PRINTER'S NO. 4479
No. 708 Session of 2002
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, RUBLEY, DeWEESE, D. EVANS, BEBKO-JONES,
BELARDI, CALTAGIRONE, CAWLEY, CORRIGAN, COY, CRUZ, CURRY,
DeLUCA, DERMODY, FREEMAN, GRUCELA, HALUSKA, HARHAI, HORSEY,
JAMES, JOSEPHS, KELLER, KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, LEVDANSKY,
MANDERINO, McCALL, McGEEHAN, McILHATTAN, MELIO, MUNDY,
PISTELLA, READSHAW, ROONEY, SAINATO, SAMUELSON, SHANER,
SOLOBAY, STABACK, STURLA, SURRA, TANGRETTI, THOMAS, TIGUE,
WALKO, WANSACZ, WASHINGTON, WOJNAROSKI AND YOUNGBLOOD,
OCTOBER 16, 2002
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, OCTOBER 16, 2002
A RESOLUTION
1 Acknowledging the critical role PENNVEST plays in funding water,
2 wastewater and storm water projects throughout this
3 Commonwealth.
4 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment
5 Authority, PENNVEST, was created upon approval by the General
6 Assembly and enactment into law by the Governor of the act of
7 March 1, 1988 (P.L.82, No.16), known as the Pennsylvania
8 Infrastructure Investment Authority Act; and
9 WHEREAS, PENNVEST has funded 1,649 water, wastewater and
10 storm water projects in hundreds of communities throughout this
11 Commonwealth totaling more than $2.9 billion dollars since 1988;
12 and
13 WHEREAS, PENNVEST projects have created 38,524 permanent jobs
14 and 104,090 construction jobs within these communities; and
15 WHEREAS, There have been proposals to combine PENNVEST with
1 the Capital Budget Redevelopment Program, the Growing Greener
2 Program, the Industrial Sites Reuse Program, private for-profit
3 investment schemes and additional State bond issues to create a
4 special grant and loan program primarily geared to economic
5 development; and
6 WHEREAS, According to this proposal funds would be targeted
7 for brownfield sites, entrepreneur zones, Keystone Opportunity
8 Zones and business and industrial parks instead of the
9 traditional use of funds by PENNVEST to help communities that
10 need clean drinking water or effective sewage and storm water
11 infrastructure; therefore be it
12 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives upon review of
13 the history and accomplishments of PENNVEST:
14 (1) Ratify that there should continue to be a central
15 authority with the primary goal of helping communities pay
16 for safe drinking water, effective sewage and septic
17 treatment systems and necessary storm control projects;
18 (2) Affirm that while economic development is a crucial
19 component of PENNVEST projects, the first criteria for
20 PENNVEST loans and grants is and should continue to be public
21 health and safety;
22 (3) Call for the rejection of any proposal that would
23 lower funding for public safety-related drinking, waste water
24 and storm water projects as established under PENNVEST in
25 order to fund corporate development projects; and
26 (4) Recognize that while any program can be improved
27 over time, PENNVEST should not be dismantled, merged or
28 curtailed in any manner.
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