PRINTER'S NO. 1787
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
1613
Session of
2021
INTRODUCED BY ARMANINI, HILL-EVANS, KULIK, CAUSER, SMITH,
CONKLIN, GAYDOS, HERSHEY, MADDEN, ZIMMERMAN, JAMES,
D. WILLIAMS, STRUZZI, McNEILL, ROAE, PISCIOTTANO, ROWE AND
BOROWICZ, JUNE 11, 2021
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, JUNE 11, 2021
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
"An act relating to the finances of the State government;
providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
financial management firms, for private dam financial
assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
department, board, commission, and officer of the State
government, every political subdivision of the State, and
certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
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imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
Commonwealth," in additional special funds and restricted
accounts, providing for COVID-19 response transfers for
assistance to the Commonwealth's volunteer service
organizations; and making an appropriation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known
as The Fiscal Code, is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 1739-A.1. COVID-19 response transfers for assistance to
the Commonwealth's emergency service organizations.
(a) Transfers.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law
to the contrary, the Secretary of the Budget may transfer the
sum of $30,000,000 from funds received under the American Rescue
Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2, 135 Stat. 4) to assist the
operations of the Commonwealth's emergency service
organizations.
(b) Deposit.--The funds transferred under subsection (a)
shall be deposited by the Secretary of the Budget into a
restricted account within the General Fund of the State Treasury
as necessary and is hereby appropriated to the Office of the
State Fire Commissioner for the purpose of making grants under
35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78 (relating to grants to fire companies and
emergency medical services companies). The sum of $22,000,000
shall be expended for the purpose of making grants to eligible
fire companies under 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78 Subch. B (relating to
Fire Company Grant Program). The sum of $3,000,000 shall be
expended for the purpose of making grants to eligible emergency
services companies under 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78 Subch. C (relating to
Emergency Medical Services Grant Program).
(c) Deficit.--The Secretary of the Budget may not make a
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transfer of funds if the transfer would result in a deficit in
any of the funds.
(d) (Reserved) .
(e) Distribution of funds.--The State Fire Commissioner
shall distribute the funds to emergency service organizations
that received a grant under 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78 Subch. C.1
(relating to COVID-19 crisis fire company and emergency medical
services grant program), but in accordance with the provisions
of 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78. To receive a grant under this subsection,
emergency service organizations must make application and
provide agreements as required under 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78.
(f) Report.--No later than April 30, 2022 , the Secretary of
the Budget , in consultation with the Office of State Fire
Commissioner, shall provide a report detailing all spending
related to the COVID-19 response the Commonwealth has made under
this section, including the name of each recipient of funds and
the dollar amount issued. The Secretary of the Budget shall
provide the report to the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of
the Senate, the Majority Leader and Minority Leader of the House
of Representatives, the chairperson and minority chairperson of
the Appropriations Committee of the Senate, the chairperson and
minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the
House of Representatives, the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness
Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority
chairperson of the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness
Committee of the House of Representatives.
(g) Expiration.--The authority to transfer funds under
subsection (a) shall expire on September 30, 2021.
(h) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
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words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"COVID- 19." The novel coronavirus as identified in the
Governor's Proclamation of Disaster Emergency issued on March 6,
2020.
"Eligible emergency service organization." An EMS company or
fire company as defined in 35 Pa.C.S. ยง 7802 (relating to
definitions) and which received a grant under 35 Pa.C.S. Ch. 78
Subch. C.1 (relating to COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and
Emergency Medical Services Grant Program).
Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
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