DE Volunteer Fire Service Revolving Loan Fund/Funding/Outside Entities, the official text

SPONSOR: Sen. Huxtable & Sen. Townsend & Rep. Carson &
                                   Rep. D. Short
                                   Sens. Brown, Buckson, Cruce, Hansen, Hocker, Hoffner,
                                   Lawson, Lockman, Mantzavinos, Paradee, Pettyjohn,
                                   Pinkney, Poore, Richardson, Seigfried, Sokola, Sturgeon,
                                   Walsh, Wilson; Reps. Burns, Griffith, Hilovsky, Lambert,
                                   Morrison, Snyder-Hall, Yearick

                   DELAWARE STATE SENATE
                   153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

                   SENATE BILL NO. 86

    AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 29 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO THE DELAWARE VOLUNTEER FIRE
    SERVICE REVOLVING LOAN FUND.

    BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE:

1   Section 1. Amend § 2721, Title 29 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and

2 insertions as shown by underline as follows and by redesignating accordingly:

3   § 2721. Delaware Volunteer Fire Service Revolving Loan Fund.

4   (a) A special fund appropriation account is hereby created in the Department of Finance, to be known as the

5 Delaware Volunteer Fire Service Revolving Loan Fund, hereinafter referred to as the Fund. Sums appropriated by the

6 General Assembly, received from any county of the State, or donated by any person or charitable organization to the Fund

7 shall be used to create a loan program to be administered according to guidelines and procedures developed by the

8 Delaware Council on Volunteer Fire Service to upgrade equipment and improve facilities that are essential to providing

9 adequate fire, rescue, emergency medical medical, and technical emergency response related service to Delaware

10 communities. Loan funds received by a county must be used on upgrading equipment and facilities located within that

11 county. Loan funds shall must not be made available for equipment that has already been ordered or the expansion of

12 facilities or parking that has already begun, except where such expansion is deemed necessary to provide adequate fire,

13 rescue and emergency medical and technical emergency response services to the surrounding community by the Delaware

14 Council on Volunteer Fire Service. The Fund shall serve as a revolving loan account and shall be eligible to receive loan

15 repayments. The Fund shall be deemed a special fund and shall be approved by the Governor for the following purposes:

16                 (1) To accept and retain the funds and revenues appropriated by the General Assembly; Assembly,

17  received from any county of the State, or donated by any person or charitable organization.

18                 (2) To make loans to eligible volunteer fire, rescue rescue, and emergency medical service companies

19  meeting the criteria established herein; under this section.

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20                 (3) To buy or refinance debt obligations of eligible volunteer fire, rescue rescue, and emergency medical

21  service companies; companies.

22                 (4) To facilitate the pledging by an eligible fire, rescue rescue, and emergency medical service company

23  of its state grant-in-aid and health insurance rebate funds as collateral for securing a loan from the Fund; Fund.

24                 (5) To earn interest on amounts on deposit in such Fund; Fund.

25                 (6) To establish all necessary interest bearing accounts for deposit of loan repayments; and repayments.

26                 (7) To finance the reasonable costs incurred by the State in the administration of the Fund.

27

                                                                        SYNOPSIS

              Currently, the Delaware Volunteer Fire Service Revolving Loan Fund may only obtain funding from the General
    Assembly through appropriation. This Act would allow for funding and donations to be made by any person, charitable
    organizations, and counties of the State. When a county contributes to the Fund, the Act requires the Fund ensure county
    specific contributions are spent on loans to fire companies within that county.

              This Act also makes technical corrections to conform existing law to the standards of the Delaware legislative
    Drafting Manual.

                                                                                                                           Author: Senator Huxtable

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