PRINTER'S NO. 1629
No. 1117 Session of 2004
INTRODUCED BY WAUGH, WENGER, PICCOLA, MELLOW, O'PAKE, KITCHEN,
RHOADES, MOWERY, WAGNER, KUKOVICH, LEMMOND, PUNT, ERICKSON,
COSTA, PILEGGI, LOGAN, GORDNER, GREENLEAF, MUSTO, ARMSTRONG,
PIPPY, ORIE, WONDERLING, DENT, KASUNIC, RAFFERTY, D. WHITE,
WOZNIAK AND C. WILLIAMS, MAY 12, 2004
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, MAY 12, 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 for appropriations; and making appropriations.
7 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
8 hereby enacts as follows:
9 Section 1. Sections 303, 503, 701, 702, 703, 901 and 902 of
10 the act of July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), known as the Volunteer
11 Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Act, are
12 amended to read:
13 Section 303. Award of grants.
14 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
15 a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer fire company
16 for the following:
17 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's
18 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings
1 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
2 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
3 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue
4 equipment or purchase thereof.
5 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
6 (4) Training and certification of members.
7 (b) Limits.--
8 (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), grants shall be
9 not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per volunteer
10 fire company.
11 (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
12 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
13 amount of funds allocated in [section 702] Chapter 7.
14 (3) In a municipality where there are two or more
15 volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies
16 consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and
17 services between July 1, 1998, and the date of enactment of
18 this act, each entity from which the consolidated entity was
19 created will be eligible for a grant as though it had not
20 consolidated.
21 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
22 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
23 under this act to the fire chief and president of every
24 volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before
25 [July 31, 2003] July 31 of any fiscal year in which funds are
26 made available.
27 (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this
28 act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or
29 before [December 31, 2003] December 31 of any fiscal year in
30 which funds are made available. The agency shall act to
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1 approve or disapprove the application by [May 1, 2004] May 1
2 of any fiscal year in which funds are made available.
3 Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by
4 the agency by [May 1, 2004,] May 1 of any fiscal year in
5 which funds are made available shall be deemed approved.
6 (d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a
7 volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or
8 more fire or rescue emergencies since [July 1, 2002] July 1 of
9 any fiscal year in which funds are made available, and must sign
10 an agreement to actively participate in the Pennsylvania Fire
11 Information Reporting System which is administered by the
12 agency.
13 Section 503. Award of grants.
14 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
15 a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer ambulance
16 service for the following:
17 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the volunteer
18 ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of
19 fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services
20 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
21 ambulance service to provide ambulance, emergency medical,
22 basic life support and advanced life support services.
23 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
24 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
25 (4) Training and certification of members.
26 (b) Limits.--
27 (1) Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more
28 than $10,000 per volunteer ambulance service.
29 (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
30 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
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1 amount of funds allocated in [section 703] Chapter 7.
2 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
3 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
4 under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance
5 service in this Commonwealth on or before [July 31, 2003]
6 July 31 of any fiscal year in which funds are made available.
7 (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under
8 this chapter shall submit completed applications to the
9 agency on or before [December 31, 2003] December 31 of any
10 fiscal year in which funds are made available. The agency
11 shall act to approve or disapprove the application by [May 1,
12 2004] May 1 of any fiscal year in which funds are made
13 available. Applications which have not been approved or
14 disapproved by the agency by May 1[, 2004,] shall be deemed
15 approved.
16 Section 701. Volunteer Fire Company Grant Program.
17 The sum of $22,000,000 of the amount appropriated to the
18 agency for volunteer company grants [under section 225 of the
19 act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General
20 Appropriation Act of 2003,] during any fiscal year shall be
21 expended for the purpose of making grants to eligible volunteer
22 fire companies pursuant to Chapter 3.
23 Section 702. Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program.
24 The sum of $3,000,000 of the amount appropriated to the
25 agency for volunteer company grants [under section 225 of the
26 act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General
27 Appropriation Act of 2003,] during any fiscal year shall be
28 expended for the purpose of making grants to eligible volunteer
29 ambulance companies pursuant to Chapter 5.
30 Section 703. Prohibition.
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1 No moneys from the appropriation for volunteer company grants
2 [under section 225 of the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463,
3 No.1A), known as the General Appropriation Act of 2003,] shall
4 be used for expenses or costs incurred by the agency for the
5 administration of the grant programs authorized under Chapters 3
6 and 5.
7 [Section 901. Expiration of authority.
8 The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3
9 and 5 shall expire June 30, 2004.
10 Section 902. Declaration.
11 The General Assembly declares that this act satisfies the
12 enabling legislation requirement contained in the appropriation
13 to the agency for volunteer company grants under section 225 of
14 the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General
15 Appropriation Act of 2003, that no moneys from said
16 appropriation may be expended until enabling legislation is
17 enacted.]
18 Section 2. Appropriations are as follows:
19 (1) Subject to section 701 of the act, the sum of
20 $22,000,000 is appropriated to the Pennsylvania Emergency
21 Management Agency for the purpose of making grants to
22 eligible volunteer fire companies pursuant to Chapter 3 of
23 the act for the fiscal year July 1, 2004, to June 30, 2005.
24 (2) Subject to section 702 of the act, the sum of
25 $3,000,000 is appropriated to the Pennsylvania Emergency
26 Management Agency for the purpose of making grants to
27 eligible volunteer ambulance companies pursuant to Chapter 5
28 of the act for the fiscal year July 1, 2004, to June 30,
29 2005.
30 Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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