Snyder promotes bill to waive background check fees for firefighters
State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, speaks to firefighters at the Jefferson Fire Hall about a bill she is sponsoring that would waive the fees on background clearance checks for emergency responders.
State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, speaks to firefighters at Jefferson fire hall about a bill she is sponsoring that would waive the fees on background clearance checks for emergency responders.
JEFFERSON – State Rep. Pam Snyder is pushing legislation that would exempt emergency responders from paying fees for state and federal background clearances.
These mandatory clearances went into effect Dec. 31 in an amendment to the state’s Child Protective Services Law that declares that all emergency medical service providers who have direct contact with children and who accept responsibility for a child must be mandatory reporters of suspected child abuse. That amendment requires all paid and unpaid emergency responders to pay for these clearances every three years. Since the amendment passed, local volunteer fire departments reached out to Snyder, who spoke during a news conference Friday in Jefferson fire hall.
Snyder, D-Jefferson, is co-sponsoring House Bill 1081 that would waive those fees and spent Friday morning speaking about the issue with multiple volunteer emergency responders from Greene, Washington and Fayette counties.
“We have volunteer firefighters and EMS folks that are out there every day putting their lives on the line,” Snyder said. “When the siren blows, they are in those trucks coming to put the fire out. When someone’s hurt, they are in that ambulance coming to get that person to the hospital.”
She said state legislators need to recognize the fact that many volunteer firefighters and their departments can’t afford the cost of getting those clearances. Snyder said the bill would ease the burden of costs, which can be up to $47.50 in combined state and federal clearance fees every three years, on firefighters and emergency service providers.
George Matis, the treasurer for Republic Volunteer Fire Department in Fayette County, explained that even a small fee can add up quickly.
“We have 32 members. At $20 apiece, that adds up to $640,” Matis said of the cost for just one of the several clearances needed. “That’s another fundraiser. We have two fundraisers a month just to pay the bills. Fire equipment doesn’t come cheap, so if the legislatures can come up with at least waiving this fee it’s going to save us one less fundraiser.”
East Bethlehem volunteer firefighter Mark Giovanelli added it’s already hard enough for fire companies to raise money by going out into the community.
“We are in constant competition with the youth soccer, the youth baseball, the youth football and every other organization,” Giovanelli said. “Our communities aren’t large. They are small, and there is only so much money in a community and that money only goes so far, so adding this is just something else that we can’t do.”
Snyder said, when she gets back to Harrisburg, she plans to push for HB 1081 or similar legislation to be passed. She said she hopes to get this accomplished by July 1, which is the day that all volunteers have to produce the required clearances for the organizations for whom they volunteer.
“Hopefully, this bill will either go through standing alone or it will be put forth as an amendment to another bill that is coming to the house floor for a vote,” Snyder said. “No matter how it goes through, I just want to see this fixed for our volunteer organizations and volunteer firemen.”
House Bill 1081 is awaiting consideration in the state House’s Judiciary Committee.