HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 303        FILED ON: 1/8/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2211

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to a fire equipment grant program..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. To provide for certain unanticipated obligations of the commonwealth, to provide for an alteration of purpose for current appropriations, and to meet certain requirements of law, the sums set forth herein are hereby appropriated from the General Fund unless specifically designated otherwise herein, for the several purposes and subject to the conditions specified herein, and subject to the provisions of law regulating the disbursement of public funds for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2009, provided that said sums shall be in addition to any amounts previously appropriated and made available for the purposes of said items.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND HOMELAND SECURITYFire Equipment Grant Program

8000-0050 For a firefighting equipment grant program for fire departments of every city, town, fire district and authority of the commonwealth to be administered by the executive office of public safety and homeland security, provided that grants shall be distributed to municipalities according to a formula giving equal weight to each municipality's population; provided further that a municipality shall not receive less than $15,000; provided further, that eligible fire safety equipment under this program shall include, but shall not be limited to, turnout gear, hand-held power lights, communication devices, telephones, personal alert safety systems, air packs, tanks, compressors, thermal imaging devices and computerized personnel accountability systems, but shall exclude firefighter apparatus and vehicles; provided further that grants awarded by said executive office to a municipality under the program shall not be utilized for the purpose of personnel costs unless such costs constitute 50 per cent or less of the total grant award; provided further that no grant shall be awarded to the department of fire services; provided further that not later than February 1, 2010, the executive office of public safety shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means and to the secretary for administration and finance detailing the amount of grants awarded to such grant recipients and descriptions of the grants and each municipality shall provide the executive office of public safety with a comprehensive list of the best-practices that have been instituted as a result of these grants..................................................................................................................$10,000,000