Regular Session 2019-2020 House Bill 1816 P.N. 2473

PRINTER'S NO. 2473

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE BILL

No.

1816

Session of

2019

INTRODUCED BY SCHLEGEL CULVER, T. DAVIS, KINSEY, SCHLOSSBERG,

MILLARD, KAUFFMAN, RYAN, WARREN, POLINCHOCK, CALTAGIRONE,

YOUNGBLOOD, FARRY, DeLUCA, READSHAW, DUNBAR, BROWN, JAMES,

CIRESI, HILL-EVANS, SAINATO, FREEMAN, McCLINTON, CONKLIN,

OBERLANDER, MIHALEK, EVERETT, SAYLOR, BOBACK, PYLE, PICKETT,

ULLMAN, MACKENZIE, SCHMITT, TOOHIL, GABLER, HICKERNELL AND

FRITZ, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY

PREPAREDNESS, SEPTEMBER 16, 2019

AN ACT

Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, further

providing for assistance to volunteer fire companies,

ambulance service and rescue squads.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1. Section 7364(a)(1), (2), (3), (5), (6) and (7)

and (b) of Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes

are amended and the section is amended by adding a subsection to

read:

§ 7364. Assistance to volunteer fire companies, ambulance

service and rescue squads.

(a) General rule.--The office is authorized, upon

application of any volunteer fire company, volunteer ambulance

service or volunteer rescue squad, to make loans for the

following purposes:

(1) Establishing or modernizing facilities that house

firefighting equipment, ambulance or rescue vehicles. The

amount of a loan for establishing or modernizing facilities

made to any one volunteer fire company, ambulance service or

rescue squad shall not exceed 50% of the total cost of the

facilities or modernization or [$400,000] $440,000, whichever

is less, and a notarized financial statement filed under

subsection (c) shall show that the applicant has available

20% of the total cost of the facilities in unobligated funds.

Proceeds of the loan shall be used only for purposes of

structure or land acquisition or renovation or construction

and shall not be used for payment of fees for design,

planning, preparation of applications or any other cost not

directly attributable to structure or land acquisition or

renovation or construction.

(2) Purchasing firefighting apparatus, ambulances or

rescue vehicles. The amount of a loan made for purchasing

firefighting apparatus to any one volunteer fire company

shall not exceed [$200,000] $220,000 for any single

firefighting apparatus equipment or utility or special

service vehicle or heavy duty rescue vehicle as defined by

regulation or guideline, or 50% of the total cost of the

equipment or vehicle, whichever is less, except for loans for

aerial apparatus as defined by regulation or guideline, which

shall not exceed [$300,000] $330,000. The amount of a loan

made to any one volunteer fire company, ambulance service or

rescue squad for any ambulance or light duty rescue vehicle

as defined by regulation or guideline shall not exceed

[$100,000] $110,000 and for a watercraft rescue vehicle shall

not exceed [$30,000] $33,000 or 50% of the cost of the

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ambulance or rescue vehicle, whichever is less, and a

notarized financial statement filed under subsection (c)

shall show that the applicant has available 20% of the total

cost of the vehicle in unobligated funds.

(3) Purchasing protective, accessory or communication

equipment. No volunteer fire company, ambulance service or

rescue squad shall receive a loan for protective, accessory

or communicative equipment more than once in any five-year

period. Each volunteer fire company, ambulance service or

rescue squad may apply for a loan for a mobile and portable

radio unit for each existing serviceable apparatus equipment,

ambulance or rescue vehicle. Radio equipment obtained through

loans under this subchapter shall be equipped with a

frequency or frequencies licensed by the Federal

Communications Commission for firefighting or emergency

response purposes. A notarized financial statement shall be

filed and loans under this subchapter for the purchase of

protective, accessory or communicative equipment shall not

exceed [$20,000] $22,000.

* * *

(5) Repair or rehabilitation of apparatus equipment.

Where it has been determined that existing apparatus

equipment no longer meets the standards of the National Fire

Protection Association and the repair or rehabilitation of

such equipment will bring it in compliance with National Fire

Protection Association standards, loans for the repair or

rehabilitation for a single apparatus equipment shall be for

at least [$2,000] $2,200 but shall not exceed the lesser of

[$70,000] $77,000 or 80% of the total cost of repair or

rehabilitation.

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(6) Purchasing of used firefighting apparatus,

equipment, used ambulances, used rescue vehicles, used

communications equipment, used accessory equipment or used

protective equipment, except that the used vehicles and

equipment shall meet the National Fire Protection Association

(NFPA) standards and loans for the purchase of a used single

apparatus equipment shall not exceed [$120,000] $132,000 or

80% of the total cost of the equipment, whichever is less.

(7) Purchasing Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting

System (PennFIRS) hardware and software. A volunteer fire

company shall be eligible to apply one time only for a loan

of not more than [$4,000] $4,400 or 75% of the cost of such

acquisition, whichever is less, and with a term not exceeding

five years for the purpose of acquiring the hardware and

software necessary to participate in the Pennsylvania Fire

Information Reporting System. The office shall develop, at

its discretion, such procedures and forms as it may deem

necessary to facilitate loans for PennFIRS hardware and

software. The loans shall be secured as required by law.

* * *

(b) Loans.--Loans made by the office in the amount of

[$30,000] $33,000 or less shall be for a period of not more than

ten years. Loans in excess of [$30,000] $33,000 but not in

excess of [$100,000] $110,000 shall be for a period of not more

than 15 years. The payback period of any loan in excess of

[$100,000] $110,000, except a loan for establishing or

modernizing facilities, shall not exceed 20 years. The payback

period for any loan in excess of [$200,000] $220,000 for

establishing or modernizing facilities shall not exceed 20

years. Loans shall be subject to the payment of interest at 2%

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per year and shall be subject to such security as shall be

determined by the commissioner. The total amount of interest

earned by the investment or reinvestment of all or any part of

the principal of any loan shall be returned to the office and

transferred to the Volunteer Companies Loan Fund and shall not

be credited as payment of principal or interest on the loan.

Except as provided in subsection (a)(5) and (7), the minimum

amount of any loan shall be [$10,000] $11,000.

(b.1) Inflation adjustment.--Beginning one year after the

effective date of this section, and annually thereafter, all

limits for the amount of a loan under this section shall

increase at the rate of inflation as outlined in the Consumer

Price Index for All Urban Consumers in the Northeast Region for

the most recent 12-month period for which the figures have been

reported by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of

Labor Statistics. If the rate of inflation does not increase,

all loan limits shall remain the same as they were for the

previous year. The office shall transmit notice of loan limit

increases to the Legislative Reference Bureau for publication in

the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

* * *

Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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