PRINTER'S NO. 2342
No. 1599 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY STOUT, HELFRICK, LAVALLE, WAGNER, HUGHES, COSTA,
TARTAGLIONE, BELL, KUKOVICH, O'PAKE, WAUGH, BOSCOLA,
WILLIAMS, KITCHEN AND MELLOW, NOVEMBER 28, 2000
REFERRED TO STATE GOVERNMENT, NOVEMBER 28, 2000
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 22, 2000 (P.L.477, No.66), entitled "An
2 act establishing a grant program for volunteer fire companies
3 and volunteer ambulance services," providing for annual
4 grants.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. Sections 302, 303(a) and (c), 304, 502, 503, 504,
8 701, 702 and 703 of the act of June 22, 2000 (P.L.477, No.66),
9 known as the Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance
10 Service Grant Act, are amended to read:
11 Section 302. Guidelines and procedures.
12 The agency shall develop guidelines, procedures and all
13 applications necessary to implement the grant program. The
14 agency shall submit the guidelines, procedures and applications
15 to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the
16 Pennsylvania Bulletin and Pennsylvania Code [within 30 days of
17 the effective date of this act] by July 1 of each year.
18 Section 303. Award of grants.
1 (a) Authorization.--The agency is hereby authorized to make
2 [a one-time] an annual grant award to each eligible volunteer
3 fire company for the following:
4 (1) Construction and/or renovation of the fire company's
5 facility and purchase or repair of fixtures and furnishings
6 necessary to maintain or improve the capability of the
7 company to provide fire, ambulance and rescue services.
8 (2) Repair of firefighting, ambulance or rescue
9 equipment or purchase thereof.
10 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
11 * * *
12 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
13 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
14 under this act to the fire chief and president of every
15 volunteer fire company in this Commonwealth on or before July
16 7[, 2000] of each year.
17 (2) Volunteer fire companies seeking grants under this
18 act shall submit completed applications to the agency on or
19 before September 1[, 2000]. The agency shall act to approve
20 or disapprove the application by October 4[, 2000].
21 Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by
22 the agency by October 4[, 2000,] shall be deemed approved.
23 (3) Applications submitted after the September 1[,
24 2000,] deadline shall be accepted by the agency, and grants
25 may be awarded at the discretion of the agency from the
26 reserve fund set aside under section 304.
27 * * *
28 Section 304. Reserve funds.
29 (1) The agency shall reserve an amount not to exceed 3%
30 of the funds allocated in section 701 for the grant program
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1 established under this chapter for the purposes of awarding
2 grants to volunteer fire companies that submit applications
3 after September 1[, 2000,] that would have otherwise been
4 eligible for and been awarded a grant under the grant
5 program.
6 (2) No volunteer fire company may receive a grant from
7 reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount that it
8 would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
9 Section 502. Guidelines and procedures.
10 The agency shall develop guidelines, procedures and all
11 applications necessary to implement the grant program. The
12 agency shall submit the guidelines, procedures and applications
13 to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in the
14 Pennsylvania Bulletin and Pennsylvania Code [within 30 days of
15 the effective date of this act] by July 1.
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 and furnishings necessary to maintain or improve the
23 capability of the ambulance service to provide ambulance,
24 emergency medical, basic life support and advanced life
25 support services.
26 (2) Repair of ambulance equipment or purchase thereof.
27 (3) Debt reduction associated with paragraph (1) or (2).
28 (b) Limits.--
29 (1) Grants shall be not less than $2,500 and not more
30 than $10,000 per volunteer ambulance service.
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1 (2) Grants shall be awarded on a pro rata basis if the
2 total dollar amount of approved applications exceeds the
3 amount of funds allocated in section 702.
4 (c) Time for filing application and department action.--
5 (1) The agency shall provide applications for grants
6 under this act to the president of every volunteer ambulance
7 service in this Commonwealth on or before July 7[, 2000].
8 (2) Volunteer ambulance services seeking grants under
9 this chapter shall submit completed applications to the
10 agency on or before September 1[, 2000]. The agency shall act
11 to approve or disapprove the application by October 4[,
12 2000]. Applications which have not been approved or
13 disapproved by the agency by October 4[, 2000,] shall be
14 deemed approved.
15 (3) Applications submitted after the September 1[,
16 2000,] deadline shall be accepted by the agency, and grants
17 may be awarded at the discretion of the agency from the
18 reserve fund set aside under section 504.
19 Section 504. Reserve funds.
20 (1) The agency shall reserve an amount not to exceed 3%
21 of the funds allocated in section 702 for the grant program
22 established under this chapter for the purposes of awarding
23 grants to volunteer ambulance services that submit
24 applications after September 1[, 2000,] that would have
25 otherwise been eligible for and been awarded a grant under
26 the grant program.
27 (2) No volunteer ambulance service may receive a grant
28 from reserve funds in an amount greater than the amount that
29 it would have received had it applied in a timely manner.
30 Section 701. Volunteer Fire Company Grant Program.
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1 The sum of $22,000,000[, or as much thereof as may be
2 necessary,] of the amount appropriated [in section 225 of the
3 act of May 24, 2000 (P.L. , No. 21A), known as the General
4 Appropriation Act of 2000,] to the Pennsylvania Emergency
5 Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of making grants
6 to eligible volunteer fire companies pursuant to Chapter 3.
7 Section 702. Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program.
8 The sum of $3,000,000[, or as much thereof as may be
9 necessary,] of the amount appropriated [in section 225 of the
10 act of May 24, 2000 (P.L. , No. 21A), known as the General
11 Appropriation Act of 2000,] to the Pennsylvania Emergency
12 Management Agency is allocated for the purpose of making grants
13 to eligible volunteer ambulance services pursuant to Chapter 5.
14 Section 703. Restriction.
15 No moneys from the appropriation for grants to volunteer fire
16 companies and volunteer ambulance companies [authorized in
17 section 225 of the act of May 24, 2000 (P.L. , No. 21A), known
18 as the General Appropriation Act of 2000,] shall be used for
19 expenses or costs incurred by the agency for the administration
20 of the grant programs authorized under Chapters 3 and 5.
21 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
22 Section 704. Appropriation.
23 The sum of $25,000,000 is hereby appropriated to the
24 Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to carry out the
25 provisions of this act.
26 Section 3. Section 901 of the act is repealed.
27 Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
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