PRINTER'S NO. 3444
No. 2433 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY SAYLOR, SEMMEL, TIGUE, DeLUCA, SATHER, GOOD, PAYNE, O'NEILL, FLEAGLE, FORCIER, STERN, ALLEN, ARGALL, ARMSTRONG, BAKER, BALDWIN, BARRAR, BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES, BELARDI, BELFANTI, BOYD, BROWNE, BUNT, CAPPELLI, CASORIO, CAUSER, CAWLEY, CORRIGAN, COSTA, COY, CRAHALLA, CURRY, DAILEY, DALEY, DALLY, DENLINGER, DeWEESE, D. EVANS, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FEESE, FICHTER, FLICK, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HARHART, HARPER, HARRIS, HASAY, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS, HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, KENNEY, KIRKLAND, KOTIK, LAUGHLIN, LEACH, LEH, MAJOR, MANN, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, McILHATTAN, McNAUGHTON, MILLARD, R. MILLER, S. MILLER, MUNDY, MUSTIO, NAILOR, PALLONE, PETRARCA, PICKETT, READSHAW, REED, REICHLEY, ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER, SCRIMENTI, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STABACK, R. STEVENSON, T. STEVENSON, SURRA, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TRUE, VANCE, WASHINGTON, WEBER, WILT, WOJNAROSKI, YUDICHAK AND ZUG, MARCH 16, 2004
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 16, 2004
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), entitled "An 2 act establishing a grant program for volunteer fire companies 3 and volunteer ambulance services; and providing for grant 4 funding," further providing for award of grants, for expenses 5 incurred by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and 6 for appropriations; and making appropriations. 7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 8 hereby enacts as follows: 9 Section 1. Sections 303, 503, 703, 901 and 902 of the act of 10 July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), known as the Volunteer Fire 11 Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Act, are amended
1 to read: 2 Section 303. Award of grants. 3 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make 4 a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer fire company 5 for the following: 6 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's 7 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings 8 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the 9 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services. 10 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue 11 equipment or purchase thereof. 12 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2). 13 (4) Training and certification of members. 14 (b) Limits.-- 15 (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), grants shall be 16 not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per volunteer 17 fire company. 18 (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the 19 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the 20 amount of funds allocated in section 702. 21 (3) In a municipality where there are two or more 22 volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies 23 consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and 24 services between July 1, 1998, and the date of enactment of 25 this act, each entity from which the consolidated entity was 26 created will be eligible for a grant as though it had not 27 consolidated. 28 (c) Time for filing application and department action.-- 29 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants 30 under this act to the fire chief and president of every 20040H2433B3444 - 2 -
1 volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July 2 31, [2003] 2004. 3 (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this 4 act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or 5 before December 31, [2003] 2004. The agency shall act to 6 approve or disapprove the application by May 1, [2004] 2005. 7 Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by 8 the agency by May 1, [2004] 2005, shall be deemed approved. 9 (d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a 10 volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or 11 more fire or rescue emergencies since July 1, [2002] 2003, and 12 must sign an agreement to actively participate in the 13 Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System which is 14 administered by the agency. 15 Section 503. Award of grants. 16 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make 17 a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer ambulance 18 service for the following: 19 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the volunteer 20 ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of 21 fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services 22 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the 23 ambulance service to provide ambulance, emergency medical, 24 basic life support and advanced life support services. 25 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof. 26 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2). 27 (4) Training and certification of members. 28 (b) Limits.-- 29 (1) Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more 30 than $10,000 per volunteer ambulance service. 20040H2433B3444 - 3 -
1 (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the 2 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the 3 amount of funds allocated in section 703. 4 (c) Time for filing application and department action.-- 5 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants 6 under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance 7 service in this Commonwealth on or before July 31, [2003] 8 2004. 9 (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under 10 this chapter shall submit completed applications to the 11 agency on or before December 31, [2003] 2004. The agency 12 shall act to approve or disapprove the application by May 1, 13 [2004] 2005. Applications which have not been approved or 14 disapproved by the agency by May 1, [2004] 2005, shall be 15 deemed approved. 16 Section 703. Prohibition. 17 No moneys from the appropriation for volunteer company grants 18 [under section 225 of the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, 19 No.1A), known as the General Appropriation Act of 2003,] shall 20 be used for expenses or costs incurred by the agency for the 21 administration of the grant programs authorized under Chapters 3 22 and 5. 23 Section 901. Expiration of authority. 24 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3 25 and 5 shall expire June 30, [2004] 2005. 26 [Section 902. Declaration. 27 The General Assembly declares that this act satisfies the 28 enabling legislation requirement contained in the appropriation 29 to the agency for volunteer company grants under section 225 of 30 the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General 20040H2433B3444 - 4 -
1 Appropriation Act of 2003, that no moneys from said 2 appropriation may be expended until enabling legislation is 3 enacted.] 4 Section 2. (a) The sum of $22,000,000 is appropriated to 5 the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for the purpose of 6 making grants to eligible volunteer fire companies pursuant to 7 Chapter 3 of the act. 8 (b) The sum of $3,000,000 is appropriated to the 9 Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency for the of making 10 grants to eligible volunteer ambulance companies pursuant to 11 Chapter 5 of the act. 12 Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately. B17L35JLW/20040H2433B3444 - 5 -