PRINTER'S NO. 748
No. 60 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY WAUGH, LOGAN, COSTA, TARTAGLIONE, HELFRICK,
ERICKSON, BRIGHTBILL, BOSCOLA, STOUT, RAFFERTY, PUNT, CONTI,
KUKOVICH, TOMLINSON, ORIE, ARMSTRONG, EARLL, O'PAKE, DENT,
SCHWARTZ, WAGNER, MUSTO, D. WHITE, WOZNIAK, RHOADES,
WONDERLING, THOMPSON AND ROBBINS, APRIL 24, 2003
REFERRED TO VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS,
APRIL 24, 2003
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1 Establishing a special bipartisan legislative commission to
2 develop legislation to provide direct and indirect assistance
3 for the purpose of improving the delivery of emergency
4 services in this Commonwealth.
5 WHEREAS, The citizens of this Commonwealth benefit daily from
6 the services, knowledge and skills of municipal emergency
7 service providers and volunteer emergency service providers who
8 routinely place the safety and well-being of others over their
9 own; and
10 WHEREAS, It is estimated that the delivery of emergency
11 services in this Commonwealth, particularly through the use of
12 volunteer fire companies and volunteer emergency services,
13 effectively saves the people of this Commonwealth billions of
14 dollars and countless lives every year; and
15 WHEREAS, The emergency services in this Commonwealth are
16 being tasked to provide even greater levels of service with very
17 limited resources; and
1 WHEREAS, On September 29, 2002, the Pennsylvania Emergency
2 Management Agency, in consultation with the Fire and Emergency
3 Services Task Force, presented "A Study of Volunteer Fire and
4 Emergency Medical Services in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,"
5 to the General Assembly in accordance with the act of June 29,
6 2002 (P.L.559, No.89) which made recommendations on various
7 long-term initiatives to improve the delivery of emergency
8 services in this Commonwealth; and
9 WHEREAS, This report took into consideration every major
10 study of the fire and emergency services in this Commonwealth
11 for the past 30 years and updated those findings to better
12 reflect the current needs of the emergency services; therefore
13 be it
14 RESOLVED (the House of Representatives concurring), That the
15 General Assembly establish a special bipartisan legislative
16 commission to develop and recommend legislation providing direct
17 and indirect assistance to improve the delivery of emergency
18 services in this Commonwealth; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the commission consist of the following 23
20 members:
21 (1) The chair and minority chair of the Senate Committee
22 on Veterans' Affairs and Emergency Preparedness.
23 (2) The chair and minority chair of the House of
24 Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs and Emergency
25 Preparedness.
26 (3) The two cochairs of the Firefighter and Emergency
27 Services Caucus in the Senate.
28 (4) The two cochairs of the Firefighter and Emergency
29 Services Caucus in the House of Representatives.
30 (5) The State Fire Commissioner.
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1 (6) The president of the County Commissioners
2 Association of Pennsylvania or a designee.
3 (7) The president of the League of Cities and
4 Municipalities or a designee.
5 (8) The president of the Pennsylvania State Association
6 of Township Supervisors or a designee.
7 (9) The president of the Pennsylvania Firemen's
8 Legislative Federation.
9 (10) The president of the Pennsylvania State Association
10 of Boroughs or a designee.
11 (11) The president of the Pennsylvania Fire and
12 Emergency Services Institute or a designee.
13 (12) The president of the Pennsylvania Emergency Health
14 Services Council or a designee.
15 (13) The president of the Fireman's Association of the
16 State of Pennsylvania or a designee.
17 (14) The president of the Western Pennsylvania Firemen's
18 Association or a designee.
19 (15) The president of the Pennsylvania Professional
20 Firefighters Association or a designee.
21 (16) Two fire chiefs of volunteer fire companies in
22 Pennsylvania: one of whom shall be selected by the President
23 pro tempore of the Senate and one of whom shall be selected
24 by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
25 (17) Two fire chiefs of municipal fire companies in
26 Pennsylvania: one of whom shall be selected by the President
27 pro tempore of the Senate and one of whom shall be selected
28 by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;
29 and be it further
30 RESOLVED, That the commission elect a chair from its
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1 membership; and be it further
2 RESOLVED, That the commission shall develop legislation to
3 improve the delivery of emergency services; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That the commission may hold hearings, take
5 testimony and make its investigations at such places as it deems
6 necessary in this Commonwealth; and be it further
7 RESOLVED, That the commission develop legislation to
8 establish an institutionalized, need-based grant program for
9 volunteer fire and emergency services and a municipal
10 firefighter education and training program as well as to ensure
11 that there are adequate funds in the Volunteer Loan Assistance
12 Program established under the act of July 15, 1976 (P.L.1036,
13 No.208), known as the Volunteer Fire Company, Ambulance Service
14 and Rescue Squad Assistance Act; and be it further
15 RESOLVED, That the commission shall make an interim report
16 with legislative recommendations by June 13, 2003; and be it
17 further
18 RESOLVED, That the commission make a final report of all
19 other legislative recommendations by June 30, 2004; and be it
20 further
21 RESOLVED, That the members of the commission shall serve
22 without compensation but shall be reimbursed for all necessary
23 and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties;
24 and be it further
25 RESOLVED, That the actual expenses incurred by the commission
26 be equally divided between the Senate and the House of
27 Representatives.
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