Senate Bill S6786

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  6786--A
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                              March 24, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sens. GRIFFO, BORRELLO, GALLIVAN, HELMING, RHOADS, ROLI-
   SON, WALCZYK -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be
   committed to the Committee on Codes -- recommitted to the Committee on
   Codes  in  accordance  with  Senate  Rule  6,  sec.  8  --   committee
   discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
   to said committee
 
 AN  ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to law enforcement offi-
   cer and firefighter grant funds
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  Short title.  This act shall be known and may be cited as
 the "public safety investment act".
   § 2. The executive law is amended by adding a new section 844 to  read
 as follows:
   §  844.  LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER GRANT FUNDS. 1. WITHIN AMOUNTS APPRO-
 PRIATED FOR SUCH PURPOSE, IN THE YEARS TWO  THOUSAND  TWENTY-SEVEN,  TWO
 THOUSAND  TWENTY-EIGHT  AND  TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-NINE, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY
 MILLION DOLLARS SHALL BE AVAILABLE AND ALLOCATED EACH YEAR  PURSUANT  TO
 SUBDIVISIONS  TWO  AND  THREE OF THIS SECTION AND SHALL BE PAID TO COVER
 ALL EXPENSES RELATED TO HIRING LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS,  INCLUDING  ANY
 BENEFITS PROVIDED TO SUCH OFFICERS THROUGH EMPLOYMENT WITH THEIR RESPEC-
 TIVE LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.
   2.  ONE  HUNDRED  TWELVE  MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS OF THE
 FUNDS ALLOCATED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF  THIS  SECTION  SHALL  BE
 AVAILABLE  TO  LAW  ENFORCEMENT  AGENCIES  FOR THE PURPOSE OF HIRING NEW
 POLICE OFFICERS OR REHIRING POLICE OFFICERS  WHO  HAVE  BEEN  LAID  OFF,
 HIRING  MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES TO SERVE AS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS
 IN CRIME PREVENTION, AND  SUPPORTING  NON-HIRING  INITIATIVES,  SUCH  AS
 TRAINING  LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS IN CRIME PREVENTION, COMMUNITY POLIC-
 ING  TECHNIQUES,  AND  DEVELOPING  TECHNOLOGIES   THAT   SUPPORT   CRIME
 PREVENTION  STRATEGIES.    ELIGIBLE  LAW  ENFORCEMENT  AGENCIES SHALL BE
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD08633-02-6
              

 S. 6786--A                          2
 
 ELIGIBLE FOR UP TO NINETY PERCENT OF  THE  COSTS  ASSOCIATED  WITH  SUCH
 HIRING  OR  NON-HIRING  INITIATIVES;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER  THAT  SUCH LAW
 ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES SHALL COMMIT TO  EMPLOYING  SUCH  OFFICERS  FOR  AT
 LEAST  FIVE  YEARS,  RETAINING SUCH OFFICERS FOR AT LEAST TWO ADDITIONAL
 YEARS AFTER THE THREE YEARS OF GRANT FUNDING EXPIRES.
   3. THIRTY-SEVEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND  DOLLARS  OF  THE  FUNDS
 ALLOCATED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE AVAILABLE
 TO  LAW  ENFORCEMENT  AGENCIES  FOR  THE  PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT, SUCH AS
 FIREARMS, RIOT GEAR, AND PROTECTIVE VESTS; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, THAT  SUCH
 GRANT  FUNDS  SHALL  NOT  BE  EXPENDED ON THE PURCHASE OR MAINTENANCE OF
 POLICE CRUISERS OR OTHER VEHICLES USED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES.
   4. THE COMMISSIONER, IN COOPERATION WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND  THE
 SUPERINTENDENT OF STATE POLICE, SHALL ESTABLISH ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND
 THE  APPLICATION  PROCESS  FOR  THE GRANTS PROVIDED FOR PURSUANT TO THIS
 SECTION.  GRANT INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORMS SHALL BE  MADE  AVAIL-
 ABLE THROUGH THE NEW YORK STATE GRANTS GATEWAY.
   §  3.  The  executive  law is amended by adding a new section 158-a to
 read as follows:
   § 158-A. FIREFIGHTER GRANT FUNDS. 1. WITHIN AMOUNTS  APPROPRIATED  FOR
 SUCH PURPOSE, IN THE YEARS TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-SEVEN, TWO THOUSAND TWEN-
 TY-EIGHT AND TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-NINE, ONE HUNDRED FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS
 SHALL  BE AVAILABLE AND ALLOCATED EACH YEAR PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISIONS TWO
 AND THREE OF THIS SECTION AND  SHALL  BE  PAID  TO  COVER  ALL  EXPENSES
 RELATED  TO HIRING FIREFIGHTERS, INCLUDING ANY BENEFITS PROVIDED TO SUCH
 FIREFIGHTERS THROUGH EMPLOYMENT WITH THEIR RESPECTIVE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
   2. ONE HUNDRED TWELVE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED  THOUSAND  DOLLARS  OF  THE
 FUNDS  ALLOCATED  PURSUANT  TO  SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE
 AVAILABLE TO FIRE DEPARTMENTS FOR THE PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT.
   3. THIRTY-SEVEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND  DOLLARS  OF  THE  FUNDS
 ALLOCATED PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION ONE OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE AVAILABLE
 TO FIRE DEPARTMENTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF HIRING NEW FIREFIGHTERS OR REHIR-
 ING FIREFIGHTERS WHO HAVE BEEN LAID OFF AND SUPPORTING NON-HIRING INITI-
 ATIVES,  SUCH AS TRAINING FIREFIGHTERS IN FIRE PREVENTION AND DEVELOPING
 TECHNOLOGIES THAT SUPPORT FIREFIGHTING STRATEGIES. ELIGIBLE FIRE DEPART-
 MENTS SHALL BE ELIGIBLE FOR UP TO NINETY PERCENT OF THE COSTS ASSOCIATED
 WITH SUCH HIRING OR NON-HIRING INITIATIVES; PROVIDED, HOWEVER THAT  SUCH
 FIRE  DEPARTMENTS  SHALL  COMMIT  TO  EMPLOYING SUCH FIREFIGHTERS FOR AT
 LEAST FIVE YEARS, RETAINING SUCH FIREFIGHTERS FOR  AT  LEAST  TWO  ADDI-
 TIONAL YEARS AFTER THE THREE YEARS OF GRANT FUNDING EXPIRES.
   4.  THE  STATE FIRE ADMINISTRATOR SHALL ESTABLISH ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
 AND THE APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THE GRANTS PROVIDED FOR PURSUANT TO THIS
 SECTION. GRANT INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORMS SHALL BE MADE AVAILABLE
 THROUGH THE NEW YORK STATE GRANTS GATEWAY.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.