,” said Griffo.

The additional bills passed by the Senate include:

S1000A: This bill would help adequately compensate disabled volunteer firefighters for their service by establishing a cost-of-living adjustment to their state benefits. Under current law, volunteer firefighters who are permanently disabled in the course of their service are eligible to receive workers’ compensation benefits of up to $400 per week, regardless of the date of their injury. Inflation can make it difficult to subsist on a fixed income, and this legislation would annually adjust benefits by using the Consumer Price Index, Griffo said.

S3126: This bill would provide additional incentives for young people to enter volunteer fire service at a time when communities are facing a significant shortage of volunteer firefighters across the state. It would make volunteer firefighters and ambulance workers eligible to receive academic credit after successfully completing a related internship or independent study program. The programs, which would be implemented by State University of New York and community colleges, must include both a service requirement and an academic requirement to ensure that participants are exposed to subject matters such as not-for-profit corporate governance, municipal government, budgeting, and management, Griffo said.