AN ACT

 

1Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania
2Consolidated Statutes, further providing for assistance to
3volunteer fire companies, ambulance service and rescue
4squads; and making a related repeal.

5The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6hereby enacts as follows:

7Section 1. Section 7364(a)(2) and (b) of Title 35 of the
8Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended to read:

9§ 7364. Assistance to volunteer fire companies, ambulance
10service and rescue squads.

11(a) General rule.--The office is authorized, upon
12application of any volunteer fire company, volunteer ambulance
13service or volunteer rescue squad, to make loans for the
14following purposes:

15* * *

16(2) Purchasing firefighting apparatus, ambulances or
17rescue vehicles. The amount of a loan made for purchasing

1firefighting apparatus to any one volunteer fire company
2shall not exceed $200,000 for any single firefighting
3apparatus equipment or utility or special service vehicle or
4heavy duty rescue vehicle as defined by regulation or
5guideline, or 50% of the total cost of the equipment or
6vehicle, whichever is less, except for loans for aerial
7apparatus or heavy rescue trucks as defined by regulation or
8guideline, which shall not exceed $300,000. The amount of a
9loan made to any one volunteer fire company, ambulance
10service or rescue squad for any ambulance or light duty
11rescue vehicle as defined by regulation or guideline shall
12not exceed $100,000 and for a watercraft rescue vehicle shall
13not exceed $30,000 or 50% of the cost of the ambulance or
14rescue vehicle, whichever is less, and a notarized financial
15statement filed under subsection (c) shall show that the
16applicant has available 20% of the total cost of the vehicle
17in unobligated funds.

18* * *

19(b) Loans.--Loans made by the office in the amount of
20$30,000 or less shall be for a period of not more than ten
21years. Loans in excess of $30,000 but not in excess of $100,000
22shall be for a period of not more than 15 years. The payback
23period of any loan in excess of $100,000, except a loan for
24establishing or modernizing facilities, shall not exceed [20] 25
25years. The payback period for any loan in excess of $200,000 for
26establishing or modernizing facilities shall not exceed 20
27years. Loans shall be subject to the payment of interest at 2%
28per year and shall be subject to such security as shall be
29determined by the commissioner. The total amount of interest
30earned by the investment or reinvestment of all or any part of

1the principal of any loan shall be returned to the office and
2transferred to the Volunteer Companies Loan Fund and shall not
3be credited as payment of principal or interest on the loan.
4Except as provided in subsection (a)(5) and (7), the minimum
5amount of any loan shall be $10,000.

6* * *

7Section 2. Repeals are as follows:

8(1) The General Assembly declares that the repeal under
9paragraph (2) is necessary to effectuate the amendment of 35
10Pa.C.S. § 7364.

11(2) Section 11 of the act of December 12, 1994 (P.L.944,
12No.134), known as the Farm Safety and Occupational Health
13Act, is repealed.

14Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.