Pennsylvania Question 4, Municipal Fire and EMS Services Loans Measure (May 2021)

Pennsylvania Question 4
Election date May 18, 2021
Topic State and local government budgets, spending and finance
Status a Approved
Type State statute	Origin State legislature

2021 measures
May 18
Pennsylvania Question 1
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Pennsylvania Question 4
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Pennsylvania Question 4, the Municipal Fire and EMS Services Loans Measure, was on the ballot in Pennsylvania as a legislatively referred state statute in May 18, 2021. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported expanding the state's loan program for volunteer fire companies and ambulance services to also include municipal fire companies and EMS services.

A "no" vote opposed expanding the state's loan program, meaning the program would remain available to volunteer fire companies and ambulance services but not municipal fire companies and EMS services.

Election results

Pennsylvania Question 4
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		1,629,773	72.89%
No		606,147	27.11%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What did this ballot measure change?

As of 2021, Pennsylvania had a loan program for volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services, and volunteer rescue squads. Voters approved a total of $100 million in general obligation bonds between 1975 and 2002 to fund the loan program. Loans could be used for establishing or modernizing facilities, equipment, and vehicles.

The ballot measure allowed municipal fire departments and EMS companies with paid employees, in addition to volunteer departments and companies, to apply for the state loans.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title was as follows:

“

Do you favor expanding the use of the indebtedness authorized under the referendum for loans to volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer rescue squads under 35 PA.C.S. §7378.1 (related to referendum for additional indebtedness) to include loans to municipal fire departments or companies that provide services through paid personnel and emergency medical services companies for the purpose of establishing and modernizing facilities to house apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, and for purchasing apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, protective and communications equipment and any other accessory equipment necessary for the proper performance of the duties of the fire companies and emergency medical services companies?

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary was as follows:

“ The purpose of the ballot question is to determine whether Pennsylvania voters authorize making municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel and emergency medical services companies eligible to apply for loans from an already existing state loan program. Pennsylvania voters approved the incurring of indebtedness of up to $100,000,000 in four previous statewide referenda: $10,000,000 on November 4, 1975; $15,000,000 on November 3, 1981; $25,000,000 on November 6, 1990; and $50,000,000 on November 5, 2002. Originally, this indebtedness funded a loan program for volunteer fire companies, volunteer ambulance services and volunteer rescue squads. Currently, municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel and emergency medical services companies are not authorized to apply for loans from this program. The Pennsylvania General Assembly has determined that municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel and emergency medical services companies are most in need of loans to replace outmoded or unsafe equipment and buildings to meet the increased demands for a higher level of service in the communities they serve. If approved, the referendum will allow municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel and emergency medical services companies to apply for loans from the program, consistent with the existing law and regulations. The Office of the State Fire Commissioner administers the loan program, and has promulgated regulations to govern the loan application process. Upon successful application, the Office authorizes loans for the purposes and in amounts specified by the Emergency Management Service Code and the Office’s regulations. These loans may be used for establishing or modernizing facilities to house firefighting apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles. They may also be used for the purchase of new firefighting apparatus equipment, ambulances and rescue vehicles, protective and communications equipment and any other accessory equipment necessary for the proper performance of these organizations’ duties. This referendum does not authorize incurring any additional debt to fund the loan program; it only expands the class of eligible loan applicants. It also does not expand the purposes for which loans may be made; municipal fire departments or companies with paid personnel and emergency medical services companies may only apply for the type of loans already provided for by law and regulation. ”

Full text

The full text of the measure is below:

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2021

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The Pennsylvania Secretary of State wrote the ballot language for this measure. The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 31, and the FRE is -35. The word count for the ballot title is 106, and the estimated reading time is 28 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 17, and the FRE is 15. The word count for the ballot summary is 351, and the estimated reading time is 1 minute, 33 seconds.

Sponsors

Supporters

Officials

• State Rep. Stephen Barrar (R)
• State Rep. Rosemary Brown (R)
• State Rep. Martin Causer (R)
• State Rep. Joseph Ciresi (D)
• State Rep. Tina Davis (D)
• State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D)
• State Rep. David Delloso (D)
• State Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R)
• State Rep. Matthew Dowling (R)
• State Rep. George Dunbar (R)
• State Rep. Frank Farry (R)
• State Rep. Robert Freeman (D)
• State Rep. John Galloway (D)
• State Rep. Susan Helm (R)
• State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans (D)
• State Rep. Brian Kirkland (D)
• State Rep. William Kortz II (D)
• State Rep. Anita Astorino Kulik (D)
• State Rep. Mark Longietti (D)
• State Rep. Jim Marshall (R)
• State Rep. Jeanne McNeill (D)
• State Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (R)
• State Rep. David Millard (R)
• State Rep. Dan Miller (D)
• State Rep. Kyle Mullins (D)
• State Rep. Jennifer O'Mara (D)
• State Rep. F. Todd Polinchock (R)
• State Rep. Christopher Quinn (R)
• State Rep. Harry Readshaw III (D)
• State Rep. Chris Sainato (D)
• State Rep. Michael Schlossberg (D)
• State Rep. Louis Schmitt Jr. (R)
• State Rep. Craig Staats (R)
• State Rep. James Struzzi II (R)
• State Rep. Wendi Thomas (R)
• State Rep. K.C. Tomlinson (R)
• State Rep. Wendy Ullman (D)
• State Rep. Ryan Warner (R)
• State Rep. Joseph Webster (D)
• State Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D)

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Pennsylvania ballot measures

Ballotpedia has not identified ballot measure committees registered to support or oppose the ballot measure.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Media editorials

Support

• The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial Board: "The last question that Pennsylvania voters outside Philadelphia will see is a statewide referendum and not a constitutional amendment. If approved, the state loan program currently only available to volunteer fire departments and EMS companies will open to those with paid employees. The funds could help municipalities improve facilities and equipment to improve the response of their emergency services providers."
• The Observer–Reporter Editorial Board: "It makes perfect sense to allow municipal companies to access the same loan fund, which is frequently raided to cover other state expenses. It will not prevent volunteer services from getting loans, and fire companies in neither Pittsburgh nor Philadelphia access the fund, because they pay for fire department improvements through municipal bonds."

Opposition

Ballotpedia has not identified media editorial boards in opposition to Question 4.

Background

House Bill 1673

The ballot measure was a provision of House Bill 1673 (Act 91), which made changes to the loan program. HB 1673 also increased the maximum loan sizes as follows:

• from $200,000 to $250,000 for firefighting apparatus
• from $300,000 to $350,000 for aerial apparatus
• from $100,000 to $125,000 for ambulances or light duty rescue vehicles
• from $30,000 to $35,000 for watercraft rescue vehicles
• from $20,000 to $25,000 for communicative equipment, such as radios
• from $70,000 to $80,000 for the repair of firefighting apparatus equipment
• from $120,000 to $200,000 for the purchase of used firefighting apparatus, equipment, used ambulances, used rescue vehicles, used communications equipment, used accessory equipment, or used protective equipment

HB 1673 required the maximum loan amounts to be tacked to changes in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers for the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington Metropolitan Area beginning in 2022.

Bond measures for loan program

Voters approved a total of $100 million in general obligation bonds between 1975 and 2002 to fund the loan program.

• In 1975, 72.37% of electors voted to approve $10 million for the loan program

• In 1981, 71.96% of electors voted to approve $15 million for the loan program

• In 1990, 79.21% of electors voted to approve $25 million for the loan program

• In 2002, 72.62% of electors voted to approve $50 million for the loan program

Path to the ballot

In Pennsylvania, a simple majority vote of the Pennsylvania State Legislature and the governor's signature are required to place a referred statute on the ballot.

The ballot measure was introduced into the state Legislature as House Bill 1637. On October 20, 2020, the Pennsylvania State Senate voted 48-0 to pass HB 1637. On October 21, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 201-0 to pass the bill. Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed the bill on October 29, 2020.

See also

2021 measures

• 2021 ballot measures
• Budgets on the ballot

Pennsylvania

• Pennsylvania ballot measures
• Pennsylvania ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Pennsylvania

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Pennsylvania.

How to cast a vote in Pennsylvania

The information below covers regular voting policies in the state. Information may have not applied to the election on November 3, 2020, because of temporary changes in response to coronavirus. Click here to read about changes made for the 2020 elections. Poll times In Pennsylvania, all polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Registration Check your voter registration status here. To register to vote in Pennsylvania, an applicant must be a citizen of the United States for at least one month before the next election, a resident of the district in which he or she is registering for at least 30 days before the next election, and at least 18 years old by the day of the next election. The deadline for registering to vote is 15 days before the election. Registration can be done online, in person, or by mail. Prospective voters can register in person at the county voter registration office or at a number of state agencies, including Pennsylvania Department of Transportation centers. The Pennsylvania voter registration application is available online and can be mailed to the county voter registration office. On September 19, 2023, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) announced that the state had implemented automatic voter registration. Automatic registration Pennsylvania practices automatic voter registration. Online registration See also: Online voter registration Pennsylvania implemented an online voter registration system in 2015. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website. Same-day registration Pennsylvania does not allow same-day voter registration. Residency requirements Prospective voters must be residents of the district in which they are registering for at least 30 days before the next election. Verification of citizenship See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States Pennsylvania does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual applying to register to vote must attest that they are a U.S. citizen under penalty of perjury. All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters. Verifying your registration The Pennsylvania Department of State allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting this website. Voter ID requirements Pennsylvania does not generally require voters to present identification while voting. However, a voter who is voting at a polling place for the first time must present identification. Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of October 2024. Click here to ensure you have current information. “ Approved forms of photo identification include: Pennsylvania driver’s license or PennDOT ID card ID issued by any Commonwealth agency ID issued by the U.S. Government U.S. passport U.S. Armed Forces ID Student ID Employee ID If you do not have a photo ID, you can use a non-photo identification that includes your name and address. Confirmation issued by the County Voter Registration Office Non-photo ID issued by the Commonwealth Non-photo ID issued by the U.S. Government Firearm permit Current utility bill Current bank statement Current paycheck Government check ”

External links

• House Bill 1673 (2020)