PRINTER'S NO. 1662
No. 1416 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY MARKOSEK, BELARDI, DALEY, PRESTON, RUBLEY, LUCYK,
CALTAGIRONE, LAUGHLIN, KAISER, WALKO, CURRY, GEORGE, THOMAS,
BEBKO-JONES, HARHAI, WOJNAROSKI, CAPPELLI, BARD, TIGUE,
WANSACZ, READSHAW, TANGRETTI, SHANER, JAMES, FREEMAN, BUNT,
FRANKEL, BELFANTI, YOUNGBLOOD, ARMSTRONG, SURRA, SAINATO,
CREIGHTON, WATSON, LEVDANSKY, COSTA, TRICH, ROHRER,
COLAFELLA, SOLOBAY, GRUCELA, SCRIMENTI, WILT, KIRKLAND,
PETRARCA, MACKERETH, DERMODY, E. Z. TAYLOR, J. WILLIAMS AND
YUDICHAK, APRIL 24, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, APRIL 24, 2001
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 grants, funds and appropriations.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Sections 303, 304, 503, 504, 701, 702, 703 and
8 901 of the act of June 22, 2000 (P.L.477, No.66), known as the
9 Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant
10 Act, are amended to read:
11 Section 303. Award of grants.
12 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
13 [a one-time] one grant award per year to each eligible volunteer
14 fire company for the following:
15 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's
1 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings
2 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
3 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
4 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue
5 equipment or purchase thereof.
6 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
7 (b) Limits.--
8 (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3)[,]:
9 (i) In the 2000-2001 fiscal year, grants shall be
10 not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per
11 volunteer fire company.
12 (ii) Beginning in the 2001-2002 fiscal year, and in
13 every fiscal year thereafter, grants shall be $15,000 per
14 volunteer fire company.
15 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
16 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
17 amount of funds allocated in section 701.
18 (3) In a municipality where there are two or more
19 volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies
20 consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and
21 services between [July 1, 1998, and the date of enactment of
22 this act, each entity from which] July 1, 2000, and June 30,
23 2006, the consolidated entity [was created] will be eligible
24 for a grant [as though it had not consolidated] which is
25 equal to the total amount of grant money each entity would be
26 entitled to receive.
27 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
28 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
29 under this act to the fire chief and president of every
30 volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July
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1 [7, 2000] 1.
2 (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this
3 act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or
4 before September 1[, 2000]. The agency shall act to approve
5 or disapprove the application by October [4, 2000] 10.
6 Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by
7 the agency by October [4, 2000,] 10 shall be deemed 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 304.
12 (d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a
13 volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or
14 more fire emergencies since July 1[, 1999] of the preceding
15 year.
16 Section 304. Reserve funds.
17 (1) The agency shall reserve an amount not to exceed 3%
18 of the funds allocated in section 701 for the grant program
19 established under this chapter for the purposes of awarding
20 grants to volunteer fire companies that submit applications
21 after September 1, 2000, that would have otherwise been
22 eligible for and been awarded a grant under the grant
23 program. In the fiscal year 2001-2002 and in every fiscal
24 year thereafter, the agency shall reserve an amount not to
25 exceed 3% of the funds allocated in section 701 for the grant
26 program for the purposes of awarding grants to volunteer fire
27 companies that submit applications after September 1 of the
28 current fiscal year, that would have otherwise been eligible
29 for and had been awarded a grant under the grant program.
30 (2) No volunteer fire company may receive a grant from
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1 reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount that it
2 would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
3 Section 503. Award of grants.
4 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
5 [a one-time] one grant award per year to each eligible volunteer
6 ambulance service for the following:
7 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the volunteer
8 ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of
9 fixtures and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the
10 capability of the ambulance service to provide ambulance,
11 emergency medical, basic life support and advanced life
12 support services.
13 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
14 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
15 (b) Limits.--
16 (1) [Grants] Except as provided in paragraph (3):
17 (i) In the 2000-2001 fiscal year, grants shall be
18 not less than $2,500 and not more than $10,000 per
19 volunteer ambulance service.
20 (ii) Beginning in the 2001-2002 fiscal year and in
21 every fiscal year thereafter, grants shall be $2,500 per
22 volunteer ambulance service.
23 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
24 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
25 amount of funds allocated in section 702.
26 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
27 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
28 under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance
29 service in this Commonwealth on or before July [7, 2000]1.
30 (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under
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1 this chapter shall submit completed applications to the
2 agency on or before September 1[, 2000]. The agency shall act
3 to approve or disapprove the application by October [4,
4 2000]10. Applications which have not been approved or
5 disapproved by the agency by October [4, 2000,] 10 shall be
6 deemed approved.
7 (3) Applications submitted after the September 1,
8 [2000,] deadline shall be accepted by the agency, and grants
9 may be awarded at the discretion of the agency from the
10 reserve fund set aside under section 504.
11 Section 504. Reserve funds.
12 (1) The agency shall reserve an amount not to exceed 3%
13 of the funds allocated in section 702 for the grant program
14 established under this chapter for the purposes of awarding
15 grants to volunteer ambulance services that submit
16 applications after September 1, 2000, that would have
17 otherwise been eligible for and been awarded a grant under
18 the grant program. In the fiscal year 2001-2002, and in every
19 fiscal year thereafter, the agency shall reserve an amount
20 not to exceed 3% of the funds allocated in section 701 for
21 the grant program for the purposes of awarding grants to
22 volunteer ambulance services that submit applications after
23 September 1 of the current fiscal year, that would have
24 otherwise been eligible for and had been awarded a grant
25 under the grant program.
26 (2) No volunteer ambulance service may receive a grant
27 from reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount that
28 it would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
29 Section 701. Volunteer Fire Company Grant Program.
30 (a) Appropriation for fiscal year 2001-2002.--The sum of
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1 $22,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, of the
2 amount appropriated in section 225 of the act of May 24, 2000
3 (P.L. , No. 21A), known as the General Appropriation Act of
4 2000, to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is
5 allocated for the purpose of making grants to eligible volunteer
6 fire companies pursuant to Chapter 3[.] in fiscal year 2000-
7 2001.
8 (b) Appropriation for fiscal year 2001-2002.--The sum of
9 $33,000,000 of the amount appropriated to the Pennsylvania
10 Emergency Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of
11 making grants to eligible volunteer fire companies pursuant to
12 Chapter 3 in fiscal year 2001-2002.
13 (c) Ongoing appropriations.--In fiscal year 2002-2003 and in
14 every fiscal year thereafter, the General Assembly shall
15 appropriate funds to pay volunteer fire company grants under
16 this act.
17 Section 702. Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program.
18 (a) Appropriation for fiscal year 2000-2001.--The sum of
19 $3,000,000, or as much thereof as may be necessary, of the
20 amount appropriated in section 225 of the act of May 24, 2000
21 (P.L. , No. 21A), known as the General Appropriation Act of
22 2000, to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is
23 allocated for the purpose of making grants to eligible volunteer
24 ambulance services pursuant to Chapter 5[.] in fiscal year 2000-
25 2001.
26 (b) Appropriation for fiscal year 2001-2002.--The sum of
27 $3,750,000 of the amount appropriated to the Pennsylvania
28 Emergency Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of
29 making grants to eligible volunteer ambulance services pursuant
30 to Chapter 5 in fiscal year 2001-2002.
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1 (c) Ongoing appropriations.--In fiscal year 2002-2003 and in
2 every fiscal year thereafter, the General Assembly shall
3 appropriate funds to pay volunteer ambulance service grants
4 under this act.
5 Section 703. Restriction.
6 No moneys from the appropriation for grants to volunteer fire
7 companies and volunteer ambulance companies authorized [in]
8 under section 225 of the act of May 24, 2000 (P.L. , No. 21A),
9 known as the General Appropriation Act of 2000, shall be used
10 for expenses or costs incurred by the agency for the
11 administration of the grant programs authorized under Chapters 3
12 and 5[.] in fiscal year 2000-2001, nor shall any moneys from the
13 appropriation for grants to volunteer fire companies and
14 volunteer ambulance services authorized under this act be used
15 for these expenses or costs.
16 [Section 901. Expiration of authority.
17 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3
18 and 5 shall expire June 30, 2001.]
19 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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