2025 Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Act 25 - HEALTH AND SAFETY (35 PA.C.S.) - OMNIBUS AMENDMENTS AND MAKING A REPEAL
Session of 2025
No. 2025-25
SB 466
AN ACT
Amending Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, further providing for powers and duties and for curriculum, training and education certification management system; in grants to fire companies and emergency medical services companies, further providing for award of grants to fire companies and for award of grants to emergency medical services companies and providing for expiration of authority; and making a repeal.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 7313 of Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes is amended by adding a paragraph to read:
§ 7313. Powers and duties.
The agency shall have the following powers and duties:
* * *
(22) Provide semiannual reports of all grants awarded by the agency from Federal disaster assistance or relief funds, homeland security and defense funds, avian flu/pandemic preparedness or other public health emergency funds to the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives. The reports shall include information relating to the entity receiving grant money from the agency entities that received an award from funds under this paragraph, including the name and address of each entity, the amount of the grant, the date of issuance and the purpose of the grant. Reports shall be submitted by August 20 for grants awarded during the period from January 1 through June 30 and by February 20 for grants awarded during the period from July 1 through December 31.
Section 2. Sections 7383.1(b), 7813(c) and 7823(c) of Title 35 are amended to read:
§ 7383.1. Curriculum, training and education certification management system.
* * *
(b) Training.--
(1) Training shall be lecture-based, hands on or online.
(2) Training may be conducted at the Pennsylvania State Fire Academy, a county training center, a community college or other approved educational training agency.
(3) The training records shall be incorporated into the training and education certification management system approved by the commissioner.
(4) An individual who successfully completes fire suppression training as a condition of employment may provide a letter or certificate stating the number of hours of training completed, which is signed by the individual who conducted the training, to the Office of the State Fire Commissioner for approval to count towards the required number of hours of instruction needed to obtain a Firefighter I certification.
* * *
§ 7813. Award of grants.
* * *
(c) Time for filing application and department action.--
(1) By September 8 of each year, the commissioner shall provide applications and written instructions for grants under this chapter to:
(i) except as set forth in subparagraph (ii), the fire chief and president of every fire company; or
(ii) in the case of a municipal fire company, the chief executive of the municipality.
(2) (i) Fire companies seeking grants under this chapter shall submit completed applications to the commissioner and the municipalities where the fire companies are located. [The]
(ii) Except as provided under subparagraphs (iii) and (iv):
(A) The application period shall remain open for 45 days each year.
(B) The agency shall act to approve or disapprove applications within 60 days of the application submission deadline each year.
(C) Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by the commissioner within 60 days after the close of the application period each year shall be deemed approved.
(iii) Upon request by a fire company, the commissioner may extend the application period under subparagraph (ii) for up to 45 additional days if the fire company demonstrates hardship or undue burden that prevents the fire company from submitting a completed application within the application period and if the fire company requests the extension within 30 days of the date of the end of the application period. The commissioner shall have sole discretion to determine whether a fire company has demonstrated hardship or undue burden under this subparagraph.
(iv) Upon request by a fire company, the commissioner shall extend the period to submit required reports for 15 additional days. A fire company may only make a request under this subparagraph once every three years.
* * *
§ 7823. Award of grants.
* * *
(c) Time for filing application and department action.--
(1) By September 8 of each year, the commissioner shall provide applications and written instructions for grants under this chapter to the president or lead officer of every EMS company in this Commonwealth.
(2) (i) EMS companies seeking grants under this chapter shall submit completed applications to the commissioner. [The]
(ii) Except as provided under subparagraph (iii):
(A) The application period shall remain open for 45 days each year.
(B) The commissioner shall act to approve or disapprove applications within 60 days of the application submission deadline each year.
(C) Applications which have not been approved or disapproved by the commissioner within 60 days after the close of the application period each year shall be deemed approved.
(iii) Upon request by an EMS company, the commissioner may extend the application period under subparagraph (ii)(A) for up to 45 additional days if the EMS company demonstrates hardship or undue burden that prevents the EMS company from submitting a completed application within the application period and if the EMS company requests the extension within 30 days of the date of the end of the application period. The commissioner shall have sole discretion to determine whether an EMS company has demonstrated hardship or undue burden under this subparagraph.
(iv) Upon request by an EMS company, the commissioner shall extend the period to submit required reports for 15 additional days. An EMS company may only make a request under this subparagraph once every three years.
Section 3. Title 35 is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 7891.1. Expiration of authority.
The authority of the commissioner to award grants under Subchapters B (relating to fire company grant program) and C (relating to emergency medical services grant program) shall expire December 31, 2029.
Section 4. The State Fire Commissioner shall award a grant under 35 Pa.C.S. § 7823 during the 2024-2025 grant cycle to a fire company or an emergency medical services company if, after receiving notice from the Office of the State Fire Commissioner that the company was eligible, received a second notice that the company was deemed ineligible. This section shall only apply to the 2024-2025 grant cycle.
Section 5. Repeals are as follows:
(1) The General Assembly declares that the repeal under paragraph (2) is necessary to effectuate the amendment or addition of 35 Pa.C.S. §§ 7313(22), 7383.1(b), 7813(c), 7823(c) and 7891.1.
(2) Section 1735-E of the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, is repealed.
Section 6. This act shall take effect as follows:
(1) The amendment of 35 Pa.C.S. § 7383.1(b) shall take effect in 60 days.
(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect immediately.
APPROVED--The 30th day of June, A.D. 2025.
JOSH SHAPIRO
