PRINTER'S NO. 778
No. 715 Session of 1989
INTRODUCED BY HELFRICK, SHAFFER, REGOLI, ANDREZESKI, HESS,
MUSTO, JUBELIRER, PORTERFIELD, CORMAN, WENGER, SALVATORE,
STOUT, RHOADES, STAPLETON, BAKER, AFFLERBACH, REIBMAN,
LOEPER, PETERSON, LEWIS, WILT AND LEMMOND, MARCH 20, 1989
REFERRED TO FINANCE, MARCH 20, 1989
AN ACT
1 Establishing the Volunteer Fire Company Challenge Grant Program;
2 and allocating a portion of the cigarette tax to fund the
3 program.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Volunteer
8 Fire Company Challenge Grant Act.
9 Section 2. Definitions.
10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
12 context clearly indicates otherwise:
13 "Agency." The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
14 "Fundraising activities." The raising of funds through
15 actions, events and donations that are in accordance with the
16 laws of this Commonwealth.
17 "Volunteer fire company." Any nonprofit chartered
1 corporation, association or organization located in this
2 Commonwealth which provides fire protection services and which
3 may offer other voluntary emergency services within the
4 Commonwealth. Voluntary emergency services provided by a
5 volunteer fire company may include voluntary ambulance and
6 voluntary rescue services.
7 Section 3. Volunteer Fire Company Challenge Grant Program.
8 (a) Establishment.--The Volunteer Fire Company Challenge
9 Grant Program is hereby established in the Pennsylvania
10 Emergency Management Agency to encourage volunteer fire
11 companies to raise funds through fundraising activities in order
12 to qualify for State grants. Grants provided under this program
13 shall be used to improve and enhance the firefighting
14 capabilities of the volunteer fire company.
15 (b) Guidelines and procedures.--The agency shall develop
16 guidelines and procedures to implement the program. Such
17 guidelines and procedures shall include specific provisions to
18 ensure that all moneys raised through the fundraising activities
19 of the volunteer fire company which are used to qualify for
20 State challenge grants are raised in accordance with the laws of
21 this Commonwealth.
22 Section 4. Grants.
23 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
24 grants to volunteer fire companies that comply with the
25 provisions of this act. For every $3 raised by a volunteer
26 company through its fundraising activities, the volunteer fire
27 company shall, subject to the provisions of subsections (b) and
28 (c), be eligible for a State grant of $1.
29 (b) Limit.--No volunteer fire company may receive more than
30 $2,500 per State fiscal year.
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1 (c) Insufficiency of funds.--If in any fiscal year there is
2 an insufficient amount in the Volunteer Fire Company Challenge
3 Grant Fund to make the State grants authorized by this act to
4 all volunteer fire companies qualifying for such grants, the
5 agency may reduce the ratio of the grant authorized by
6 subsection (a) or the limit on grants set forth in subsection
7 (b) to the extent necessary to avoid any deficit in the fund.
8 Section 5. Volunteer Fire Company Challenge Grant Fund.
9 (a) Creation.--There is hereby created, for the purpose of
10 this act, a special restricted receipts account within the
11 General Fund to be known as the Volunteer Fire Company Challenge
12 Grant Fund. From the tax of $0.009 per cigarette imposed upon
13 the sale or possession of cigarettes within this Commonwealth
14 pursuant to Article XII of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6,
15 No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, an amount equal to
16 $0.000275 per cigarette shall be paid into the State Treasury to
17 the credit of the Volunteer Fire Company Challenge Grant Fund.
18 (b) Continuing appropriation.--Moneys in the Volunteer Fire
19 Company Challenge Grant Fund are hereby appropriated to the
20 agency on a continuing basis, to be used solely for the purposes
21 of this act. However, if at the end of any fiscal year there are
22 uncommitted moneys in the fund in excess of $3,000,000, the
23 excess over $3,000,000 shall revert to the General Fund.
24 Section 6. Effective date.
25 This act shall take effect July 1, 1989, or immediately,
26 whichever is later.
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