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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 15, 2023 02:44 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Frank A. Farry |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Updating Millage Rate Laws to Preserve Fire and EMS services |
| Our first responders are some of the most vital members of our communities. Whether our firefighters and EMS providers are career or volunteer, funding constraints and challenges compromise their ability to perform lifesaving efforts. Their demanding professions are also not immune to skyrocketing costs and workforce shortages that necessitate additional funding. Under existing codes, there are municipal millage caps on these services. These caps act as a barrier to provide many emergency services with an appropriate amount of local funding to sustain their operations. These caps are artificial and arbitrary and do not reflect the modern needs of our first responders to serve our communities. As an over 30-year active first responder, I have seen firsthand how burdensome these caps are and impact service delivery. These limitations are not just in my region but compromise first responder agencies across the Commonwealth. My legislation will remove these caps to allow municipalities greater flexibility to determine at what level they should appropriately fund our fire and EMS services. Please join me in cosponsoring this legislation. |
Introduced as SB1218