A. The "fire protection grant council" is created. Subject to the requirements of Subsection B of this section, the council shall consist of:

(1) a representative of the New Mexico municipal league;

(2) a representative of the New Mexico association of counties;

(3) two members appointed by the public regulation commission who shall serve at the pleasure of the commission;

(4) three members, one from each congressional district, appointed by the governor who shall serve at the pleasure of the governor; and

(5) the marshal, who shall serve as a nonvoting advisory member. The council shall elect a chair and vice chair from its membership.

B. No appointee to the council shall be a member or employee of the public regulation commission or the office of superintendent of insurance.

C. The public members are entitled to receive per diem and mileage as provided in the Per Diem and Mileage Act and shall receive no other compensation, perquisite or allowance.

D. The council shall develop criteria for assessing the critical needs of municipal fire departments and county fire districts for:

(1) fire apparatus and equipment;

(2) communications equipment;

(3) equipment for wildfires;

(4) fire station construction or expansion;

(5) equipment for hazardous material response; and

(6) stipends for volunteer firefighters in underserved areas.

E. Applications for grant assistance from the fire protection grant fund shall be made by fire districts to the council in accordance with the requirements of the council. Using criteria developed by the council, the council shall evaluate applications and prioritize those applications most in need of grant assistance from the fund. To the extent that money in the fund is available, the council shall award grant assistance for those prioritized applications.

F. In awarding grant assistance, the council may require conditions and procedures necessary to ensure that the money is expended in the most prudent manner.

G. When considering applications for grant assistance to pay stipends to volunteer firefighters in underserved areas, the council shall:

(1) define "underserved area";

(2) ensure the proposed stipends will comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and United States department of labor requirements for maintaining volunteer status;

(3) require a basic level of training before a volunteer may receive a stipend;

(4) consider whether the fire district requires a service commitment from its volunteer firefighters in exchange for stipends; and

(5) weight the applications against other criteria or requirements determined by the council.

History: Laws 2006, ch. 103, § 8; 2009, ch. 266, § 1; 2010, ch. 69, § 1; 2012, ch. 20, § 18; 2013, ch. 74, § 34.

Cross references. — For the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, see 29 U.S.C. § 201 et seq.

The 2013 amendment, effective March 29, 2013, prohibited members of the fire protection grant council from being a member or employee of the office of superintendent of insurance; and in Subsection B, after "member", added "or employee", after "public regulation commission or the", added "office of", and after "insurance", deleted "or any other employee of the commission".

The 2012 amendment, effective May 16, 2012, corrected the reference to municipal fire departments, and in Subparagraph D, in the introductory sentence, after "critical needs of municipal", added "fire departments".

The 2010 amendment, effective May 19, 2010, in Subsection C, after "The public members", deleted "shall" and added "are entitled to"; in Subsection D, added the paragraph designations; in Subsection D(5), changed "or" to "and"; added Subsection D(6); and added Subsection G.

The 2009 amendment, effective June 19, 2009, in Subsection B, after "employee of the commission", deleted "or an active member of a municipal fire department or a county fire district".