THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

INTRODUCED BY SWANGER, BARRAR, BUXTON, CALTAGIRONE, D. COSTA, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GROVE, HORNAMAN, JOSEPHS, KILLION, MARSICO, MICOZZIE, MILLER, MURPHY, MURT, PETRI, RAPP, READSHAW, ROSS, TALLMAN, VULAKOVICH AND YOUNGBLOOD, FEBRUARY 23, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, FEBRUARY 23, 2011  

AN ACT

Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, providing for volunteer quick response

services grant program.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Chapter 78 heading of Title 35 of the

Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, added November 23, 2010

(P.L.1181, No.118), is amended to read:

CHAPTER 78

GRANTS TO VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANIES,

VOLUNTEER QUICK RESPONSE SERVICES

AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES

Section 2.  Section 7801 of Title 35, added November 23, 2010

(P.L.1181, No.118), is amended to read:

§ 7801.  Scope of chapter.

This chapter relates to grants to volunteer fire companies,

volunteer quick response services and volunteer ambulance

services.

Section 3.  Section 7802 of Title 35, added November 23, 2010

(P.L.1181, No.118), is amended by adding a definition to read:

§ 7802.  Definitions.

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter

shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

context clearly indicates otherwise:

* * *

"Volunteer quick response service."  Any nonprofit chartered

corporation, association or organization located in this

Commonwealth which is recognized by the Pennsylvania Department

of Health and which is regularly engaged in responding to

emergencies and providing emergency medical services pending the

arrival of ambulance service personnel.

* * *

Section 4.  Sections 7831 and 7833 of Title 35, added

November 23, 2010 (P.L.1181, No.118), are amended to read:

§ 7831.  Volunteer Fire Company Grant Program and Volunteer

Quick Response Service Program.

The sum of $22,000,000 of the amount appropriated to the

agency for volunteer company grants under section 225 of the act

of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General

Appropriation Act of 2003, shall be expended for the purpose of

making grants to eligible volunteer fire companies under

Subchapter B (relating to volunteer fire company grant program)

and to eligible volunteer quick response services under

Subchapter E (relating to volunteer quick response service grant

program).

§ 7833.  Allocation of appropriated funds.

(a)  Prohibition.--No money from the appropriation for

volunteer company grants shall be used for expenses or costs

incurred by the agency for the administration of the grant

programs authorized under Subchapters B (relating to volunteer

fire company grant program) [and], C (relating to volunteer

ambulance service grant program) and E (relating to volunteer

quick response service grant program).

(b)  Grant allocation.--Unless otherwise expressly stated,

money appropriated to the agency for purposes of volunteer

company grants shall be allocated as follows:

(1)  Eighty-eight percent of the amount appropriated

shall be used for making grants to eligible volunteer fire

companies under Subchapter B and to eligible volunteer quick

response services under Subchapter E.

(2)  Twelve percent of the amount appropriated shall be

used for making grants to eligible volunteer ambulance

companies under Subchapter C.

Section 5.  Chapter 78 of Title 35 is amended by adding a

subchapter to read:

SUBCHAPTER D.1

VOLUNTEER QUICK RESPONSE

SERVICE GRANT PROGRAM

Sec.

7839.1.  Establishment.

7839.2.  Publication and notice.

7839.3.  Award of grants.

§ 7839.1.  Establishment.

The Volunteer Quick Response Service Grant Program is hereby

established and shall be administered by the agency. Grants

provided under this program shall be used to improve and enhance

the capabilities of the volunteer quick response services to

provide quick response services.

§ 7839.2.  Publication and notice.

The agency shall submit notice of the grant program

availability through the Legislative Reference Bureau for

publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin:

(1)  within 30 days of the effective date of this section

for the fiscal years beginning July 1, 2011, and July 1,

2012; and

(2)  by August 8 for fiscal years beginning after June

30, 2013.

§ 7839.3.  Award of grants.

(a)  Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make

a grant award to each eligible volunteer quick response service

for the following:

(1)  Construction and renovation of the volunteer quick

response service's facility and purchase or repair of

fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services

necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the quick

response service to provide quick response services.

(2)  Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.

(3)  Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).

(4)  Training and certification of members.

(b)  Limits.--

(1)  Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more

than $10,000 per volunteer quick response service.

(2)  Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the

total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the

amount of funds appropriated by the General Assembly for this

purpose.

(3)  If two or more volunteer quick response services

consolidated their use of equipment, personnel and services

within five years preceding the date of the current year

application submission deadline, the consolidated entity

shall be deemed eligible to receive a grant not to exceed the

amount of the combined total for which the individual

companies would have been eligible had they not consolidated.

(c)  Time for filing application and department action.--

(1)  Within 30 days of the effective date of this

paragraph for the fiscal years commencing July 1, 2011, and

July 1, 2012, and by September 1 of each year thereafter, the

agency shall provide written instructions for grants under

this chapter to the president of every volunteer quick

response service in this Commonwealth.

(2)  Within 45 days of the effective date of this

paragraph for the fiscal years commencing July 1, 2011, and

July 1, 2012, and by September 8 of each year, the agency

shall provide applications to the president of every

volunteer quick response service. The application for the

fiscal years commencing July 1, 2011, and July 1, 2012, shall

be a combined application. Volunteer ambulance services

seeking grants under this subchapter shall submit completed

applications to the agency. The application period shall

remain open for 45 days each year. The agency shall act to

approve or disapprove applications within 60 days of the

application submission deadline each year. Applications which

have not been approved or disapproved by the agency within 60

days after the close of the application period each year

shall be deemed approved.

Section 6.  Sections 7841 and 7842 of Title 35, added

November 23, 2010 (P.L.1181, No.118), are amended to read:

§ 7841.  Expiration of authority.

The authority of the agency to award grants under Subchapters

B (relating to volunteer fire company grant program) [and], C

(relating to volunteer ambulance service grant program) and

(D.1) (relating to volunteer quick response service grant

program) shall expire June 30, 2012.

§ 7842.  Special provisions.

(a)  Claim.--An applicant for a grant under this chapter who

failed to return a signed agreement for the preceding year shall

not be permitted to apply for a grant in the current year unless

the applicant has provided the commissioner with a reasonable

written explanation as to why it did not claim its grant.

(b)  Delinquency.--An applicant for a grant under this

chapter who is delinquent in loan payments to the Pennsylvania

Volunteer Loan Assistance Program established under the act of

July 15, 1976 (P.L.1036, No.208), known as the Volunteer Fire

Company, Ambulance Service and Rescue Squad Assistance Act,

shall agree to use its grant funds to pay any arrears to the

Commonwealth or it will not be qualified to receive a grant. Any

organization agreeing to this arrangement who fails to make the

payment to the Commonwealth shall be disqualified from applying

to the grant program for a period of three years.

(c)  Demonstration.--An applicant for a grant under this

chapter must demonstrate that it complied with all of the terms

of its grant agreement in the previous year regarding the use of

the grant money it received in previous years or it shall not be

eligible to receive a grant in the current year.

(d)  Approval.--An applicant shall not be approved for a

grant to be used for purposes other than those stated in section

7813(a) (relating to award of grants) [or], 7823(a) (relating to

award of grants) or 7839.3(a) (relating to award of grants).

Section 7.  This act shall take effect immediately.