PRINTER'S NO. 120
No. 102 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, THOMAS, YOUNGBLOOD, HERMAN, READSHAW,
SHANER, CAWLEY, LESCOVITZ, WATSON, NAILOR, DeWEESE, CLYMER,
BUNT, CRAHALLA, RUFFING, GEORGE, TIGUE, FAIRCHILD,
McILHATTAN, LEVDANSKY, EACHUS, BELARDI, BEBKO-JONES, DERMODY,
WOJNAROSKI, LAUGHLIN, HUTCHINSON, SOLOBAY, TRAVAGLIO,
FLEAGLE, BELFANTI, TANGRETTI, DALEY, HARHAI, MUNDY, BARD,
CURRY, CORRIGAN, BALDWIN, GRUCELA, McGEEHAN, PETRONE,
MACKERETH, PALLONE, HORSEY, BROWNE, FREEMAN, R. STEVENSON,
COSTA, ROBERTS, SCRIMENTI AND WANSACZ, FEBRUARY 3, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 3, 2003
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 22, 2000 (P.L.477, No.66), entitled "An
2 act establishing a grant program for volunteer fire companies
3 and volunteer ambulance services," further providing for
4 award of grants for reserve funds, for the Volunteer
5 Ambulance Service Grant Program and for restrictions; and
6 reestablishing authority for certain grants.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Sections 303, 304, 503, 504, 701, 702, 703 and
10 901 of the act of June 22, 2000 (P.L.477, No.66), known as the
11 Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant
12 Act, are amended to read:
13 Section 303. Award of grants.
14 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
15 [a one-time] one grant award per year to each eligible volunteer
16 fire company for the following:
1 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's
2 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings
3 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
4 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
5 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue
6 equipment or purchase thereof.
7 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
8 (b) Limits.--
9 (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3)[,]:
10 (i) In the 2002-2003 fiscal year, grants shall be
11 not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per
12 volunteer fire company.
13 (ii) Beginning in the 2003-2004 fiscal year, and in
14 every fiscal year thereafter, grants shall be $15,000 per
15 volunteer fire company.
16 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
17 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
18 amount of funds allocated in section 701.
19 (3) In a municipality where there are two or more
20 volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies
21 consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and
22 services between [July 1, 1998, and the date of enactment of
23 this act, each entity from which] July 1, 2002, and June 30,
24 2008, the consolidated entity [was created] will be eligible
25 for a grant [as though it had not consolidated] which is
26 equal to the total amount of grant money each entity would be
27 entitled to receive.
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
20030H0102B0120 - 2 -
1 volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July
2 [7, 2000] 1.
3 (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this
4 act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or
5 before September 1[, 2000]. The agency shall act to approve
6 or disapprove the application by October [4, 2000] 10.
7 Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by
8 the agency by October [4, 2000,] 10 shall be deemed approved.
9 (3) Applications submitted after the September 1[,
10 2000,] deadline shall be accepted by the agency, and grants
11 may be awarded at the discretion of the agency from the
12 reserve fund set aside under section 304.
13 (d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a
14 volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or
15 more fire emergencies since July 1[, 1999] of the preceding
16 year.
17 Section 304. Reserve funds.
18 (1) The agency shall reserve an amount not to exceed 3%
19 of the funds allocated in section 701 for the grant program
20 established under this chapter for the purposes of awarding
21 grants to volunteer fire companies that submit applications
22 after September 1, 2000, that would have otherwise been
23 eligible for and been awarded a grant under the grant
24 program. In the fiscal year 2002-2003 and in every fiscal
25 year thereafter, the agency shall reserve an amount not to
26 exceed 3% of the funds allocated in section 701 for the grant
27 program for the purposes of awarding grants to volunteer fire
28 companies that submit applications after September 1 of the
29 current fiscal year, that would have otherwise been eligible
30 for and had been awarded a grant under the grant program.
20030H0102B0120 - 3 -
1 (2) No volunteer fire company may receive a grant from
2 reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount that it
3 would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
4 Section 503. Award of grants.
5 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
6 [a one-time] one grant award per year to each eligible volunteer
7 ambulance service for the following:
8 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the volunteer
9 ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of
10 fixtures and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the
11 capability of the ambulance service to provide ambulance,
12 emergency medical, basic life support and advanced life
13 support services.
14 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
15 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
16 (b) Limits.--
17 (1) [Grants] Except as provided in paragraph (3):
18 (i) In the 2002-2003 fiscal year, grants shall be
19 not less than $2,500 and not more than $10,000 per
20 volunteer ambulance service.
21 (ii) Beginning in the 2003-2004 fiscal year and in
22 every fiscal year thereafter, grants shall be $2,500 per
23 volunteer ambulance service.
24 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
25 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
26 amount of funds allocated in section 702.
27 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
28 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
29 under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance
30 service in this Commonwealth on or before July [7, 2000] 1.
20030H0102B0120 - 4 -
1 (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under
2 this chapter shall submit completed applications to the
3 agency on or before September 1[, 2000]. The agency shall act
4 to approve or disapprove the application by October [4, 2000]
5 10. Applications which have not been approved or disapproved
6 by the agency by October [4, 2000,] 10 shall be deemed
7 approved.
8 (3) Applications submitted after the September 1[,
9 2000,] deadline shall be accepted by the agency, and grants
10 may be awarded at the discretion of the agency from the
11 reserve fund set aside under section 504.
12 Section 504. Reserve funds.
13 (1) The agency shall reserve an amount not to exceed 3%
14 of the funds allocated in section 702 for the grant program
15 established under this chapter for the purposes of awarding
16 grants to volunteer ambulance services that submit
17 applications after September 1, 2000, that would have
18 otherwise been eligible for and been awarded a grant under
19 the grant program. In the fiscal year 2003-2004, and in every
20 fiscal year thereafter, the agency shall reserve an amount
21 not to exceed 3% of the funds allocated in section 701 for
22 the grant program for the purposes of awarding grants to
23 volunteer ambulance services that submit applications after
24 September 1 of the current fiscal year, that would have
25 otherwise been eligible for and had been awarded a grant
26 under the grant program.
27 (2) No volunteer ambulance service may receive a grant
28 from reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount that
29 it would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
30 Section 701. Volunteer Fire Company Grant Program.
20030H0102B0120 - 5 -
1 (a) Appropriation for fiscal year 2002-2003.--The sum of
2 $22,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, of the
3 amount appropriated in section 225 of the act of [May 24, 2000
4 (P.L. , No. 21A), known as the General Appropriation Act of
5 2000] June 29, 2002 (P.L. , No.7A), known as the General
6 Appropriation Act of 2002, to the Pennsylvania Emergency
7 Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of making grants
8 to eligible volunteer fire companies pursuant to Chapter 3[.] in
9 fiscal year 2002-2003.
10 (b) Appropriation for fiscal year 2003-2004.--The sum of
11 $33,000,000 of the amount appropriated to the Pennsylvania
12 Emergency Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of
13 making grants to eligible volunteer fire companies pursuant to
14 Chapter 3 in fiscal year 2003-2004.
15 (c) Ongoing appropriations.--In fiscal year 2004-2005 and in
16 every fiscal year thereafter, the General Assembly shall
17 appropriate funds to pay volunteer fire company grants under
18 this act.
19 Section 702. Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program.
20 (a) Appropriation for fiscal year 2002-2003.--The sum of
21 $3,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, of the
22 amount appropriated in section 225 of the act of [May 24, 2000
23 (P.L. , No. 21A), known as the General Appropriation Act of
24 2000] June 29, 2002 (P.L. , No. 7A), known as the General
25 Appropriation Act of 2002, to the Pennsylvania Emergency
26 Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of making grants
27 to eligible volunteer ambulance services pursuant to Chapter
28 5[.] in fiscal year 2002-2003.
29 (b) Appropriation for fiscal year 2003-2004.--The sum of
30 $3,750,000 of the amount appropriated to the Pennsylvania
20030H0102B0120 - 6 -
1 Emergency Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of
2 making grants to eligible volunteer ambulance services pursuant
3 to Chapter 5 in fiscal year 2003-2004.
4 (c) Ongoing appropriations.--In fiscal year 2004-2005 and in
5 every fiscal year thereafter, the General Assembly shall
6 appropriate funds to pay volunteer ambulance service grants
7 under this act.
8 Section 703. Restriction.
9 No moneys from the appropriation for grants to volunteer fire
10 companies and volunteer ambulance companies authorized [in]
11 under section 225 of the act of [May 24, 2000 (P.L. , No.
12 21A), known as the General Appropriation Act of 2000] June 29,
13 2002 (P.L. , No.7A), known as the General Appropriation Act of
14 2002, shall be used for expenses or costs incurred by the agency
15 for the administration of the grant programs authorized under
16 Chapters 3 and 5[.] in fiscal year 2002-2003, nor shall any
17 moneys from the appropriation for grants to volunteer fire
18 companies and volunteer ambulance services authorized under this
19 act be used for these expenses or costs.
20 [Section 901. Expiration of authority.
21 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3
22 and 5 shall expire June 30, 2001.]
23 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
24 Section 901.1. Reestablishment of authority.
25 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3
26 and 5 is reestablished on the effective date of this section.
27 Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
A10L35DMS/20030H0102B0120 - 7 -