12-09-2025 City Council Workshop Packet

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2026 Legislative Agenda Minnesota Fire Association Coalition PROTECT THE FIRE SAFETY ACCOUNT Please contact us if you have any questions:Chief BJ Jungmann, Legislative Chair at legislative@msfca.org PROTECT FIREFIGHTER PENSIONS The Fire Safety Account is the primary statewide funding source for fire service training and education in Minnesota. This account is funded by a surcharge on homeowner and commercial fire insurance policies and is used to fund essential training, education, and pro- gramming for fire departments across the state including the State Fire Marshal’s office, the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education (MBFTE), and the Statewide Response Teams, including Hazardous Materials Teams, Task Force 1 Structural Collapse Team, and the Air Rescue team. MNFAC remains deeply opposed to any attempts to use the Fire Safety Account for uses other than its current statutory designations. Pensions remain an important recruiting and retention tool for fire departments across the state. MNFAC representatives participate in regular, ongoing work groups including the Volunteer Fire Relief Association Working Group that is facilitated by the State Auditor. MNFAC will also continue to engage with the Legislative Commission on Retirement and Pensions and its staff and will closely monitor, and provide feedback on, any proposals to change firefighter pensions. Current law regarding line of duty death benefit eligibility for public safety officers specifies that fulltime and volunteer firefighters are eligible for the benefit. The 2024 omnibus pensions bill established definitions for the various firefighting definitions, including full-time, part-time, paid on-call, and volunteer firefighters. MNFAC supports legislation that would specifically include part-time and paid on-call firefighters in the eligibility for line of duty death benefits. CLARIFY ELIGIBILITY FOR LINE OF DUTY DEATH BENEFITS