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<section article="gps" article_name="Public Safety" number="8-101" title_number="8" title_name="Fire and Rescue Funds" subtitle_number="1" subtitle_name="Senator William H. Amoss Fire, Rescue, and Ambulance Fund">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Administrative costs” means any costs that are for administrative functions, including:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>billing and collection expenses;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>promotion and marketing expenses;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>taxes, fees, and assessments;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>legal expenses; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="v">
        <text>other general and administrative costs as determined by the Secretary.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Administrative costs” does not include:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>accounting and financial reporting expenses, including the costs of auditing the Fund in accordance with § 8–104 of this subtitle; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>computer software, if used exclusively for fire protection, rescue, and ambulance services.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>“Bank account” means a checking or savings account that is maintained in a financial institution whose deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>“Capital equipment” means any equipment item or furnishing that has:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a useful life greater than 1 year; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>a procurement cost of at least $10,000 per unit.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>“Capital expenditure” means revenues appropriated for:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>the acquisition of land, buildings, or capital equipment; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>new construction.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="f">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Computer software” means any program that is used to cause a computer to perform a specific task or set of tasks.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Computer software” includes:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>system and application programs; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>database storage and management programs.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="g">
    <text>“Encumber” means to create a legal obligation that requires a portion of an appropriation to be reserved to pay money in the future.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="h">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Expenditures for fire protection” means:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>revenues appropriated or to be appropriated by a county for fire protection, rescue, and ambulance services; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>the proceeds of any county bonds used to finance facilities that house equipment for fire protection, rescue, and ambulance services.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Expenditures for fire protection” includes:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>revenues appropriated by a county to volunteer fire, rescue, and ambulance companies;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>accounting and financial reporting expenses, including the costs of auditing the Fund in accordance with § 8–104 of this subtitle; and</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>the costs of training personnel.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>“Expenditures for fire protection” does not include:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>salaries, workers’ compensation, fringe benefits, or other personnel costs;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>administrative costs;</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iii">
        <text>capital expenditures; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="iv">
        <text>in Carroll County, appropriations for loans to a volunteer fire, rescue, or ambulance company, secured by mortgages, notes, or other evidence of indebtedness of the volunteer fire, rescue, or ambulance company, if the appropriations derive from the proceeds of bonds used to finance facilities that house equipment for fire protection, rescue, and ambulance services.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="i">
    <text>“Fund” means the Senator William H. Amoss Fire, Rescue, and Ambulance Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="j">
    <text>“Legal obligation” includes:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>a purchase order;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>a written agreement for the purchase of goods and services;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>a written agreement between a county and a volunteer fire, rescue, or ambulance company; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="4">
      <text>a written agreement between a county and a vendor.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="k">
    <level label="1">
      <text>“Qualified municipal corporation” means a municipal corporation in the State whose expenditures for fire protection from municipal sources exceed $25,000.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>“Qualified municipal corporation” does not include Baltimore City.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="l">
    <text>“Rehabilitate”, with regard to a facility, does not include purchasing office equipment or incurring administrative expenses.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="m">
    <text>“Routine maintenance costs” means expenditures for activities that are:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>normally established by a manufacturer or an industry trade association;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>planned and performed at regular intervals; and</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>necessary to extend the useful life or to prevent the premature failure of building components or equipment.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="n">
    <text>“Secretary” means the Secretary of Emergency Management.</text>
  </level>
</section>
