State Auditor John B. McCuskey has announced  that he will continue to administer The Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund, recently re- authorized by the special session of the Legislature through the passage of Senate Bill 1010.

“The Auditor’s Office is statutorily charged with administering this fund,” McCuskey said. “And I support the Legislature’s recent passage of Senate Bill 1010 to continue this program to partially alleviate volunteer fire departments of some of the burden of workers’ compensation premiums.”

The Volunteer Fire Department Workers’ Compensation Premium Subsidy Fund was established in 2011, and has been re-authorized and funded by the Legislature each year since then. The current bill will extend the fund through fiscal year 2020. Without passage of the bill, the program would have terminated on June 30, 2017.

Senate President Mitch Carmichael said “Communities across the state rely upon these selfless men and women to be there in a crisis, and it’s critical we in the Legislature do everything we can to support our first responders.  I’m proud of the Senate for giving this bill its unanimous support, and we are appreciative of Auditor McCuskey’s work in managing this fund.”

“For the past several years, the House of Delegates and I have made funding to assist our state’s volunteer fire departments in paying their workers’ compensation premiums a priority in our budgets,” said House Speaker Tim Armstead. “Our volunteer firefighters put their lives on the line every day to protect us and we absolutely must provide them the support they need.”

McCuskey commended the Legislature in bringing stability to this program and reauthorizing the fund until 2020. “The local volunteer fire departments statewide depend on this program,” he said. “And I believe it is everyone’s intent to continue to assist these first responders who voluntarily risk their lives for the citizens in their communities.”