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A00396
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
6
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY VULAKOVICH, COSTA, BAKER, DINNIMAN, FONTANA,
TARTAGLIONE, WARD, YAW, BREWSTER, KILLION AND RAFFERTY,
JANUARY 23, 2017
SENATOR VULAKOVICH, VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,
AS AMENDED, JANUARY 25, 2017
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Establishing a special bipartisan, bicameral legislative
commission to recommend improvements to the delivery of
emergency services in this Commonwealth and develop and
promote legislation in furtherance of its recommendations.
WHEREAS, The citizens of this Commonwealth benefit daily from
the services, knowledge and skills of municipal emergency
service providers and volunteer emergency service providers who
routinely place the safety and well-being of others over their
own; and
WHEREAS, It is estimated that the delivery of emergency
services in this Commonwealth, particularly through the use of
volunteer fire companies and volunteer emergency services,
effectively saves the people of this Commonwealth billions of
dollars and countless lives every year; and
WHEREAS, The emergency services in this Commonwealth are
being tasked to provide even greater levels of service with very
limited resources; and
WHEREAS, On September 29, 2002, the Pennsylvania Emergency
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Management Agency, in consultation with the Fire and Emergency
Services Task Force, presented "A Study of Volunteer Fire and
Emergency Medical Services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,"
to the General Assembly in accordance with the act of June 29,
2002 (P.L.559, No.89), which made recommendations on various
long-term initiatives to improve the delivery of emergency
services in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, On November 30, 2004, a special commission
established in Senate Resolution No. 60 (2003) issued its report
along with 23 recommendations to provide direct and indirect
assistance for the purpose of improving the delivery of
emergency services in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, In September 2013, the Legislative Budget and
Finance Commission along with the Joint State Government
Commission issued a performance audit of the Emergency Medical
Services Operating Fund pursuant to House Resolution No. 315
(2012); and
WHEREAS, These reports took into consideration every major
study of fire and emergency services in this Commonwealth over
the prior 40 years and updated those findings to better reflect
the current needs of our emergency services; therefore be it
RESOLVED (the House of Representatives concurring), That the
General Assembly establish a special bipartisan, bicameral
legislative commission to recommend improvements to the delivery
of emergency services in this Commonwealth and develop and
promote legislation in furtherance of its recommendations; and
be it further
RESOLVED, That the commission consist of the following
members:
(1) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
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Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the
Senate or designees.
(2) The chairperson and minority chairperson of the
Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the
the House of Representatives or designees.
(3) The two co-chairs of the Firefighter and Emergency
Services Caucus in the Senate or designees.
(4) The two co-chairs of the Firefighter and Emergency
Services Caucus in the House of Representatives or designees.
(5) The State Fire Commissioner or a designee.
(6) The Director of the Bureau of Emergency Medical
Services of the Department of Health OR A DESIGNEE.
(7) The president of the County Commissioners
Association of Pennsylvania or a designee.
(8) The president of the Pennsylvania Municipal League
or a designee.
(9) The president of the Pennsylvania State Association
of Boroughs or a designee.
(10) The president of the Pennsylvania State Association
of Township Commissioners or a designee.
(11) The president of the Pennsylvania State Association
of Township Supervisors or a designee.
(12) The president of the Pennsylvania Council of
Governments or a designee.
(13) The president of the Pennsylvania Fire and
Emergency Services Institute or a designee.
(14) The president of the Firemen's Association of the
State of Pennsylvania or a designee.
(15) Four members of a county firemen's association, one
each from a county in the west, central, east and southeast
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regions of this Commonwealth.
(16) The president of the Pennsylvania Professional
Firefighters Association or a designee.
(17) The president of the Pennsylvania Career Fire
Chiefs Association OR A DESIGNEE.
(18) The president of the Pennsylvania Association of
Hazardous Materials Technicians OR A DESIGNEE.
(19) Two fire chiefs of volunteer fire companies in
Pennsylvania, one of whom shall be selected by the President
pro tempore of the Senate and one of whom shall be selected
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(20) Two fire chiefs of municipal fire companies in
Pennsylvania, one of whom shall be selected by the President
pro tempore of the Senate and one of whom shall be selected
by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
(21) The president of the Pennsylvania Emergency Health
Services Council or a designee.
(22) The president of the Ambulance Association of
Pennsylvania or a designee.
(23) Seven Eight fire or emergency medical services
members at large;, FOUR OF WHOM SHALL BE SELECTED BY THE
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE SENATE AND THREE four OF WHOM
SHALL BE SELECTED BY THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES;
and be it further
RESOLVED, That the commission elect a chair from its
membership; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the commission shall develop and recommend
legislation to improve the delivery of emergency services; and
be it further
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RESOLVED, That the commission may hold hearings, take
testimony and make its investigations at such places as it deems
necessary in this Commonwealth; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Commission
provide staff support and assist with the final report; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the commission make a final report of all
legislative recommendations by June 30, 2018, which shall be
submitted to the chairman of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency
Preparedness Committee of the Senate and the chairman of the
Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the
House of Representatives; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the members of the commission shall serve
without compensation but shall be reimbursed for all necessary
and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their
duties; and be it further
RESOLVED, That reasonable expenses incurred by the commission
be equally divided between the Senate and the House of
Representatives. The approval of the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness
Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness
Committee of the House of Representatives, by action of a
majority of members of the committees, shall be required to
preauthorize all proposed actions of the commission which will
entail the expenditure of State funds and shall also be required
to approve all expenditures, including expense reimbursement
requests of commission members, prior to payment.
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