PRINTER'S NO. 259
No. 237 Session of 1997
INTRODUCED BY BISHOP, TIGUE, THOMAS, TRELLO, RAMOS, ITKIN, YOUNGBLOOD, PESCI, STEELMAN AND WASHINGTON, FEBRUARY 4, 1997
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, FEBRUARY 4, 1997
AN ACT 1 Requiring landlords to grant medical access; providing for 2 termination of residential leases for terminal or mental 3 illness; and making a repeal. 4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 5 hereby enacts as follows: 6 Section 1. Short title. 7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Residential 8 Lease Protection for Illness Act. 9 Section 2. Definitions. 10 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 11 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 12 context clearly indicates otherwise: 13 "Certified illness." Terminal or mental illness certified by 14 a physician. 15 Section 3. Scope. 16 This act shall apply to residential leases. 17 Section 4. Access. 18 If a tenant has a certified illness, the landlord shall
1 provide for access to the tenant's dwelling by a person 2 designated in writing by the tenant or the tenant's physician. 3 Section 5. Termination. 4 (a) General rule.--A tenant with a certified illness may 5 terminate the tenant's lease upon one month's written notice if 6 the tenant did not have knowledge or reason to know about the 7 illness at the time they entered into the lease. The written 8 notice must contain the physician's certification. 9 (b) Applicability.--This section shall apply to leases 10 entered into or renewed on or after the effective date of this 11 act. 12 Section 6. Repeal. 13 The act of April 6, 1951 (P.L.69, No.20), known as The 14 Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, is repealed insofar as it is 15 inconsistent with this act. 16 Section 7. Effective date. 17 This act shall take effect in 60 days. A3L68MRD/19970H0237B0259 - 2 -