House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives
Session of 2025 - 2026 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted:	December 11, 2024 12:37 PM
From:	Representative Joshua Siegel
To:	All House members
Subject:	Dedicated Funding for Public Safety in Municipalities

Many of Pennsylvania’s municipalities are struggling to pay for police protection. This leaves them the choice of not having enough police to keep their residents safe or having to rely on the Pennsylvania State Police — who are not always able to readily respond to emergencies — for police protection. For example, a study from the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee found that 67.3% of Pennsylvania’s municipalities at least partly rely on the state police and that over 60 municipalities disbanded their police forces since 2001.

To help our struggling municipalities, I intend to introduce a package of bills to authorize cities, boroughs, and townships to levy a special tax of no more than five mills for public safety. This legislation will allow municipalities to use this revenue to help fund their own police force, a regional police force that they belong to, or pay for services with a neighboring police department. This dedicated funding option will assist municipalities in providing essential police services.

Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation to help ensure Pennsylvania’s municipalities have adequate public safety funding. Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Document #1

Description:	This bill will allow townships of the first class to levy a special public safety tax of no more than 5 mills.

Document #2

Description:	This bill will allow townships of the second class to levy a special public safety tax of no more than 5 mills.

Document #3

Description:	This bill will allow boroughs, incorporated towns, and cities of the third class to levy a special public safety tax of no more than 5 mills.