Trial Engrossment of Amendment A03248 to Senate Bill 0331 P.N. 0313, Regular Session 2019-2020

A03248

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

No.

331

Session of

2019

INTRODUCED BY BROOKS, GORDNER, BROWNE, AUMENT, BAKER, DiSANTO,

HUTCHINSON, REGAN, STEFANO, TOMLINSON, J. WARD, K. WARD,

COSTA, BREWSTER, DINNIMAN, KEARNEY, SANTARSIERO, SCHWANK,

TARTAGLIONE AND YUDICHAK, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

REFERRED TO EDUCATION, FEBRUARY 26, 2019

AN ACT

Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An

act relating to the public school system, including certain

provisions applicable as well to private and parochial

schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the

laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,

further providing for firefighter and emergency service

training and establishing the Fire Training Fund.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 1550 of the act of March 10, 1949

(P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is

amended to read:

Section 1550. Firefighter and Emergency Service Training.--

(a) [Beginning with the 2003-2004 school year and each school

year thereafter, a] A school district may offer firefighter and

emergency service training as credit-earning courses to students

of the age of sixteen (16) years or older, except as otherwise

provided in subsection (c). Such courses may include:

(1) Training as a Firefighter I from the National Board on

Fire Service Professional Qualifications.

(2) Training as an emergency medical technician pursuant to

the act of July 3, 1985 (P.L.164, No.45), known as the

"Emergency Medical Services Act."

(b) A school district that offers firefighter and emergency

service training as credit-earning courses shall provide

transportation to and supervision during any firefighter and

emergency service training program that takes place off school

grounds. Supervision of training shall be conducted as a

cooperative education program in accordance with the provisions

of 22 Pa. Code § 11.28 (relating to out-of-school programs).

established. The purpose of the pilot program is to provide high

school students with instruction through a partnership between

institutions of higher education and school districts or area

vocational-technical career and technical schools, or both, to

increase the number of individuals capable of becoming volunteer

firefighters. The pilot program shall be implemented in

accordance with the following:

(1) The State Fire Commissioner shall accept proposals from

institutions of higher education in this Commonwealth for the

pilot program. From the proposals submitted, the State Fire

Commissioner shall select three institutions of higher education

to offer the pilot program. The State Fire Commissioner, to the

greatest extent practicable, shall select one institution of

higher education each from the eastern, central and western

regions of this Commonwealth. Nothing in this section shall

prohibit an institution of higher education from incorporating

emergency medical services instruction in the pilot program.

(2) An institution of higher education selected by the State

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Fire Commissioner shall operate the pilot program by entering

into an agreement with a school district or an area vocational-

technical career and technical school, or both, for the

provision of fire instruction to students who are in at least

the ninth grade and leading to Firefighter I certification.

(3) A nonlapsing, restricted account is established in the

State Treasury, to be known as the Fire Training Fund. The State

Fire Commissioner may accept monetary donations and other money

for deposit into the Fire Training Fund from a person, business,

foundation, tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of

the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (Public Law 99-514, 26 U.S.C.

§ 501(c)(3)) or government entity on behalf of the Commonwealth.

(4) Money may be appropriated to the State Fire Commissioner

to carry out the provisions of this subsection. Each institution

of higher education offering the pilot program shall receive at

least one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) for the

duration of the pilot program.

(5) Any funds appropriated, donated or transferred under

this subsection and interest earned on the Fire Training Fund

shall be deposited into the Fire Training Fund.

(6) During the pilot program, the Legislative Budget and

Finance Committee shall conduct a survey of volunteer fire

companies in the municipalities surrounding the school districts

and area vocational-technical career and technical schools that

participate in the pilot program to determine whether the pilot

program is increasing the number of volunteer firefighters and

any additional recommendations. The results of the survey shall

be submitted to the chair and minority chair of the Veterans

Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee of the Senate and

the chair and minority chair of the Veterans Affairs and

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Emergency Preparedness Committee of the House of Representatives

within six months of the expiration of the pilot program.

(7) The pilot program shall expire four years from the

effective date of this subsection.

(d) As used in this section, the term "institution of higher

education" means a community college operating under Article

XIX-A or a university within the State System of Higher

Education.

Section 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2019 2020,

or immediately, whichever is later.

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