Establishes "Resident Firefighter Grant Program" in Division of Fire Safety.

A1322

ASSEMBLY, No. 1322

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CODY D. MILLER

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Peterpaul, Donlon and Assemblyman Hutchison

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes "Resident Firefighter Grant
Program" in Division of Fire Safety.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act

establishing the �Resident Firefighter Grant
Program� in the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs
and supplementing P.L.1983, c.382 (C.52:27D-25a et seq.).

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.� a.� As used in this
section:

���� �Director� means the Director
of the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs.

���� �Dormitory� means a building,
or portion thereof, containing rooms which are provided as residences or for
overnight sleeping for resident firefighters.

���� �Program� means the �Resident
Firefighter Grant Program� established pursuant to subsection b. of this
section.�

���� �Resident firefighter� means a
firefighter who performs fire station duties including, but not limited to,
attending trainings and responding to emergency calls, in exchange for free
living accommodations.�

���� b.� There is established the
�Resident Firefighter Grant Program� in the Division of Fire Safety in the
Department of Community Affairs.� The purpose of the program shall be to
provide grants to fire districts, as may be annually appropriated, for the creation
and expansion of resident firefighter programs.�

���� c.� The Director of the
Division of Fire Safety shall administer the program, and shall:

���� (1)� prescribe procedures for
grant applications;

���� (2)� advise and assist fire
districts in the preparation of grant applications;

���� (3)� establish criteria and
procedures for the award of grants consistent with the provisions of this
section; and

���� (4)� monitor and evaluate the
use of grant funds received by fire districts pursuant to this section.

���� d.� Any fire district may
apply to the director to receive a grant under the program to create or expand
a resident firefighter program.� The director shall evaluate all applications
and shall, to the extent possible, equitably distribute grant awards to
successful applicants in the northern, central, and southern regions of the
State.� The funds distributed under the program shall be utilized for purposes
of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill),
including, but not limited to, incentives and amenities for resident
firefighters, and construction of, and supplies for, dormitories for resident
firefighters which may include kitchen facilities.�

���� e.� The department shall
request annually, as part of its annual budget proposal, a minimum of
$5,000,000 to fund the grants authorized pursuant to this section.� The
department and the division also shall pursue any available federal, State,
local, and private funding for the grants authorized pursuant to this section.�

���� f.� Of the amount appropriated
to the program, two percent shall be allocated to the division� to be used to
administer the program.

���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
�Resident Firefighter Grant Program� in the Division of Fire Safety (division)
in the Department of Community Affairs (DCA).� This program would provide
grants to fire districts to use for the creation and expansion of resident
firefighter programs.� The bill defines �resident firefighter� as a firefighter
who performs fire station duties including, but not limited to, attending
trainings and responding to emergency calls, in exchange for free living
accommodations.�

���� The bill requires the director
of the division, to the extent possible, to equitably distribute grant awards
to successful applicants in the northern, central, and southern regions of the
State.� Funds distributed under the program are required to be used for the
purposes as prescribed in the bill, including, but not limited to, incentives
and amenities for resident firefighters, and construction of, and supplies for,
dormitories for resident firefighters which may include kitchen facilities.

���� The bill also requires DCA to
annually request, as part of its annual budget proposal, a minimum of $5
million to fund the grants authorized by the bill.� The bill also requires DCA
and the division to pursue and utilize any available federal, State, local, and
private funding for the grants.