18138_Authority_Feb

municipalauthorities.org | 25 The stormwater fee is based on the impervious area a property has, which directly contributes to the amount of stormwater runoff that must be managed and the overall demand on the system. It is reasonably proportional to the cost of services rendered. The stormwater fee is not a property tax that can be used for general purposes of a local government body, therefore tax-exempt properties, including Commonwealth properties, should be held responsible for paying the user fee. SCO24 - Water Ratepayer Bill of Rights Senator John Kane (Chester, Delaware) The purpose of this legislation is to ensure residential customers across the state have input when a municipal water or wastewater authority may be acquired by a private for-profit company. This comprehensive bill will require a selling authority to conduct a ratepayer referendum where customers will be able to vote yes or no on whether they want their water or wastewater authority to be acquired by a for-profit private water company. This process will give water authority ratepayers the ability to approve or disapprove of water authority sales. It will also allow water authority ratepayers the time and process to raise issues they may have with a possible water utility acquisition. This bill will also require water and wastewater private for- profit companies to publish an annual report with information regarding what they charge for water and wastewater services and the previous charge for services by the acquired water authority. This will prevent utilities from inflating their costs to residential consumers by providing transparency on the costs of water and wastewater services before and after an acquisition. This bill was introduced last session (2023-2024) as SB 432, with co-sponsors including Senators Kearney, Fontana, Collett, Street, Costa, Comitta, and Santarsiero. SCO118 - Establishing the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) in Pennsylvania Senator Lisa Boscola (Lehigh, Northampton) and Senator Frank Farry (Bucks) Previously introduced as SB 767 in 2023, this bill will create a permanent Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) in Pennsylvania, building on the success of the federal LIHWAP. Previous sponsors included Senators Bartolotta, Schwank, Comitta, Flynn, Haywood, Kearney, Pennycuick, and Costa. SCO242 - Pennsylvania PFAS Classification and Cleanup Senator Maria Collett (Montgomery) This legislation will amend Pennsylvania’s Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) to designate certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), specifically those most widely used in firefighting foams, as “hazardous substances” under HSCA. This designation would give harmed parties the standing they currently lack to hold polluters accountable in court. It will also impose more stringent disclosure and reporting standards with respect to these dangerous chemicals and provide the DEP with the funding and authority to investigate and conduct cleanup actions at sites where these chemicals have been released. The bill was previously introduced in the 2023-2024 session as SB 612 with the additional cosponsors of Senators Santarsiero, Hughes, Kearney, Comitta, Costa, Kane, Muth, Fontana, Dillon, Farry, Pennycuick, Schwank, Cappelletti and Haywood. SCO254 - LBFC Study on the Effects of Act 12 of 2016 (Sales of Water and Sewer Systems to Private Companies) and Rate Increases Senator Michele Brooks (Crawford, Lawrence and Mercer) This Resolution will direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study on the effects of Act 12 of 2016 (valuation of an acquired water or wastewater system). This study will look at the acquisitions that have taken place since Act 12 of 2016 has taken effect, and the rate increases for these particular systems for both before the acquisition took place, and in the years following the acquisition. This will provide a comparison as to the effects of this Act on constituents and the rates they pay. PMAA Legislative and Regulatory Progress and Challenges Before the conclusion of the last legislative session (2023-2024), the Local Government Commission requested PMAA, along with other local government stakeholders, to provide a summary of the progress of, and challenges faced by our members from 2020 to 2024. The purpose is to provide Members of the General Assembly with the information. See the summary PMAA submitted on pages 60 - 63. The Local Government Commission is a bicameral, bipartisan legislative service agency of the Pennsylvania General Assembly that serves as a specialized local government resource for legislators, caucus staff, committee staff and constituents on inquiries, issues and legislation, providing objective expertise in many faucets of local government. S