PRINTER'S NO. 166
No. 178 Session of 1999
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, HERMAN, FAIRCHILD, STABACK, CLARK, WALKO, COY, DeWEESE, FEESE, HANNA, BELFANTI, RAMOS, TRAVAGLIO, TIGUE, LEVDANSKY, MELIO, BATTISTO, LUCYK, SOLOBAY, SHANER, M. COHEN, ARGALL, CALTAGIRONE, MUNDY, PESCI, PRESTON, SCRIMENTI, VAN HORNE, SATHER, CORRIGAN, HARHAI, GORDNER, TRELLO, STEELMAN, WOJNAROSKI, LESCOVITZ, SURRA, BELARDI, MICHLOVIC, THOMAS, GIGLIOTTI, DALEY AND HUTCHINSON, JANUARY 27, 1999
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, JANUARY 27, 1999
AN ACT 1 Amending the act of March 1, 1988 (P.L.82, No.16), entitled "An 2 act providing for the establishment, implementation and 3 administration of the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment 4 Authority; imposing powers and duties on a board of trustees; 5 transferring the rights, powers, duties and obligations of 6 the Water Facilities Loan Board to the Pennsylvania 7 Infrastructure Investment Authority; providing for the 8 issuance of notes and bonds; providing for financial 9 assistance and for a comprehensive water facilities plan; 10 authorizing a referendum to incur indebtedness; making an 11 appropriation; and making repeals," providing for financial 12 assistance. 13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 14 hereby enacts as follows: 15 Section 1. Section 10(d) of the act of March 1, 1988 16 (P.L.82, No.16), known as the Pennsylvania Infrastructure 17 Investment Authority Act, amended December 16, 1992 (P.L.1137, 18 No.149), is amended to read: 19 Section 10. Financial assistance.
1 * * * 2 (d) Small projects.-- 3 (1) The board shall establish a program of assistance to 4 water supply and sewage disposal systems serving communities 5 with a population of 12,000 people or less or systems having 6 hookups of 1,000 or less. 7 (2) The board shall establish a program to financially 8 assist storm water projects by municipalities with a 9 population of 12,000 people or less. In addition to other 10 factors which the board in its discretion may consider in 11 assigning priorities under this program, preference shall be 12 given where the municipality undertaking the project: 13 (i) has no natural watercourse within its 14 boundaries; 15 (ii) relies on methods of storm water control which 16 do not comply with Federal or State rules, regulations or 17 standards; or 18 (iii) has been found to be subject to karst sinkhole 19 development or other geologic condition which poses a 20 danger to person or property and which may be aggravated 21 by uncontrolled storm water flows. 22 (3) (i) The board shall establish a small water/sewer 23 project loan fund for municipalities with a population of 24 10,000 people or less and shall issue loans from the fund 25 not to exceed $100,000 or 75% of eligible project costs 26 for each loan, whichever is less. The borrower shall 27 provide a local share in the form of matching funds or 28 in-kind services at a minimum of 25% of the total project 29 costs. The loan shall be for ten years at an interest 30 rate of 2%. 19990H0178B0166 - 2 -
1 (ii) Loans under this paragraph shall be used for 2 the following purposes: 3 (A) Drinking water facilities including 4 construction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion 5 or improvement of water facilities. 6 (B) Pumping stations, distribution and treatment 7 facilities and reservoir rehabilitation projects. 8 (C) Sanitary sewage disposal facilities, 9 including all facilities related to collection lines 10 and sewage treatment facilities and excluding storm 11 sewers. 12 (D) Access roads to serve a public water or 13 sanitary sewer facility. 14 (4) (i) The board shall administer the Community 15 Facilities Grant Program, which is hereby established. 16 The program shall provide supplemental financial 17 assistance in the form of grants for needed public 18 facilities to strengthen income-producing capability, 19 improve health and safety and alleviate financial 20 hardship of the community. 21 (ii) Grants may be awarded under this paragraph and 22 shall not exceed to $50,000 for each grant. Certain 23 eligible economically distressed communities, as 24 determined under the act of July 10, 1987 (P.L.246, 25 No.47), known as the Municipalities Financial Recovery 26 Act, may receive not more than $75,000 for each grant. 27 (iii) Any borough, township or city with a 28 population of 10,000 or less and municipal and county 29 authorities serving such places is eligible for a grant 30 under this paragraph. For projects serving more than one 19990H0178B0166 - 3 -
1 municipality, the population served may not exceed 2 10,000. 3 (iv) Grants under this paragraph shall be used for 4 the following purposes: 5 (A) Drinking water facilities including 6 construction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion 7 or improvement of water facilities. 8 (B) Pumping stations, distribution and treatment 9 facilities and reservoir rehabilitation projects. 10 (C) Sanitary sewage disposal facilities, 11 including all facilities related to collection lines 12 and sewage treatment facilities and excluding storm 13 sewers. 14 (D) Access roads to serve a public water or 15 sanitary sewer facility. 16 (v) The board shall promulgate regulations to 17 implement this paragraph. 18 (5) The board shall annually expend not more than 19 $15,000,000 from any funds available to the authority for the 20 purpose of implementing paragraphs (3) and (4). 21 * * * 22 Section 2. The functions, powers and duties of the 23 Department of Commerce with regard to the community facilities 24 program as provided for in 13 Pa. Code Ch. 11 (relating to 25 community facilities) are transferred to and shall be exercised 26 by the authority, and all records, files and property now being 27 used in connection with such functions, powers and duties and 28 the unexpended balances of appropriations, allocations and other 29 funds available or to be made available for use in connection 30 with such functions, powers and duties are transferred to the 19990H0178B0166 - 4 -
1 authority. 2 Section 3. Each rule and regulation of the Department of 3 Commerce relating to the Community Facilities Grant Program in 4 effect on the effective date of this act shall remain in effect 5 after such date until repealed or amended by the board or until 6 it terminates in accordance with its own terms. 7 Section 4. All acts and parts of acts are repealed insofar 8 as they are inconsistent with this act. 9 Section 5. This act shall take effect in 60 days. A7L64DMS/19990H0178B0166 - 5 -