PRINTER'S NO. 381
No. 373 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY KASUNIC, SCHWARTZ, MELLOW, STOUT, BELAN, AFFLERBACH, MUSTO, STAPLETON, O'PAKE AND RHOADES, FEBRUARY 5, 1997
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 5, 1997
AN ACT 1 Providing for grants to persons for property damaged or 2 destroyed by disasters; establishing the basis for the 3 grants; creating the Disaster Relief Fund; and making an 4 appropriation. 5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 6 hereby enacts as follows: 7 Section 1. Short title. 8 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Disaster 9 Relief Act. 10 Section 2. Definitions. 11 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 12 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 13 context clearly indicates otherwise: 14 "Department." The Department of Public Welfare of the 15 Commonwealth. 16 "Fund." The Disaster Relief Fund created under section 4. 17 Section 3. Disaster relief program. 18 (a) Program.--The department shall administer a program
1 which provides emergency funds to residents of counties stricken 2 by disasters which are the subject of Federal emergency 3 declarations. 4 (b) Eligibility.--An applicant's request for funding shall 5 be subject to the following evaluation: 6 (1) Upon receipt and approval of sworn application by 7 any homeowner for nonbusiness or nonfarm real property 8 damaged or destroyed, or any homeowner or tenant of premises 9 rented as a primary residence for personal property damaged 10 or destroyed in a declared disaster, the department may make 11 an individual grant to cover a portion of the adjusted loss. 12 (2) The adjusted loss shall be the total eligible loss, 13 including those losses covered by a loan which must be repaid 14 by the applicant, minus any amount received by or due the 15 applicant from private insurance and Federal or State grants 16 and shall not include any insurance deductible paid by the 17 applicant. 18 (3) Total eligible loss shall be any loss from damage to 19 an owner-occupied primary residence and any loss from damage 20 to personal property, including clothing, household 21 furnishings and appliances incurred by a homeowner in the 22 homeowner's owner-occupied primary residence or incurred by a 23 tenant in rented premises as a primary residence. Eligible 24 loss shall not include any item used principally for 25 recreational purposes. 26 (4) Applicants whose household income does not exceed 27 300% of the Federal poverty income guidelines shall be 28 eligible to participate in this grant program. The applicant, 29 in order to be eligible for this program by reason of a loss 30 in a declared disaster must have registered at a disaster 19970S0373B0381 - 2 -
1 assistance center, unless extenuating circumstances prevented 2 the applicant from doing so. Extenuating circumstances shall 3 be determined on an individual basis. 4 (5) The amount of the grant shall be determined in 5 accordance with the following schedule: 6 (i) Seventy-five percent of the first $5,000 of 7 adjusted loss. 8 (ii) Fifty-five percent of the second $5,000 of 9 adjusted loss. 10 (iii) Ten percent of the remaining adjusted loss. 11 (iv) No grant shall exceed $12,500. 12 (c) Limitation on eligibility.--If the real property was 13 condemned under eminent domain proceedings and where the measure 14 of damage is calculated under section 602 of the act of June 22, 15 1964 (Sp.Sess., P.L.84, No.6), known as the Eminent Domain Code, 16 the property owner shall not be eligible for a grant under 17 subsection (b) for property for which compensation is granted in 18 the eminent domain proceedings. 19 (d) Administration.--The department shall administer the 20 program in the following manner: 21 (1) All grants under this act shall be administered by 22 the department in prompt fashion. 23 (2) Applications shall be available to disaster victims 24 within 60 days of the effective date of this act. 25 (3) If sufficient funds are not allocated under this 26 act, distribution of the grants shall be on a pro rata basis. 27 (e) Regulations.--The department shall promulgate 28 regulations to administer and enforce this act. 29 (f) Penalty.--A person making a false claim under the 30 provisions of this act shall be subject to a penalty in the 19970S0373B0381 - 3 -
1 amount of three times the amount of the grant with interest of 2 6% from the date of the grant. This penalty may be enforced by 3 the Commonwealth in an assumpsit action and collected in the 4 manner that other debts due and owing the Commonwealth are 5 collected 6 Section 4. Disaster Relief Fund. 7 The proceeds of the tax imposed under the act of June 9, 1936 8 (1st Sp.Sess. P.L.13, No.4) entitled "An Act imposing an 9 emergency State tax on liquor, as herein defined, sold by the 10 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board; providing for the collection 11 and payment of such tax; and imposing duties upon the Department 12 of Revenue and the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board," shall be 13 deposited in a special nonlapsing fund in the State Treasury, to 14 be known as the Disaster Relief Fund, which is hereby created. 15 Money in the fund is hereby appropriated on a continuing basis 16 to the department solely for the purpose of administering the 17 grant program under this act. The amount necessarily expended 18 from the appropriation under section 5 shall be repaid from the 19 Disaster Relief Fund into the General Fund. 20 Section 5. Appropriation. 21 The sum of $25,000,000, or as much thereof as may be 22 necessary, is hereby appropriated to the Department of Public 23 Welfare for the fiscal year July 1, 1997, to June 30, 1998, to 24 carry out the provisions of this act. 25 Section 6. Applicability. 26 This act shall apply to all disasters for which a 27 Presidential Declaration was issued during calendar year 1996 28 and to disasters for which a Presidential Declaration is issued 29 during calendar years thereafter. 30 Section 7. Effective date. 19970S0373B0381 - 4 -
1 This act shall take effect immediately. A21L67WMB/19970S0373B0381 - 5 -