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July 20, 2011, 1:26 pm
The House Urban Affairs Committee met today to discuss HB 1782, which is a reform of the real estate tax sales process. Chairman Chris Ross (R-Chester) said ”the laws we rely on in Pennsylvania can be multiple, complex, ancient, and confusing,” and it is important to have total reform. Testifiers Daniel Kildee and Frank Alexander spoke about their experience with property tax collection and offered information and suggestions about the issue.
Check the Committee News section of the Capitol Toolbox later on for the full story.
June 29, 2011, 10:22 am
On a straight party line vote, with the Republicans voting “Yes” and the Democrats voting “No”, the House Urban Affairs Committee reported as committed Senate Bill 1151. The bill amends Act 47, the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act, to require appointment of a three-member board when a distressed third class city does not adopt or implement the plan of the Act 47 coordinator and prohibits the distressed city under the care of the management board from filing for federal bankruptcy. Although the legislation applies to all distressed third class cities, it was introduced as a result of the financial situation in the city of Harrisburg, Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
April 5, 2011, 11:10 am
The House Urban Affairs and the Senate Urban Affairs & Housing Committees held a rare joint hearing on land banking. Committee members heard from Dan Kildee, Co-founder and President of the Center for Community Progress, who founded the Genesee Land Bank in Flint, Michigan which has served as a model for other land banks across the country. Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
October 7, 2010, 3:04 pm
The House Urban Affairs Committee held a public hearing today to discuss Pennsylvania’s housing authority laws. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was among the many that testified at today’s hearing. “In light of apparent abdication of supervision by the current Philadelphia Housing Authority Board, Philadelphia needs a Housing Authority that is answerable to the mayor who in turn is answerable to the voters,” he stated. “That can only happen if the mayor names the members to the Philadelphia Housing Authority Board. Accountability, transparency, structure and commitment – these are the pillars of reform upon which we must build a new Philadelphia Housing Authority.” Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.
June 22, 2010, 10:40 am
The House Urban Affairs Committee met today to discuss HB 712, also known as the land bank bill. After amending the bill twice and suspending the rules once, the Committee unanimously reported out the amended bill. Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
May 26, 2010, 11:26 am
The House Urban Affairs Committee held an informational meeting this morning with Mark Conte, DCED’s Chief of the Housing Standards Division; Mary Gaiski, Executive Vice President of the PA Manufactured Housing Association; and Chad Harvey, Executive Director of the Modular Building Systems Association. The briefing served to educate the committee on the differences between manufactured housing and industrialized housing, describe the home building and transportation process in detail, and explain the demands placed on the industry, which generates substantial revenue for the Commonwealth. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the complete story.
April 28, 2010, 11:09 am
The House Urban Affairs Committee met this morning and amended and reported two bills. The first bill would reduce the time period for adverse possession to ten years in certain instances and the second would give persons joining 55+ manufacture home communities time to review the costs associated with the community before moving in. The members had extensive discussion on both bills, but they were ultimately reported with strong support. A scheduled presentation from DCED was postponed until the next meeting.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox this afternoon.
March 23, 2010, 10:34 am
The House Urban Affairs Committee met to consider bills. HB 1587 and HB 2302 were reported as amended. Chairman Thomas also formed three task forces to come up with legislative recommendations in the areas of adverse possession, land banking, and handicap accessibility in taxicabs. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full discussion.
March 11, 2010, 12:05 pm
The House Urban Affairs Committee along with the House Democratic and House Republican Policy Committees held a joint informational hearing on land banks. Dan Kildee, executive director of the Center for Community Progress, made a power point presentation on the land bank program in Flint, Michigan and responded to questions from committee members. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
February 12, 2010, 7:11 pm
PLS is expanding its coverage to hearings in Philadelphia. Based on availability of reporters in our Philadelphia bureau, we will be covering hearings that take place in and around the city.
Look for coverage of today’s House Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the reorganization of the Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes and of the House Democratic Policy Committee hearing on expert testimony in the Capitol Toolbox later this evening.
At the Urban Affairs hearing, Chairman Curtis Thomas (D-Philadelphia) noted how the goal of discussing the future of the board was to create a more equitable tax revision process. Interim Executive Director for the Philadelphia Board of Revisions of Taxes, Richard Negrin, said that he has started programs to better train employees of the BRT by doing interviews with members of the BRT. Other members in attendance included: Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia), Rep. Karen Breyer (R-Northampton), and Michael O’Brien (D-Philadelphia).
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