 |
BILL WOULD GIVE MUNICIPALITIES MORE POWER TO FIGHT DEVELOPMENT
State Rep. Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks) has announced his intention to introduce legislation that would give municipalities more power to fight development and take the sting out of curative amendments filed by builders, according to a news article from the Bucks County Courier Times. The bill would have four major components: First, a municipality could deny a project if all the required infrastructure like roads, storm water controls, schools, emergency services and recreation is not in place. Also, the bill would ensure that all challenges submitted to a municipal governing body or zoning board describe and quantify the need for a particular kind of housing identified in the petition for a curative amendment. The news articles also detailed that the bill would make a developer show the proposed project would be able to be constructed under the natural resource protections in place, and would also prohibit a municipality from entering into agreements or settlements that allow for projects substantially different from the granted curative challenge. |
|
HOUSE APPROVES BILL THAT WOULD WITHHOLD STATE FUNDS FROM MUNICIPALITIES
In an effort to ensure uniformity of traffic laws in the Commonwealth, the state House recently approved an amendment to legislation, HB 67, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Markosek (D-Allegheny), that would withhold state funds from municipalities that enact traffic ordinances that are not in compliance with the state Vehicle Code. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Richard Geist (R-Blair), would require those local governments that ignore the General Assembly’s primacy in traffic laws and enact ordinances not in compliance with the Vehicle Code to temporarily forgo their Liquid Fuels funding for as long as they are in violation, and to temporarily forego any state Capital Highway and Bridge Funds for local projects within their borders until the offending ordinance is repealed. HB 67, which establishes restrictions on junior drivers and creates a penalty for distracted driving, passed the House and now moves on to the Senate, where it has been referred to the Senate Transportation Committee. |
|
STATE POLICE PROTECTION BILL INTRODUCED
A bill authored by state Rep. John Pallone (D-Westmoreland), HB 747, has been introduced in the state House. The bill would impose a $100 per resident assessment on municipalities with populations of more than 10,000 that do not have local police service and rely solely on the Pennsylvania State Police for protection. The fee would help cover the cost of having state police provide law enforcement services. According to press reports, Rep. Pallone said there are about 21 such communities across the state. HB 747 has more than two dozen bipartisan co-sponsors and is currently being considered in the House Local Government Committee. |
|
LAWMAKER INTRODUCES PROPERTY TAX BALLOT REFERENDUM BILL
State Senator-Elect David Argall (R-Schuylkill) has introduced a bill that would give Pennsylvania voters a voice in the ongoing debate about the best way to reform or replace the state's outdated school property tax system. HB 637 would put four property tax reform proposals on the 2009 General Election ballot and voters would be given an opportunity to choose from among the four proposals or leave the current property tax structure intact. The ballot referendum proposals would be tailored to represent actual bills that have been introduced in the General Assembly. The four property tax reform bills introduced in the General Assembly that have the most House and Senate co-sponsors would be represented on the 2009 General Election ballot referendum. The bill has been referred to the House Finance Committee.
|