HB 911 ON GOVERNOR'S DESK

Counties' top priority, 911 services system reform, has been approved by the House and Senate and as of publication of the Bulletin is on Gov. Wolf's desk awaiting his signature into law. 

HB 911, sponsored by House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee chair Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Delaware), represents more than two years of work among CCAP, PEMA, the General Assembly, communications providers and 911 professionals to develop a comprehensive rewrite of the Public Safety Emergency Telephone Act of 1990. House Bill 911 addresses the three objectives CCAP has sought, including improving 911 system administration, respecting counties' role as providers of the system while balancing the broader interests of coordination statewide, and working toward a sustainable and equitable fee and attendant financing structure. 

Prior to final passage of the legislation, the bill was amended by the House Rules Committee to remove language inserted by the Senate that would have permitted counties to impose a fee per occupied housing unit of up to $52 annually, coupled with a sliding scale per-employee fee assessed against businesses. The amendment also modified the effective date and made various technical changes. The House approved HB 911 as amended by a vote of 164-30, and the Senate concurred in House amendments with a unanimous vote. Gov. Wolf is expected to sign the bill before the current law's June 30 sunset. 

BUDGET DEBATE CONTINUES

At the time of the Bulletin's publication, House and Senate leadership and the Administration remain far apart on both the budget and key issues that have been reported to be tied to the budget, including liquor privatization and public employee pension reform. While meetings with legislative leaders and the administration continue, reports indicate that House and Senate Republicans plan to send a budget plan to the Governor's desk prior to the start of the fiscal year on July 1 that does not increase taxes. Gov. Wolf in his March budget address had proposed increases in the state's sales and personal income taxes, as well as the levy of a severance tax, to increase education funding, provide school district property tax relief, and add recurring revenues to close the state's structural deficit.

HOTEL TAX BILL UPDATE

The House of Representatives continues to move forward with HB 794, introduced by Rep. Keith Gillespie (R-York), which would grant certain third through eighth class counties the authorization to levy a hotel room rental tax of up to five percent. The legislation is part of CCAP's priority on tourism funding and hotel tax; counties have called for uniformity among county hotel tax authorizations and believe an increase in the rate is justified, in part because they appreciate the role tourism plays in local economies and also due to the significant reductions in recent years in state funding to local agencies under the Tourism Promotion Act. House Bill 794 would not impact counties that are currently authorized to levy a hotel tax above three percent. 

On June 17, the House adopted an amendment offered by Rep. Gillespie that will assure the hotel tax would not apply to "yurts," or walled tents, by a 187-1 vote. The bill as amended has since been reported by the House Appropriations committee and is awaiting a final vote in the House.

SENATE HEARING EXPLORES INMATE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES 

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee held a public hearing on June 23 which highlighted continuity of mental health care from prison to community, part of counties' 2015 priority to address the problems associated with increasing numbers of inmates with mental health and substance abuse issues. The hearing was the first of a series of hearings the committee plans to hold regarding the treatment of mental illness within various communities.

SENATE ADVANCES COUNTY PENSION COLA BILLS 

The Senate Finance Committee voted on June 24 to report 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 following day, the Senate adopted a floor amendment to similar legislation, SB 129, sponsored by Sen. Sean Wiley (D-Erie), designed to make the bill mirror HB 239 as approved by the House in April. Both bills are currently before the Senate for further action.

HOUSE, SENATE ADDRESS ASSESSMENT FIX  

The House and Senate Local Government Committees have each advanced legislation to correct an error in the Consolidated County Assessment Law (CCAL). In January 2014, a Commonwealth Court opinion in the case of Pedersen v. Monroe County Board of Assessment Appeals brought to light an inadvertent drafting error caused by the merger of language from the prior assessment statutes, which potentially affects the assessability of buildings not permanently attached to the ground. Unless the CCAL is clarified, the Pedersen case has the potential to affect assessments, and ultimately all property taxpayers, throughout the commonwealth, as there are many examples of buildings that would arguably not be assessable or taxable under the decision. House Bill 912, introduced by Rep. Chris Ross (R-Chester), and SB 785, introduced by former CCAP member Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair), will address the issue by effectively returning the state's assessment laws to prior practice.