New Hartford firefighters have a new state-approved framework to support members and their families, with a law creating the New Hartford Volunteer Exempt Firefighters’ Benevolent Association.

Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the measure on Oct. 23, 2026. State Sen. Joseph Griffo and Assemblyman Brian Miller announced the signing in an Oct. 27 joint news release. The law establishes a not-for-profit corporation, sets rules for its leadership and membership, and gives it access to designated fire insurance tax revenue.

This new legislation underscores the commitment to the well-being of New Hartford firefighters and their families.

The Assembly’s official legislative record lists the measure as Chapter 348 of the Laws of 2026. The Senate bill, S.9197, was sponsored by Griffo. Miller sponsored its Assembly companion, A.10278. The establishment of the New Hartford firefighters’ benevolent association marks a significant step in support for these heroes.

What the New Hartford firefighters law does

The association is meant to provide a lasting structure for helping the people who volunteer to protect the community. Its legal purposes include relief for members in financial need, members disabled or injured while carrying out their duties, and their families.

The legislation also allows the association to maintain a suitable headquarters, support member health and safety, and offer social and recreational activities that build morale. Promoting volunteer fire service within the area protected by the New Hartford Fire Department is another stated purpose.

These provisions give the association several ways to support volunteers beyond an emergency response. The law provides the structure and limits for that work. It does not announce a specific benefit payment, an aid application process or a dollar amount that each member will receive.

Griffo, a Republican-Conservative from Rome, and Miller, a Republican-Conservative from New Hartford, said department members approached them about the proposal. Their release describes the law as a way to modernize the organization and strengthen its ability to help firefighters and their families.

“Our volunteer firefighters answer the call whenever their community needs them,” Miller said in the release. He said the association would help families, build camaraderie and support volunteer firefighting in New Hartford over the long term.

Griffo said the new resource would help the department “assist with recruitment and retention.” The lawmakers presented those goals as reasons for the legislation, not as results already achieved.

Who can belong to the association?

The membership rules are tied to service in the New Hartford Fire Department in Oneida County. They cover people who are, have been or later become active volunteer members and who have gained, or will gain, exempt volunteer firefighter status through their service.

The word “exempt” has a specific meaning in state law. General Municipal Law Section 200 generally links that status to five years of qualifying volunteer service after age 18, with exceptions written into the statute. It is a service classification, not a statement that anyone who joins the association automatically receives a tax exemption.

The new law also includes limits. A firefighter removed for cause, expelled or dropped from the department’s rolls cannot join unless reinstated. Paid firefighters, if the department has any, are not eligible. Association membership ends when a person leaves active volunteer service before completing five years of actual service in the department, under the wording of the act.

Eligible people have several routes to become initial members. They may notify the department secretary before the organizing meeting or attend that meeting and state their intention to join. The act also provides a written-notice route after election and allows later membership under the association’s bylaws.

How the insurance tax funding works

A major part of the law concerns foreign fire insurance premium taxes. These are existing taxes associated with insurance written on New York property, rather than a new grant with a fixed award announced for New Hartford.

The state Department of Financial Services says its foreign fire tax program requires foreign and alien insurance companies to pay a 2% tax on premiums for coverage against fire loss or damage. The program distributes money to fire departments, fire districts, benevolent associations and other eligible recipients. A separate 3% rule applies to certain excess-line brokers.

For New Hartford, Section 7 directs the association to collect the applicable Section 9104 revenue tied to the territory served by the department. It also authorizes a share of Section 9105 revenue based on business written in that territory. The money must be used for the association’s purposes set out in the law.

The timing matters. Most of the act took effect immediately. Its premium-tax provisions apply to taxes due on premiums received on or after Jan. 1, 2027. That date is the start of the covered premium period, not a promise that the association will receive a payment on New Year’s Day.

The release does not give an expected annual revenue total or a first payment date. Those details will matter as the association plans its work, but they are not established by the announcement.

Leadership, notice and financial records

The act requires the department secretary to call an organizing meeting within 60 days after the law takes effect. Notice must be posted in five visible places in the department’s service area and published in one or more newspapers circulating there. Both forms of notice must occur at least 10 days before the meeting.

At that meeting, members are to adopt bylaws and elect officers and directors. The law places control of the association’s affairs, funds and property with a board of at least seven members. It identifies the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and three other trustees, with elections at the annual meeting under the bylaws.

There is also a broader reporting requirement for this kind of funding. The state Comptroller’s Office says fire organizations that receive and use foreign fire insurance taxes must file an annual report showing receipts, spending and balances.

Why it matters in New Hartford

The law arrives during the department’s 125th anniversary year. A Senate resolution adopted in January says the village established the department on Jan. 3, 1901. It also records roughly 1,200 calls for service in 2025 and describes work that includes emergency medical services, hazardous-materials response and technical rescue.

Those figures help explain why the lawmakers focused on keeping volunteers involved. A department with a steady call load depends on people willing to train, respond and remain part of the organization. The association’s authorized work addresses member welfare and the connections that can help sustain that commitment.

For now, the confirmed change is the legal framework. The Oct. 27 release does not announce an organizing-meeting date, name the new association’s elected board or describe a benefit application system. Those are practical details for members and the community to watch as the association begins operating under the new law.