ALBANY, NY — Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther announced that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed legislation she sponsored providing relief to fire districts and volunteer fire-based emergency medical service (EMS) providers.

Currently, fire districts with an annual revenue exceeding $200,000 are required by law to be audited by an independent certified public accountant. These audits can cost thousands of dollars—a cost that is passed on to taxpayers. The new law will raise the threshold to $300,000

“The rising cost of providing fire protection has put an increasing number of districts over the revenue threshold,” said Assemblywoman Gunther. “This small change will save taxpayers thousands of dollars in the long run.”

A second bill Cuomo signed waives the registration fee for volunteer, fire-based EMS who perform blood glucose testing. New York State Public Health Law requires EMS agencies providing this service to hold a limited service laboratory registration, at a cost of $200 biennially.