03/14/2001 01:30 PM Senate CRA

                                                                                                                                
                 SB 104-AID TO VOLUNTEER SERVICES                                                                           
                                                                                                                              
MARY  JACKSON,  staff for  Senator  Torgerson,  introduced  SB  104.                                                            
Senator Torgerson is the bill sponsor.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SB 104 deals  with what the Local  Boundary Commission (LBC)  refers                                                            
to as disincentives  for organization. Current statutes  provide for                                                            
volunteer fire  departments in unorganized areas to  receive funding                                                            
but not those  in organized areas. This bill  would  revise statutes                                                            
so  that  volunteer   fire  departments  in  organized   areas  with                                                            
populations  under 2,500  would receive  funding. Emergency  medical                                                            
service   entities  having  ambulance services  and  with less  than                                                            
2,500 in population  in both organized  and unorganized areas  would                                                            
also receive funds.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
The  fiscal  note  and  a draft  copy  of  the  impacts  to  various                                                            
communities  are included  in committee packets.  The basis  for the                                                            
information comes  from registered lists provided  by the state fire                                                            
marshal and the emergency medical services.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Number 375                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON said,  "It's $5.00 for  volunteer and $5.00  for                                                            
EMS, right?"                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MS. JACKSON said it's $10.00 each.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN  TORGERSON asked  whether there were  any questions.  There                                                            
were none. There was no teleconference testimony.                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PHILLIPS  said  he  understood  this  to mean  that  in  an                                                            
organized area there are unorganized cities within the borough.                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN TORGERSON  said, "That's  109 but this is kind of  the same                                                            
thing. If you're  outside of the borough then you  receive money for                                                            
the EMS and fire department  but if you're inside the borough you do                                                            
not. This just equalizes that."                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
The fiscal note went up  substantially since the bill was introduced                                                            
last  time but  it's a policy  call  by the legislature  whether  to                                                            
equalize treatment between organized and unorganized areas.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PHILLIPS  moved SB 104 and  fiscal note from committee  with                                                            
individual recommendations. There were no objections.