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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Bailey		DATE TYPED:	02/01/02		HB
SHORT TITLE:		Emergency Response Personnel				SB	359
					ANALYST:		Woodlee

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY02

FY03

FY02

FY03

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD)

Labor Department (LD)

Department of Public Safety (DPS)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 359 prohibits employers from discharging employees for time lost due to serving as a volunteer firefighter or as volunteer emergency medical personnel. In addition, the bill provides that a volunteer firefighter or emergency medical service provider may take temporary leaves of absence no longer than fourteen days per calendar year in order to participate in fire or emergency medical service training. Employees who are discharged, threatened with discharge, demoted, suspended or in any other manner discriminated against because of time taken off for these purposes are entitled to reinstatement and reimbursement for lost wages and work benefits caused by the acts of the employer. The bill allows time lost from employment to be charged against the employee’s regular pay.

Significant Issues

According to the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service providers are integral to community protection programs. Without volunteer emergency personnel, many properties and lives would be lost in rural areas of New Mexico, as many communities do not have full-time emergency personnel.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

There is no appropriation or significant fiscal implication associated with this bill.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

The bill only provides for protection of employee in the event that the emergency occurs prior to the employee reporting to work. The bill does not address any protection if employees are dispatched to an emergency during their normal work shift.

MW/ar