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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
HOUSE BILL 1078 By: Smith
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to firefighter clothing allowance;
creating the Rural Volunteer Firefighter Clothing
Allowance Grants Act; declaring legislative intent;
defining terms; creating the Oklahoma Firefighter
Clothing Allowance Revolving Fund; establishing fund
parameters; providing for clothing allowance grant
awards; requiring grant utilization and expenditures
be memorialized and submitted to the State Board of
Agriculture; providing authority for disbursement of
clothing grant awards; placing limitations on the
utilization of certain funds; requiring staff and
administrative support be provided by certain agency;
authorizing the promulgation of rules with certain
limitations; providing methodology and criteria for
allocation of certain clothing allowance grant
awards; providing for reallocation of clothing
allowance grant awards under certain conditions;
providing for codification; and providing an
effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 85.72A of Title 74, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Rural Volunteer
Firefighter Clothing Allowance Grants Act".
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SECTION 2. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 85.72B of Title 74, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
It is the intent of the Legislature, through enactment of the
Rural Volunteer Firefighter Clothing Allowance Grants Act, to
protect the safety of Oklahomans and fire service personnel from
fire and related hazards by using monetary grants to alleviate
certain costs and incentivize recruitment and retention related to
certain rural volunteer firefighters.
SECTION 3. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 85.72C of Title 74, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
As used in the Rural Volunteer Firefighter Clothing Allowance
Grants Act:
1. "Applicant" means a volunteer firefighter applying for the
clothing allowance;
2. "Board" means the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture;
3. "Department" means the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture,
Food and Forestry;
4. "Eligible Applicant" means an applicant who complies with
the requirements of Section 6 of this act and has completed one year
or more of volunteer firefighting experience.
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SECTION 4. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 85.72D of Title 74, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
There is hereby created in the State Treasury a revolving fund
for the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to be
designated the "Oklahoma Firefighter Clothing Allowance Revolving
Fund". The fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal
year limitations, and shall consist of all monies received by the
Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry from
appropriations, donations, grants, or other sources of funding
specifically designated for deposit to the Oklahoma Firefighter
Clothing Allowance Revolving Fund. All monies accruing to the
credit of said fund are hereby appropriated and may be budgeted and
expended by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and
Forestry for the purpose of funding clothing allowance grant awards
as authorized by this act. Expenditures from said fund shall be
made upon warrants issued by the State Treasurer against claims
filed as prescribed by law with the Director of the Office of
Management and Enterprise Services for approval and payment.
SECTION 5. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 85.72E of Title 74, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. The Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture shall:
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1. Develop and implement procedures for the disbursement of
clothing allowance grant awards to eligible applicants, to be used
by eligible applicants to fund and reimburse costs related to
approved purposes;
2. Develop and implement clothing allowance grant application,
submission, and evaluation procedures as required to implement the
provisions of this act;
3. Develop and implement an appeals process for eligible
applicants to contest clothing allowance grant application denials
and denials of specific fund use requests contained in submitted
applications;
4. Maintain oversight over the expenditure of clothing
allowance grant awards to ensure grant proceeds are used exclusively
for approved purposes; and
5. Suspend allocations of clothing allowance grant awards to
eligible applicants found by the Board to be out of compliance with
Board procedures or to have utilized such awards for nonapproved
purposes; provided that the Board shall resume such allocations once
the Board has determined the eligible applicant has adequately
remedied the cause of such suspension.
B. No clothing allowance grant awarded pursuant to the
provisions of this act shall be utilized or expended, unless such
utilization or expenditure is memorialized in a resolution or
equivalent government action and submitted to the Board.
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C. The Department shall provide necessary staff and
administrative support to the Oklahoma State Board of Agriculture.
D. The Department shall promulgate rules necessary to implement
the provisions of this act; provided that the Department shall only
promulgate such rules as requested or approved by the Board.
SECTION 6. NEW LAW A new section of law to be codified
in the Oklahoma Statutes as Section 85.72F of Title 74, unless there
is created a duplication in numbering, reads as follows:
A. The Board shall conduct an initial disbursement of clothing
allowance grant awards to participating eligible applicants. Such
clothing allowance grant awards shall be allocated amongst the
eligible applicants based on the following criteria, giving equal
weight to each criteria:
1. The applicant must be a member of a Certified Oklahoma Fire
Department;
2. The applicant must have responded to at least seventy-five
percent (75%) of the fire department responses during the fiscal
year;
3. The applicant must have completed twenty-four hours of
firefighter training during the fiscal year;
4. Each applicant for the clothing allowance must complete and
submit an application form prescribed by the Forestry Services
Division of the Department to their respective Fire Chief no later
than the last business day in July;
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5. The Fire Chief shall certify that application requirements
have been met and submit applications to the Forestry Services
Division of the Department for payment no later than the last
business day in August; and
6. Grant awards shall be processed and distributed to each fire
department no later than the last business day in September.
B. Following the awarding of clothing allowance grant awards
pursuant to subsection A of this section, any remaining unencumbered
balance in the Oklahoma Firefighter Clothing Allowance Revolving
Fund shall be available to the Board to award as grants to eligible
participants; provided such awards shall only be utilized by
eligible participants for approved purposes.
C. In the event an eligible applicant is unavailable, any
remaining allocations of an awarded clothing allowance grant award
in excess of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) shall be reallocated
equitably based on the composition of the successor eligible
applicant or the successor eligible applicants.
SECTION 7. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
60-1-10827 MJ 12/20/24