Senate Bill No. 333
Introduced By _______________________________________________________________________________
A Bill for an Act entitled: "An Act requiring a consolidated city-county to extend membership in its fire department relief association to volunteer firefighters of areas that were unincorporated areas prior to the city-county consolidation; amending sections 19-18-101 and 19-18-102, MCA; and providing an effective date."
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Montana:
Section 1. Section 19-18-101, MCA, is amended to read:
"19-18-101. Definitions. Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions apply in this chapter:
(1) "Association" means the fire department relief association provided for in 19-18-102.
(2) "Disability and pension fund" or "fund" means the fund provided for in 19-18-105.
(3) "Fire department" includes all fire departments, consisting of paid, part-paid, or volunteer firefighters or any combination thereof, recognized by the city or town council of an incorporated city or town or by the governing body of a consolidated city-county of this state.
(4) "Incorporated city or town" includes county seats, whether incorporated or not, and includes a consolidated city-county.
(5) Any reference to "municipality", "city", or "town" includes those jurisdictions which that, prior to the effective date of
a county-municipal consolidation, were incorporated municipalities or subsequent districts created for urban fire protection
services and includes the areas that were unincorporated areas of a consolidated city-county prior to its consolidation."
Section 2. Section 19-18-102, MCA, is amended to read:
"19-18-102. Formation of fire department relief association -- membership. (1) The confirmed members of a fire
department, as defined in 19-18-101, may form a local association to be known as the fire department relief association of
the city or town of .... (naming the city or town or consolidated city-county). When an association is formed, it shall must
be incorporated under the laws of this state. No one A person who is serving as a substitute, who is on probation, or who
has not been confirmed as a member of the fire department is not eligible for membership in the association.
(2) An association may only be formed and incorporated if:
(a) its formation is authorized by subsection (1); and
(b) the fire department has firefighting equipment in serviceable condition which that has a value of $750 or more."
NEW SECTION. Section 3. Rights of volunteer firefighters in areas that were unincorporated prior to city-county consolidation -- funding. (1) On [the effective date of this act], volunteer firefighters in areas of a consolidated city-county that were unincorporated areas prior to the city-county consolidation, if the firefighters meet the eligibility requirements of this chapter, must be granted membership in the existing consolidated city-county fund.
(2) Funding to meet the requirements of this section is provided for in 19-18-503 and 19-18-504.
NEW SECTION. Section 4. Codification instruction. [Section 3] is intended to be codified as an integral part of Title 19, chapter 18, part 1, and the provisions of Title 19, chapter 18, part 1, apply to [section 3].
NEW SECTION. Section 5. Effective date. [This act] is effective July 1, 1997.
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