AN ACT to appropriate additional funds to the North CArolina Volunteer Fire Department Fund for targeted relief to fire departments located in economically disadvantaged areas.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Insurance the sum of five million dollars ($5,000,000) in nonrecurring funds for the 2020‑2021 fiscal year to be allocated to the Volunteer Fire Department Fund created by G.S. 58‑87‑1. The Department shall account separately for the funds provided by this act to the Fund.

SECTION 2.  The procedures and requirements set forth in G.S. 58‑87‑1 apply to grants made using the funds appropriated by this act with the following alterations:

(1)        Grants shall be limited to counties designated as development tier one, as defined in G.S. 143B‑437.08, according to the most recent annual ranking.

(2)        The applicant shall match the grant as follows:

a.         Fire departments with an annual budget of seventy‑five thousand dollars ($75,000) or greater shall provide a match of one dollar ($1.00) of non‑State funds for each one dollar ($1.00) of grant funds.

b.         Fire departments with an annual budget of greater than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) but less than seventy‑five thousand dollars ($75,000) shall provide a match of one dollar ($1.00) of non‑State funds for every five dollars ($5.00) of grant funds.

c.         No match shall be required for fire departments with an annual budget of less than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).

(3)        The maximum grant amount shall be fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).

SECTION 3.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2021.