establishing an employee assistance program for small town and volunteer first responders.

Version label changed from 'As Amended by the Senate' to 'Version adopted by both bodies,' indicating final legislative adoption.

The fiscal note header was updated from referencing the House amendment (2026-1202h) to the Senate amendment (2026-1926s), and the document date changed from 4/2/26 to 5/21/26.

A new paragraph was added to the fiscal note stating that implementation of the employee assistance program is contingent upon funding, and that the Department must report on the availability of such funding shortly after receipt.

The entire Section 2 appropriating $114,000 from the General Fund for the FY26/27 biennium was deleted. The bill no longer authorizes any direct state funding; the fund must be sustained by gifts, grants, donations, and fee revenue only.

The phrase 'and making an appropriation therefor' was removed from the act title, consistent with the deletion of the appropriation section.

The effective date was changed from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2027, delaying implementation by one full year. No fiscal impact is expected until the FY28/29 biennium.

The fund's stated purpose was expanded from covering costs to 'enroll' first responders into the EAP to covering costs to 'enroll and administer' them, broadening what the fund can pay for beyond initial enrollment to ongoing program administration.

Eligibility criteria were clarified. The original language referred to 'communities with first responders or with no more than 5 full-time paid first responders,' which was ambiguous and could be read to include all communities. The amendment specifies that eligible participants are volunteer first responders and full-time first responders from towns with 5 or fewer full-time, paid first responders.

The appropriation for the biennium ending June 30, 2027 was changed from a placeholder amount of $1 to $114,000. The fiscal note was updated accordingly to reflect this actual funding level.

A new paragraph V was added requiring that implementation of the employee assistance program for small communities is contingent upon funding. The department must indicate funding availability in its annual report, and program implementation begins only upon receipt of such funding, with the initial report submitted shortly thereafter.

While the effective date remains July 1, 2027, the Senate amendment means the program will not necessarily begin operating on that date. It will only start when funding is actually received, creating a gap between the law taking effect and the program becoming operational.