VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY AND VOLUNTEER AMBULANCE SERVICE GRANT ACT - AWARD OF GRANTS, EXPENSES INCURRED BY PENNSYLVANIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND ALLOCATION OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS Act of Jul. 15, 2004, P.L. 712, No. 80 Cl. 35 Session of 2004 No. 2004-80 HB 2433 AN ACT Amending the act of July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), entitled "An act establishing a grant program for volunteer fire companies and volunteer ambulance services; and providing for grant funding," further providing for award of grants, for expenses incurred by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency; and providing for allocation of appropriated funds. The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows: Section 1. Sections 303, 503, 703, 901 and 902 of the act of July 31, 2003 (P.L.73, No.17), known as the Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Act, are amended to read: Section 303. Award of grants. (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer fire company for the following: (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services. (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue equipment or purchase thereof. (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2). (4) Training and certification of members. (b) Limits.-- (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per volunteer fire company. (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the amount of funds [allocated in section 702] appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. (3) In a municipality where there are two or more volunteer fire companies and if two or more fire companies consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters and services between July 1, 1998, and the date of enactment of this act, each entity from which the consolidated entity was created will be eligible for a grant as though it had not consolidated. (c) Time for filing application and department action.-- (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants under this act to the fire chief and president of every volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July 31, [2003] 2004. (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or before December 31, [2003] 2004. The agency shall act to approve or disapprove the application by May 1, [2004] 2005. Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by the agency by May 1, [2004] 2005, shall be deemed approved. (d) Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this act, a volunteer fire company shall have actively responded to one or more fire or rescue emergencies since July 1, [2002] 2003, and must sign an agreement to actively participate in the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System which is administered by the agency. Section 503. Award of grants. (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make a [one-time] grant award to each eligible volunteer ambulance service for the following: (1) Construction and/or renovation of the volunteer ambulance service's facility and purchase or repair of fixtures, furnishings, office equipment and support services necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the ambulance service to provide ambulance, emergency medical, basic life support and advanced life support services. (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof. (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2). (4) Training and certification of members. (b) Limits.-- (1) Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more than $10,000 per volunteer ambulance service. (2) Grants may be awarded on a pro rata basis if the total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the amount of funds [allocated in section 703] appropriated by the General Assembly for this purpose. (c) Time for filing application and department action.-- (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance service in this Commonwealth on or before July 31, [2003] 2004. (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under this chapter shall submit completed applications to the agency on or before December 31, [2003] 2004. The agency shall act to approve or disapprove the application by May 1, [2004] 2005. Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by the agency by May 1, [2004] 2005, shall be deemed approved. Section 703. [Prohibition] Allocation of appropriated funds. (a) Prohibition.--No moneys from the appropriation for volunteer company grants [under section 225 of the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General Appropriation Act of 2003,] shall be used for expenses or costs incurred by the agency for the administration of the grant programs authorized under Chapters 3 and 5. (b) Grant allocation.--Unless otherwise expressly stated, moneys appropriated to the agency for purposes of volunteer company grants shall be allocated as follows: (1) 88% of the amount appropriated shall be used for making grants to eligible volunteer fire companies under Chapter 3. (2) 12% of the amount appropriated shall be used for making grants to eligible volunteer ambulance companies under Chapter 5. Section 901. Expiration of authority. The authority of the agency to award grants under Chapters 3 and 5 shall expire June 30, [2004] 2005. [Section 902. Declaration. The General Assembly declares that this act satisfies the enabling legislation requirement contained in the appropriation to the agency for volunteer company grants under section 225 of the act of March 20, 2003 (P.L.463, No.1A), known as the General Appropriation Act of 2003, that no moneys from said appropriation may be expended until enabling legislation is enacted.] Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately. APPROVED--The 15th day of July, A. D. 2004. EDWARD G. RENDELL |