HB 108 — An Act providing for real property emergency services funds in municipalities.

PRINTER'S NO.   86

                   THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                       HOUSE BILL
                       No. 108
                                              Session of
                                                2025

     INTRODUCED BY KULIK, SANCHEZ, GIRAL, HILL-EVANS, HANBIDGE,
        HADDOCK, SCHLOSSBERG, HOHENSTEIN, McANDREW, HARKINS, JAMES,
        FLEMING AND OTTEN, JANUARY 14, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 14, 2025


                                   AN ACT
 1   Providing for real property emergency services funds in
 2      municipalities.
 3      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 4   hereby enacts as follows:
 5   Section 1.   Short title.
 6      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Real Property
 7   Emergency Services Act.
 8   Section 2.   Definitions.
 9      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
11   context clearly indicates otherwise:
12      "Accessory equipment."   Firefighting and rescue equipment
13   necessary to carry out the ordinary functions of supporting fire
14   and rescue activities.
15      "Apparatus equipment."   Elevated equipment, pumpers, tankers,
16   ladder trucks, utility or special services vehicles, rescue
17   vehicles or other large equipment used by firefighters.
 1      "Communications equipment."      A voice or original transmission
 2   system required to support the operation of a fire company or
 3   for emergency medical services.
 4      "Firehouse."    As follows:
 5          (1)   A facility used by a fire company to house
 6      firefighting equipment.
 7          (2)   The term does not include meeting halls, social
 8      rooms or any other facilities not directly relating to
 9      firefighting.
10      "Fund."   A real property emergency services fund established
11   by a municipality under section 3(a).
12      "Municipality."   Any of the following:
13          (1)   A city of the first class, second class, second
14      class A or third class.
15          (2)   A borough.
16          (3)   An incorporated town.
17          (4)   A township.
18          (5)   A home rule municipality.
19          (6)   A similar general purpose unit of government
20      established by the General Assembly.
21      "Protective equipment."
22          (1)   Equipment used by firefighters to protect
23      firefighters from injury while performing duties, including
24      helmets, turnout coats and pants, boots, eyeshields, gloves
25      and self-contained respiratory protection units.
26          (2)   Equipment used by emergency medical technicians,
27      paramedics and other emergency medical response personnel to
28      protect from injury while performing duties, including face
29      masks, face shields, gowns and gloves.
30      "Rescue vehicle."   A vehicle used for rescue services,

20250HB0108PN0086                     - 2 -
 1   including vehicle rescue or water rescue.
 2      "Utility or special services vehicle."     A vehicle carrying
 3   accessory equipment, including ladders, oxygen equipment,
 4   generators and adapters, floodlights, smoke ejectors and other
 5   equipment necessary to perform the ordinary functions of
 6   supporting firefighting activities.
 7   Section 3.     Real property emergency services funds.
 8      (a)   Requirements.--Each municipality shall establish a real
 9   property emergency services fund.
10      (b)   Use of fund.--A municipality shall use money in the fund
11   to supplement a municipal emergency services allocation. The
12   money in the fund may only be expended for:
13            (1)   The purchase or maintenance of accessory equipment,
14      apparatus equipment, communications equipment and protective
15      equipment used by volunteer firefighters or firefighters
16      employed by the municipality for firefighting, emergency
17      response services and training purposes.
18            (2)   The purchase or maintenance of rescue vehicles or
19      utility or special services vehicles used by volunteer
20      firefighters or firefighters employed by the municipality for
21      firefighting, emergency response services and training
22      purposes.
23            (3)   Construction or maintenance of firehouses.
24            (4)   Salaries of firefighters who are employed by the
25      municipality.
26            (5)   The purchase or maintenance of medical equipment,
27      communications equipment or protective equipment used for
28      emergency medical response services and training purposes by
29      volunteer emergency medical technicians, emergency medical
30      technicians, paramedics and other emergency medical response

20250HB0108PN0086                    - 3 -
 1      personnel employed by the municipality.
 2            (6)   The purchase or maintenance of ambulances or other
 3      vehicles used for emergency medical response services and
 4      training purposes by volunteer emergency medical technicians,
 5      emergency medical technicians, paramedics or other emergency
 6      medical response personnel employed by the municipality.
 7            (7)   Construction or maintenance of facilities used for
 8      storing or maintaining emergency medical services equipment,
 9      including ambulances and other vehicles.
10            (8)   Salaries of emergency medical technicians,
11      paramedics or other emergency medical response personnel who
12      are employed by the municipality.
13            (9)   Costs incurred by contracting with a third-party
14      entity that provides emergency medical services for the
15      municipality.
16      (c)   Fee.--Within 15 days of closing on the sale of real
17   property, the buyer and seller shall each remit a $25 fee to the
18   municipality in which the real property is located. The
19   municipality shall deposit the fee in the municipality's fund.
20   If a parcel of real property is located in multiple
21   municipalities, the fee shall be paid to the municipality where
22   the majority of the real property is located.
23      (d)   Penalty.--The municipality described in subsection (c)
24   may impose a $250 penalty on a buyer or seller of real property
25   that fails to remit the fee required under subsection (c).
26   Penalties shall be deposited into the municipality's fund.
27   Section 4.     Reporting.
28      Not later than one year after the effective date of this
29   section and annually thereafter, each municipality shall publish
30   a report detailing the allocations from the municipality's fund

20250HB0108PN0086                    - 4 -
1   and how the allocations were used. The report shall be made
2   available to the public.
3   Section 5.   Auditing.
4      At least once every five years, each municipality shall audit
5   or hire a third-party firm to conduct an audit of the
6   municipality's fund.
7   Section 6.   Effective date.
8      This act shall take effect in 60 days.




20250HB0108PN0086                  - 5 -