Update on Proposed Historic Preservation Legislation in PA
The following information is provided by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania.
Legislative Update [February 15, 2005] The PA General Assembly has begun the 2005-6 session, and the Governor has proposed his annual budget. At 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, we're focusing on several major pieces of policy, and encourage your involvement. We will keep you informed of opportunities to encourage your legislator to support these important issues.
Historic Preservation Tax Credits to be Considered in Both Houses
10,000 Friends [and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia] continues to vigorously support a proposal to encourage economic development and spur private investment in our communities by providing state tax credits to buyers and sellers of historic homes, homes in historic neighborhoods, or commercial properties in downtown areas when they are refurbished and used again. Two bills have been reintroduced this session, identical to the bills the House of Representatives unanimously passed in the 2003-04 legislative session.
Now, House Bill 26, sponsored by Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) and House Bill 27, sponsored by Rep. Tom Tangretti (D-Westmoreland), have been referred to the House Finance Committee. Please ask committee chairman Rep. Dennis E. Leh (R-Berks) to report the bills out of committee with no amendments.
Please contact House members who are listed as co-sponsors to these bills, and thank them for their support. The list of co-sponsors and the bills are available at House Bill 26 www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/HB0026P0029.HTM, and House Bill 27 www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/BI/BT/2005/0/HB0027P0030.HTM. To identify and contact your representative, visit the State General Assembly www.legis.state.pa.us.
Senator Jeff Piccola (R-Dauphin) has agreed to reintroduce his bill from the last session that will combine the language in the house bills. He has amassed a solid number of cosponsors including: Senators Earll, Rhoades, Ferlo, Kitchen, Wonderling, Costa, O'Pake, Pileggi, Logan, Kasunic, Wozniak, Wenger, MJ White, Erickson, Boscola, Orie, D. White, Armstrong, Gordner, Robbins, Pippy, Waugh, Lemmond, C Williams and Rafferty. Please contact your Senator if he or she is listed as a co-sponsor, and express your thanks for this support. If your senator isn't on the list of co-sponsors, please ask your senator to sign up as a co-sponsor. To identify and contact your senator, visit the Pa. Senate Pennsylvania Senate www.pasen.gov/index.
Growing Greener/GreenPA Needs Legislative Action for Spring Primary Ballot
Governor Rendell's Growing Greener II initiative would continue the original Growing Greener program to clean up polluted mines and waterways, preserve farmland and open space, revitalize towns and parks, and fund historic and other community revitalization efforts. In order for voters to consider his proposed $800 million bond referendum during the spring primary on May 17, the legislature will have to pass authorizing legislation before March 17.
House Republicans, led by Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery), have introduced an alternative, called Green PA, for an $800 million bond that relies on an existing $4.25-per-ton trash tipping fee paid at landfills. Both proposals call for funding to aid communities through programs such as open space protection, watershed protection, and hazardous sites cleanups. However, we believe that including funds for specific community redevelopment programs that invest in our cities and towns, as outlined in the Growing Greener proposal, can make the "green funds" go further.
Because of the looming deadline to enact the referendum legislation, now is the time to contact your legislator and request support for a comprehensive package that invests fully in conservation, environmental restoration, and community revitalization. To identify and contact your representative, visit the State General Assembly web site www.legis.state.pa.us.
Transportation Funding at a Crossroads
The current discussion of transportation funding in the General Assembly and the Administration, sparked by the transit funding crisis, is an opportunity to address a major problem in Pennsylvania's transportation funding system in a way that leads to greater economic opportunity across the Commonwealth. There is a funding shortage in highways, bridges and transit capital and maintenance or operating funds. This shortage is likely to grow worse as federal funding begins to shrink. Because of a constitutional provision limiting the use of the state liquid fuels tax to highway and bridge work, funding for transit agencies (both operating and capital) is much more difficult to raise. This limitation at the state level means that federal transit funds may go unused because the state match requirement cannot be met. A mix of legislative alternatives will be introduced in the coming weeks and 10,000 Friends will monitor the options. Fundamentally, we believe that the General Assembly and the Administration should use the opportunity to consider all modes of transportation as an integrated system in need of strategic management and sustainable funding in the long run. We believe that new revenues may be needed, but that the expenditure of these revenues must be prioritized for maintenance and rehabilitation and tied to a strategy to integrate economic development, land use planning and transportation investments.
Funding Sought for Transit Revitalization Investment Districts
One important means to promote local economic development and revitalization in conjunction with public transportation improvements is through the creation of Transit Revitalization Investment Districts (TRIDs). Last December, Governor Rendell signed into law the program, sponsored by Rep. Carole Rubley (R-Chester/Montgomery). Now, Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) will administer a grant program to help fund the development of vacant, underutilized or potentially re-developable land within a one-eighth mile to one-half mile radius from a railroad, transit, light rail, busway or similar transit stop or station. Rep. Rubley now seeks a budget earmark of $500,000 to help initiate the planning process.
Economic Competitiveness Commission Reintroduced
The bipartisan resolution to recommend guidance for administrative and legislative changes to improve the economic competitiveness of our cities, boroughs and rural communities, has been reintroduced by its sponsors of last session, Rep. Dave Argall (R-Schuylkill/Berks) and Rep. Dwight Evans (D-Philadelphia), as House Resolution 75. The creation of this fixed-term commission is a direct legislative response to "Back to Prosperity: A Competitive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania," the report by the Brookings Institution, and could provide an important audience and forum for targeting state spending and workforce and economic development recommendations. To find your legislator and get copies of introduced legislation, visit the State General Assembly www.legis.state.pa.us.
- Julie Lalo, Vice President for Communications and Advocacy, 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania; 717- 234- 6070 phone; 717- 234- 6075 fax; lalo@10000friends.org.
