A00194
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No.
877
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY SOLOMON, DOUGHERTY, BELLMON, WHITE, NEILSON,
GALLAGHER, HOHENSTEIN, GREINER, MADDEN, WAXMAN, GIRAL, KHAN,
SCHLOSSBERG, GUENST, SANCHEZ, KENYATTA, ISAACSON, OTTEN,
BOROWSKI AND RABB, MARCH 11, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, MARCH 11, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of June 29, 1996 (P.L.434, No.67), entitled "An
act to enhance job creation and economic development by
providing for an annual financing strategy, for opportunity
grants, for job creation tax credits, for small business
assistance, for the Small Business Advocacy Council, for a
family savings program, for industrial development
assistance, for community development bank grants and loans
and for tax-exempt bond allocation; conferring powers and
duties on various administrative agencies and authorities;
further providing for various funds; and making repeals," in
Community Development Bank Grant and Loan Program, further
providing for definitions and providing for financial
assistance to air ambulance crash impacted businesses.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 2501 of the act of June 29, 1996
(P.L.434, No.67), known as the Job Enhancement Act, is amended
by adding a definition to read:
Section 2501. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this chapter
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
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"Air ambulance crash impacted business." A business
materially impacted by the air ambulance crash in Philadelphia
on January 31, 2025.
* * *
"Committee." The Operational Committee established under
section 2503.
* * *
Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 2512. Financial assistance to air ambulance crash
impacted businesses.
(a) Air ambulance crash grant program.--From money
appropriated to the authority for grants under this subsection,
the authority shall issue grants to eligible institutions to
provide technical assistance, training or other support to air
ambulance crash impacted businesses.
(b) Air ambulance crash loan program.--From money
appropriated to the authority for loans under this subsection,
the authority shall provide loans to eligible institutions for
the purpose of providing funding to eligible institutions to
make loans to air ambulance crash impacted businesses.
(c) Report.--The authority shall prepare, in consultation
with the committee, a report 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 . within 180 days of
the implementation of the air ambulance crash grant and loan
programs. The report shall include the amount of money allocated
to the air ambulance crash grant and loan programs under this
section, the name and location of community development
financial institutions accredited by the department and the
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number of grants and loans disbursed to air ambulance crash
impacted businesses.
(d) Study.--The Joint State Government Commission shall
conduct, in consul tation with the authority and committee, a
comprehensive study and issue a report on providing grants to
small businesses in emergency situations within 180 days of the
implementation of the air ambulance crash grant and loan
programs. The study sh all:
(1) Examine economic recovery approaches for small
businesses in other states after an emergency situatio n.
(2) Identify the best practices for economic
redevelopment of a small business after an emergency
situation.
(d) (e) Prohibition on issuance.--The authority may not
award a grant or loan under this section later than five years
after the effective date of this section.
Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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