911 BILL SET FOR KEY HOUSE VOTE

The House debated and considered a number of amendments to CCAP's top priority, 911 system reform and funding, on April 21, advancing the bill a step further in the legislative process. House Bill 911, sponsored by House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee chair Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Delaware), represents nearly two years of work between CCAP, PEMA, the General Assembly, communications providers and 911 professionals to develop a comprehensive rewrite of the Public Safety Emergency Telephone Act of 1990.

Seven agreed-to amendments were approved to HB 911, which overall improve the bill's language on line counts, audits, planning and technical matters. Nearly 60 additional amendments were proposed to HB 911 and while most were withdrawn from consideration, 10 were voted on and failed. Of significance, an amendment offered by Rep. Bryan Barbin (D-Cambria) to reduce the bill's proposed $1.65 monthly subscriber fee to $1.50 was defeated by a 55-133 vote. Current fees are $1.00 to $1.50 per month for wireline, and set at $1.00 per month for wireless and VoIP, while counties are seeking an increase to a uniform $2.00 fee. Other amendments were defeated to increase the available funding for regionalism; allow counties a local option to levy a $.50 subscriber charge; place a moratorium on county property tax increases for the purpose of funding 911, and allow the PSAPs of Allentown and Bethlehem, which are grandfathered in the current law, to maintain that status and to grant the two cities seats on the 911 board. Additional information on the amendments and votes can be found on the General Assembly's website.

SENATE COMMITTEES BEGIN REVIEW OF SECRETARY NOMINATIONS

Senate committees have voted unanimously to recommend the full Senate confirm Acting Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards and Acting Human Services Secretary Ted Dallas.

On April 21, Richards came before the Senate Transportation Committee, where she discussed her philosophy regarding transportation and infrastructure development. She noted that Act 89 has provided a number of tools for the commonwealth's transportation infrastructure, and that the law been a national model for collaboration and cooperation on transportation legislation.

HOUSE COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON HOTEL TAX PROPOSAL  

The House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee held an informational meeting on April 21 to discuss legislation which would address counties' 2015 legislative priority regarding tourism funding and the hotel tax.

House Bill 794, introduced by Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York), would establish the maximum hotel tax rate in third through eighth class counties at five percent; under current law, 54 counties now levy a three percent hotel tax, while several others already have county-specific rates at the five percent level. The bill also updates the spending provisions in current law, expands the definition of "hotel," imposes a penalty on hotels for failure to collect and remit the tax, and increases the county administrative fee from the current two percent to five percent.  

CONGRESSMAN SHUSTER INTRODUCES WOTUS LEGISLATION 

Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), chair of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee, introduced legislation in mid-April with Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chair Bob Gibbs (R-OH) that would halt further progress of the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule.

H.R. 1732, the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to withdraw the proposed Waters of the U.S. rule within 30 days and to rewrite a new proposed rule after consultation with state and local governments. The bill was reported by the T&I Committee on April 15 by a vote of 36-22; Congressmen Lou Barletta, Scott Perry, and former Chester County commissioner Ryan Costello (all R-PA) are also on the T&I Committee and voted in favor of H.R. 1732. The legislation is expected to move quickly to the floor of the House for a vote.

HOUSE APPROVES COUNTY PENSION COLA BILL 

The PA House of Representatives has voted 200-0 to approve HB 239, sponsored by Rep. Keith Greiner (R-Lancaster), clarifying language in the County Pension Law to allow counties to grant a limited cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), keyed to just the most recent year. 

The vague language of current law, which obligates counties at least once every three years to examine whether to grant a COLA, has led to interpretation that any COLA must be retroactive to the last time a COLA was granted. For most counties, the COLA is infrequently granted, and so going back to the last COLA and compounding forward can yield an unsupportable increase in the benefit. The limited COLA under HB 239 would instead allow a county that has fund capacity to grant much-needed adjustments to monthly benefits without the adjustments being excessive and without the adjustments imperiling the solvency of the fund. 

Prior to the final vote, the House unanimously adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Bob Freeman (D-Northampton) which would prohibit a county from providing a COLA unless its retirement system calculations can assure a funded ratio of 80 percent or higher after the actuarial cost of the adjustment is determined. Those counties using an actuarial valuation methodology that does not determine a funded ratio would be required to calculate one in order to meet the requirements of the amended bill.