Bill Text: PA SB606 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishing a Renaissance City Initiative to provide grants to renaissance cities for purposes of furthering economic development and urban revitalization; and making appropriations.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-3)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2009-03-12 - Referred to URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING [SB606 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-SB606-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 656
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 606 Session of2009
INTRODUCED BY WOZNIAK, STOUT, MELLOW, FONTANA, FERLO, BOSCOLA, WAUGH, BROWNE AND MUSTO, MARCH 12, 2009
REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, MARCH 12, 2009
AN ACT
Establishing a Renaissance City Initiative to provide grants to
renaissance cities for purposes of furthering economic
development and urban revitalization; and making
appropriations.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Renaissance
City Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Agency." The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
"Department." The Department of Community and Economic
Development of the Commonwealth.
"Renaissance city." A city of the second class A or third
class.
Section 3. Establishment.
There is established within the department a Renaissance City
Initiative which shall provide grants to renaissance cities for
purposes of furthering economic development and urban
revitalization.
Section 4. Programs.
(a) Establishment.--The department shall establish the
programs under this section for renaissance cities.
(b) Public safety grant program.--For fiscal year 2008-2009,
the department shall establish a public safety grant program,
which shall provide grants to renaissance cities for purposes of
funding public safety initiatives. Initiatives eligible under
this program shall include all of the following:
(1) Purchases of equipment relating to law enforcement,
including vehicles, surveillance equipment or other equipment
that will protect the health and safety of the community and
its police officers.
(2) Creation of crime prevention programs, including
crime prevention programs focusing on violent crimes, drug
offenses, juvenile crimes or nuisance crimes.
(3) Purchases of equipment relating to firefighting
activities, including vehicles or other equipment that will
protect the health and safety of the community and its
firefighters.
(4) Any other initiative developed by a renaissance city
that is designed to protect the health and safety of its
residents.
(c) Blight removal program.--For fiscal year 2009-2010, the
department shall establish a blight removal grant program, which
shall provide grants to renaissance cities for purposes of
funding blight removal initiatives. Initiatives eligible under
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this program shall include all of the following:
(1) Clearance, demolition or removal of blighted or
abandoned properties.
(2) Acquisition, reconstruction or rehabilitation of
blighted or abandoned properties.
(3) Programs relating to aggressive municipal code
enforcement, combating absentee landlords or other blight
prevention or remediation activities.
(4) Any other initiative developed by a renaissance city
that is designed to combat urban blight.
(d) Economic development and urban revitalization housing
programs.--For fiscal year 2010-2011:
(1) The department shall establish an economic
development grant program, which shall provide grants to new
businesses locating in or relocating to renaissance cities.
Initiatives eligible under this program shall include all of
the following:
(i) Environmental assessment and remediation.
(ii) Site preparation, including earth moving
activities.
(iii) Demolition of structures.
(iv) Installation or rehabilitation of
infrastructure.
(v) Reimbursement of engineering and administrative
expenses associated with any of the activities listed
under subparagraphs (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv).
(2) The agency shall establish an urban revitalization
housing program which shall provide financial assistance to
residential property owners in renaissance cities. The
program shall contain all of the following components:
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(i) Direct homeownership assistance to low-income or
moderate-income households.
(ii) Loans or grants to owners of residential
property for property rehabilitation, renovation,
conversion or construction if the property will be used
for residential purposes.
(iii) Loans or grants to individuals or nonprofit
entities to acquire residential property for the purpose
of renovation or rehabilitation for use or resale as
residential property.
(iv) Grants to increase energy efficiency in owner-
occupied residential property.
(v) Any other initiative developed by a renaissance
city that is designed to encourage revitalization of or
increase to the renaissance city's residential property
housing stock.
(e) Municipal services grant program.--For fiscal year
2011-2012, the department shall establish a municipal services
grant program, which shall provide grants to renaissance cities
for purposes of funding municipal service initiatives.
Initiatives eligible under this program shall include all of the
following:
(1) Acquisition of real property for any public purpose.
(2) Construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation of
public buildings, including initiatives that increase access
to public buildings by the elderly or disabled.
(3) The repairing of streets, bridges and sidewalks.
(4) Construction, reconstruction and rehabilitation of
publicly owned utilities.
(5) Infrastructure repair or rehabilitation.
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(6) Purchase of public works vehicles, including trash
or snow removal equipment or other equipment that will
protect the health and safety of the community.
(7) Service consolidation with surrounding political
subdivisions.
(8) Any other initiative developed by a renaissance city
that is designed to enhance the delivery of municipal
services in the renaissance city.
(f) Pension and debt grant program.--For fiscal year
2012-2013, the department shall establish a pension and debt
grant program, which shall provide grants to renaissance cities
for purposes of providing targeted relief in areas of pension
liability and debt service. Initiatives eligible under this
program shall include proposals to do any of the following:
(1) Offset unfunded accrued pension liability.
(2) Pay debt service on indebtedness incurred prior to
the effective date of this section.
(3) Address any other initiative developed by a
renaissance city that is designed to address the renaissance
city's pension plans and debt service commitments.
(g) Construction.--Eligibility for any program authorized
under this section shall not be construed to prohibit a
renaissance city from receiving financial assistance through any
other Commonwealth program.
Section 5. Applications.
(a) Submission.--No later than October 1, 2009, and each
October 1 thereafter, a municipality may submit an application
to the department requesting a grant from the programs
established under section 4(b), (c), (d)(1), (e) and (f). The
application shall be on the form required by the department and
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shall include or demonstrate all of the following:
(1) The applicant's name and address.
(2) The location of the project.
(3) A description of the project.
(4) A statement of the amount of the grant sought.
(5) Any other information required by the department.
(b) Review and approval of grant applications.--The
department shall review the application and, upon being
satisfied that all requirements have been met, may approve the
application and award a grant. Grants shall be awarded by the
department no later than December 1 of each year.
(c) Grant awards.--Each renaissance city that submits an
application and is approved by the department shall be entitled
to a grant equal to 100% of the amount requested in the
application or $1,000,000, whichever is less. Any remaining
revenue shall be distributed to applicants through a formula
developed by the department. The formula shall, at a minimum,
take into account the renaissance city's population, relative
wealth and need.
Section 6. Report to General Assembly.
The department shall submit an annual report to the General
Assembly no later than September 1, 2009, and each September 1
thereafter in which a program is in effect. The report shall
include a list of all of the recipients of grants awarded by the
department in the previous fiscal year, the amount of the
grants, a description of the project and the public purposes
that it advanced. The department shall post a copy of the report
to the General Assembly on its Internet website.
Section 7. Appropriations.
The following sums shall be appropriated for purposes of
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funding the programs established under this act:
(1) For fiscal year 2008-2009, the sum of $100,000,000
shall be appropriated to the Department of Community and
Economic Development for purposes of the program established
under section 4(b).
(2) For fiscal year 2009-2010, the sum of $100,000,000
shall be appropriated to the department for purposes of the
program established under section 4(c).
(3) For fiscal year 2010-2011, the sum of $100,000,000
shall be appropriated to the department for purposes of the
program established under section 4(d). Of the amount
appropriated under this section, the sum of $50,000,000 shall
be transferred by the department to the agency for purposes
of the program established under section 4(d)(2).
(4) For fiscal year 2011-2012, the sum of $100,000,000
shall be appropriated to the department for purposes of the
program established under section 4(e).
(5) For fiscal year 2012-2013, the sum of $100,000,000
shall be appropriated to the department for purposes of the
program established under section 4(f).
Section 30. Effective date.
This act shall take effect immediately.
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