PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 313, 1264
PRINTER'S NO. 1799
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, YUDICHAK, L. WILLIAMS AND IOVINO,
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
AS AMENDED ON THIRD CONSIDERATION, JUNE 22, 2020
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
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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).
(c) The Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot Program is
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
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 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 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 , A COLLEGE OPERATING UNDER ARTICLE XIX-G or a university
within the State System of Higher Education.
Section 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2020, or
immediately, whichever is later.
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