PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 910

PRINTER'S NO.  2235

  

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

  

SENATE BILL

 

No.

866

Session of

2011

  

  

INTRODUCED BY WARD, SOLOBAY, WAUGH, TOMLINSON, GORDNER, KASUNIC, D. WHITE, PIPPY, VOGEL, ORIE, FONTANA, ERICKSON, BREWSTER, BROWNE, YUDICHAK, BAKER, BRUBAKER, ALLOWAY, GREENLEAF, McILHINNEY, EICHELBERGER, ARGALL, COSTA, FERLO, FARNESE AND WASHINGTON, MARCH 25, 2011

  

  

SENATOR CORMAN, APPROPRIATIONS, IN SENATE, RE-REPORTED AS AMENDED, JUNE 4, 2012   

  

  

  

AN ACT

  

1

Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania

<--

2

Consolidated Statutes, in grants to volunteer fire companies

3

and volunteer services, further providing for expiration of

4

authority.

5

Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania

<--

6

Consolidated Statutes, in grants to volunteer fire companies

7

and volunteer services, further providing for scope of

8

chapter; providing for additional funding; further providing

9

for definitions, for establishment, for award of grants, for

10

allocation of appropriated funds and for expiration of

11

authority; and making editorial changes.

12

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

13

hereby enacts as follows:

14

Section 1.  Section 7841 of Title 35 of the Pennsylvania

<--

15

Consolidated Statutes, added November 23, 2010 (P.L.1181,

16

No.118), is amended to read:

17

§ 7841.  Expiration of authority.

18

The authority of the agency to award grants under Subchapters

19

B (relating to volunteer fire company grant program) and C

20

(relating to volunteer ambulance service grant program) shall

 


1

expire June 30, [2012] 2022.

2

Section 2.  This act shall take effect immediately.

3

Section 1.  Chapter 78 heading of Title 35 of the

<--

4

Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

5

CHAPTER 78

6

GRANTS TO [VOLUNTEER] FIRE COMPANIES

7

AND VOLUNTEER SERVICES

8

Section 2.  Section 7801 of Title 35 is amended to read:

9

§ 7801.  Scope of chapter.

10

This chapter relates to grants to [volunteer] fire companies

11

and volunteer ambulance services.

12

Section 3.  The definition of "grant program" in section 7802

13

of Title 35 is amended and the section is amended by adding a

14

definition to read:

15

§ 7802.  Definitions.

16

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter

17

shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the

18

context clearly indicates otherwise:

19

* * *

20

"Fire company."  A volunteer fire company or a municipal fire

21

company located in this Commonwealth.

22

"Grant program."  The [Volunteer] Fire Company Grant Program

23

established in Subchapter B (relating to [volunteer] fire

24

company grant program) or the Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant

25

Program established in Subchapter C (relating to volunteer

26

ambulance service grant program).

27

* * *

28

Section 4.  Subchapter B heading of Chapter 78 of Title 35 is

29

amended to read:

30

SUBCHAPTER B

- 2 -

 


1

[VOLUNTEER] FIRE COMPANY GRANT PROGRAM

2

Section 5.  Section 7811 of Title 35 is amended to read:

3

§ 7811.  Establishment.

4

The [Volunteer] Fire Company Grant Program is established and

5

shall be administered by the agency in consultation with the

6

commissioner. Grants provided under this program shall be used

7

to improve and enhance the capabilities of the [volunteer] fire

8

company to provide firefighting, ambulance and rescue services.

9

Section 6.  Title 35 is amended by adding a section to read:

10

§ 7811.1.  Additional funding.

11

In addition to sums transferred from the State Gaming Fund,

12

the sum of $5,000,000 shall be transferred annually from the

13

Property Tax Relief Reserve Fund to the Fire Company Grant

14

Program for the purpose of making grants to eligible volunteer

15

fire companies under this subchapter.

16

Section 7.  Sections 7813(a) introductory paragraph, (b)(1)

17

and (3), (c) and (d), 7833 and 7841 of Title 35 are amended to

18

read:

19

§ 7813.  Award of grants.

20

(a)  Authorization.--The agency is authorized to make a grant

21

award to each eligible [volunteer] fire company for the

22

following:

23

* * *

24

(b)  Limits.--

25

(1)  Except as provided in paragraph (3), grants shall be

26

not less than $2,500 and not more than $15,000 per

27

[volunteer] fire company.

28

* * *

29

(3)  In a municipality where there are two or more

30

volunteer fire companies and if two or more volunteer fire

- 3 -

 


1

companies consolidated their use of equipment, firefighters

2

and services within five years preceding the date of the

3

current year application submission deadline, the

4

consolidated entity shall be deemed eligible to receive a

5

grant not to exceed the amount of the combined total for

6

which the individual companies would have been eligible had

7

they not consolidated.

8

(c)  Time for filing application and department action.--

9

(1)  Within 30 days of June 28, 2007, for the fiscal

10

years beginning July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, and by

11

September 1 of each year thereafter, the agency shall provide

12

written instructions for grants under this chapter to:

13

(i)  except as set forth in subparagraph (ii), the

14

fire chief and president of every [volunteer] fire

15

company [in this Commonwealth]; or

16

(ii)  in the case of a municipal fire company, the

17

chief executive of the municipality.

18

(2)  Within 45 days of June 28, 2007, for the fiscal

19

years beginning July 1, 2006, and July 1, 2007, and by

20

September 8 of each year thereafter, the agency shall provide

21

applications to [the fire chief and president of every

22

volunteer fire company] individuals specified in paragraph

23

(1). The application for the fiscal years commencing July 1,

24

2006, and July 1, 2007, shall be a combined application.

25

[Volunteer fire] Fire companies seeking grants under this

26

chapter shall submit completed applications to the agency.

27

The application period shall remain open for 45 days each

28

year. The agency shall act to approve or disapprove

29

applications within 60 days of the application submission

30

deadline each year. Applications which have not been approved

- 4 -

 


1

or disapproved by the agency within 60 days after the close

2

of the application period each year shall be deemed approved.

3

(d)  Eligibility.--To receive grant funds under this chapter,

4

a [volunteer] fire company shall have actively responded to one

5

or more fire or rescue emergencies during the previous calendar

6

year and must have signed and be under an agreement to actively

7

participate in the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting

8

System which is administered by the agency.

9

§ 7833.  Allocation of appropriated funds.

10

(a)  [Prohibition] Administration.--[No] 

11

(1)  Except as provided under paragraph (2), no money

12

from the appropriation for [volunteer company] grants shall

13

be used for expenses or costs incurred by the agency for the

14

administration of the grant programs authorized under

15

Subchapters B (relating to [volunteer] fire company grant

16

program) and C (relating to volunteer ambulance service grant

17

program).

18

(2)  Notwithstanding paragraph (1), each fiscal year the

19

commissioner may use, subject to the approval of the

20

Governor, an amount up to $100,000 of the total dollar amount

21

of the grants approved in the immediately preceding fiscal

22

year for the commissioner's administrative cost to implement

23

and oversee the programs under paragraph (1).

24

(b)  Grant allocation.--Unless otherwise expressly stated,

25

money appropriated to the agency for purposes of volunteer

26

company grants shall be allocated as follows:

27

(1)  Eighty-eight percent of the amount appropriated

28

shall be used for making grants to eligible [volunteer] fire

29

companies under Subchapter B.

30

* * *

- 5 -

 


1

§ 7841.  Expiration of authority.

2

The authority of the agency to award grants under Subchapters

3

B (relating to [volunteer] fire company grant program) and C

4

(relating to volunteer ambulance service grant program) shall

5

expire June 30, [2012] 2016.

6

Section 8.  This act shall take effect immediately.

- 6 -