This bill amends various provisions related to volunteer firefighters' relief associations in Minnesota, with a primary focus on financial reporting and bylaw amendment requirements. A significant change is the increase in the audit threshold for relief associations from $500,000 to $750,000, allowing associations with assets below this amount to forgo submitting audited financial statements unless their assets or liabilities exceed this threshold. Additionally, the bill modifies the process for amending bylaws, requiring an estimate of expected changes to the funding balance of the special fund and allowing amendments to take effect without municipal ratification under certain conditions. The definitions of "relief association" and "firefighter" are updated to include paid on-call firefighters, reflecting current practices in firefighting services.

Further amendments clarify firefighter classifications and their eligibility for membership in relief associations, introducing definitions for "paid on-call firefighter," "part-time firefighter," and "full-time firefighter." The bill ensures that both volunteer and paid on-call firefighters receive proper recognition for their service and modifies membership eligibility criteria to include both groups. It also establishes provisions for service pensions, including conditions for receiving a pension while engaged in part-time service. The bill aims to modernize the legal framework governing firefighter service classifications and benefits, ensuring fair treatment and recognition for all types of firefighters, with various effective dates set for the changes, primarily around July 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 424A.014, 424A.092, 424A.093, 424B.22, 424A.001, 424A.003, 424A.01, 424A.015, 424A.016, 424A.02, 424A.021, 424A.094, 424A.095, 424A.10