Permits inclusion of volunteer firefighters and other emergency responders within municipal eligible employee group for purposes of the small employer health benefits plan statutes.

This bill amends New Jersey law to include volunteer firefighters and other emergency responders as eligible employees under the state's small employer health benefits plan program. Currently, municipal volunteers who qualify for benefits under N.J.S.40A:10-26 through N.J.S.40A:10-32 cannot be included in municipal small employer health plans. The bill specifically revises the definition of "eligible employee" to explicitly include members of volunteer fire companies and emergency response squads serving throughout a municipality. This change allows municipalities to offer the same health benefits coverage to these volunteers as they would to paid municipal employees under the small employer health benefits program. The policy change resolves a conflict between existing municipal benefits laws and the small employer health plan statutes.