Post by Logan on Apr 10, 2016 18:18:54 GMT -6
Work-comp requirement for Montana volunteer firefighters narrowly survives vote
HELENA – Four Republican legislators nearly killed a draft bill that would require workers' compensation insurance for volunteer firefighters and assist small departments with paying for it.
Just one in five volunteer firefighters in Montana is covered by workers' compensation insurance, according to a tally by the Montana Fire Alliance provided to the committee. That leaves uninsured volunteers, often in rural areas, without financial aid should they be injured, disabled or killed while on the job.
The draft legislation would mandate that fire services provide insurance to volunteers and subsidize those costs at the smallest departments with a portion of revenue from the fire insurance premium tax.
The proposal survived a 5-4 vote in the Education and Local Government Committee last week. Sen. Elsie Arntzen, R-Billings, joined Democrats in the split vote Wednesday, enabling staff to continue refining the bill’s language and do additional fiscal analysis ahead of the group’s June meeting. The 12-member interim committee, six from each party, had an odd number present because of absences, for instance, to attend a funeral.
Read more: missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/work-comp-requirement-for-montana-volunteer-firefighters-narrowly-survives-vote/article_000b1b79-bf70-55e1-ae88-f6f20d35be3c.html
HELENA – Four Republican legislators nearly killed a draft bill that would require workers' compensation insurance for volunteer firefighters and assist small departments with paying for it.
Just one in five volunteer firefighters in Montana is covered by workers' compensation insurance, according to a tally by the Montana Fire Alliance provided to the committee. That leaves uninsured volunteers, often in rural areas, without financial aid should they be injured, disabled or killed while on the job.
The draft legislation would mandate that fire services provide insurance to volunteers and subsidize those costs at the smallest departments with a portion of revenue from the fire insurance premium tax.
The proposal survived a 5-4 vote in the Education and Local Government Committee last week. Sen. Elsie Arntzen, R-Billings, joined Democrats in the split vote Wednesday, enabling staff to continue refining the bill’s language and do additional fiscal analysis ahead of the group’s June meeting. The 12-member interim committee, six from each party, had an odd number present because of absences, for instance, to attend a funeral.
Read more: missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/work-comp-requirement-for-montana-volunteer-firefighters-narrowly-survives-vote/article_000b1b79-bf70-55e1-ae88-f6f20d35be3c.html