Committee bars municipal residency mandates for full-time firefighters, sparking municipal-league opposition
April 04, 2023 | CITY, COUNTY & LOCAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE - SENATE, Senate, Committees, Legislative, Arkansas
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Representative Wade Andrews (House District 98) presented HB 10 67, saying the bill would prevent full‑time paid fire departments from imposing residency requirements while preserving a narrow set of exceptions for combination departments and take-home-vehicle rules. "You gotta live where you wanna live and work where you wanna work," Andrews told the committee.
Fire service witnesses argued the change would help recruitment and retention. Little Rock firefighter Joe Kuffel described a major tornado response in Little Rock when more than 50 off‑duty firefighters who live outside the city returned to help; he said residency rules would have hampered that response in some past cases.
John Wilkerson, general counsel for the Municipal League, identified a key municipal concern: the bill would remove municipalities’ ability even to prefer city residents in hiring. "The main problem though that we have with the bill is the lack of any preference," Wilkerson said, noting local officials view public-safety staffing as a core local responsibility.
Committee members asked whether cities still employ residency rules, how exceptions operate, and whether city preference in hiring would survive the bill. The sponsor said grandfathering protections exist for incumbents and that the bill includes limited exceptions.
After discussion and questions, the committee voted on a motion and approved HB 10 67 in committee by voice vote.
Fire service witnesses argued the change would help recruitment and retention. Little Rock firefighter Joe Kuffel described a major tornado response in Little Rock when more than 50 off‑duty firefighters who live outside the city returned to help; he said residency rules would have hampered that response in some past cases.
John Wilkerson, general counsel for the Municipal League, identified a key municipal concern: the bill would remove municipalities’ ability even to prefer city residents in hiring. "The main problem though that we have with the bill is the lack of any preference," Wilkerson said, noting local officials view public-safety staffing as a core local responsibility.
Committee members asked whether cities still employ residency rules, how exceptions operate, and whether city preference in hiring would survive the bill. The sponsor said grandfathering protections exist for incumbents and that the bill includes limited exceptions.
After discussion and questions, the committee voted on a motion and approved HB 10 67 in committee by voice vote.
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