SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 3444, 3596, 3732 PRINTER'S NO. 4246
No. 2433 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY SAYLOR, SEMMEL, TIGUE, DeLUCA, SATHER, GOOD,
PAYNE, O'NEILL, FLEAGLE, FORCIER, STERN, ALLEN, ARGALL,
ARMSTRONG, BAKER, BALDWIN, BARRAR, BASTIAN, BEBKO-JONES,
BELARDI, BELFANTI, BOYD, BROWNE, BUNT, CAPPELLI, CASORIO,
CAUSER, CAWLEY, CORRIGAN, COSTA, COY, CRAHALLA, CURRY,
DAILEY, DALEY, DALLY, DENLINGER, DeWEESE, D. EVANS, FABRIZIO,
FAIRCHILD, FEESE, FICHTER, FLICK, GEIST, GEORGE, GERGELY,
GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, HARHAI,
HARHART, HARPER, HARRIS, HASAY, HERMAN, HERSHEY, HESS,
HICKERNELL, HUTCHINSON, KENNEY, KIRKLAND, KOTIK, LAUGHLIN,
LEACH, LEH, MAJOR, MANN, MARKOSEK, MARSICO, McILHATTAN,
McNAUGHTON, MILLARD, R. MILLER, S. MILLER, MUNDY, MUSTIO,
NAILOR, PALLONE, PETRARCA, PICKETT, READSHAW, REED, REICHLEY,
ROSS, RUBLEY, SAINATO, SANTONI, SCAVELLO, SCHRODER,
SCRIMENTI, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY, STABACK, R. STEVENSON,
T. STEVENSON, SURRA, E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TRUE, VANCE,
WASHINGTON, WEBER, WILT, WOJNAROSKI, YUDICHAK, ZUG,
YOUNGBLOOD, YEWCIC, FREEMAN, BARD, ROBERTS, SAMUELSON,
CIVERA, MELIO AND HORSEY, MARCH 16, 2004
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, IN SENATE, JUNE 30, 2004
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), entitled "An
2 act establishing a grant program for volunteer fire companies
3 and volunteer ambulance services; and providing for grant
4 funding," further providing for award of grants, for expenses
5 incurred by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency; and
6 providing for allocation of appropriated funds.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Sections 303, 503, 703, 901 and 902 of the act of
10 July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), known as the Volunteer Fire
11 Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Act, are amended
1 to read:
2 Section 303. Award of grants.
3 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
4 a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer fire company
5 for the following:
6 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's
7 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings
8 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
9 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
10 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue
11 equipment or purchase thereof.
12 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
13 (4) Training and certification of members.
14 (b) Limits.--
15 (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), grants shall be
16 not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per volunteer
17 fire company.
18 (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
19 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
20 amount of funds [allocated in section 702] appropriated by
21 the General Assembly for this purpose.
22 (3) In a municipality where there are two or more
23 volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies
24 consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and
25 services between July 1, 1998, and the date of enactment of
26 this act, each entity from which the consolidated entity was
27 created will be eligible for a grant as though it had not
28 consolidated.
29 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
30 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
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1 under this act to the fire chief and president of every
2 volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July
3 31, [2003] 2004.
4 (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this
5 act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or
6 before December 31, [2003] 2004. The agency shall act to
7 approve or disapprove the application by May 1, [2004] 2005.
8 Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by
9 the agency by May 1, [2004] 2005, shall be deemed approved.
10 (d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a
11 volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or
12 more fire or rescue emergencies since July 1, [2002] 2003, and
13 must sign an agreement to actively participate in the
14 Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System which is
15 administered by the agency.
16 Section 503. Award of grants.
17 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
18 a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer ambulance
19 service for the following:
20 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the volunteer
21 ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of
22 fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services
23 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
24 ambulance service to provide ambulance, emergency medical,
25 basic life support and advanced life support services.
26 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
27 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
28 (4) Training and certification of members.
29 (b) Limits.--
30 (1) Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more
20040H2433B4246 - 3 -
1 than $10,000 per volunteer ambulance service.
2 (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
3 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
4 amount of funds [allocated in section 703] appropriated by
5 the General Assembly for this purpose.
6 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
7 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
8 under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance
9 service in this Commonwealth on or before July 31, [2003]
10 2004.
11 (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under
12 this chapter shall submit completed applications to the
13 agency on or before December 31, [2003] 2004. The agency
14 shall act to approve or disapprove the application by May 1,
15 [2004] 2005. Applications which have not been approved or
16 disapproved by the agency by May 1, [2004] 2005, shall be
17 deemed approved.
18 Section 703. [Prohibition] Allocation of appropriated funds.
19 (a) Prohibition.--No moneys from the appropriation for
20 volunteer company grants [under section 225 of the act of March
21 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General Appropriation
22 Act of 2003,] shall be used for expenses or costs incurred by
23 the agency for the administration of the grant programs
24 authorized under Chapters 3 and 5.
25 (b) Grant allocation.--Unless otherwise expressly stated,
26 moneys appropriated under general appropriation acts to the <--
27 agency for purposes of volunteer company grants shall be
28 allocated as follows:
29 (1) 88% of the amount appropriated shall be used for
30 making grants to eligible volunteer fire companies under
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1 Chapter 3.
2 (2) 12% of the amount appropriated shall be used for
3 making grants to eligible volunteer ambulance companies under
4 Chapter 5.
5 Section 901. Expiration of authority.
6 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3
7 and 5 shall expire June 30, [2004] 2005.
8 [Section 902. Declaration.
9 The General Assembly declares that this act satisfies the
10 enabling legislation requirement contained in the appropriation
11 to the agency for volunteer company grants under section 225 of
12 the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General
13 Appropriation Act of 2003, that no moneys from said
14 appropriation may be expended until enabling legislation is
15 enacted.]
16 Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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