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Committee advances bill to create state landslide and sinkhole insurance fund with $10 million seed; passes 25–1
Summary
House Bill 589, sponsored by Rep. Kinkade, would create a state-run landslide and sinkhole insurance program modeled on the mine-subsidence fund; the committee advanced the bill after extensive discussion and a recorded 25–1 vote in committee.
Representative Kinkade, sponsor of House Bill 589, described the bill as a proposal to create a state-run insurance program for damage from landslides and sinkholes, modeled on Pennsylvania's existing mine-subsidence insurance program. "There was an entire house that had collapsed off the side of a hill," Kinkade said, recounting constituents' damage and arguing there is no commercial market to address the losses.
Kinkade said the bill would start with a $150,000 policy cap and a proposed $10 million transfer from the General Fund to seed the program. She said the $150,000 cap mirrors the mine-subsidence fund initially and that a governing board would periodically review solvency and coverage levels. Kinkade said the fund is intended to become self-sustaining through premiums, like the mine-subsidence model.
Committee members asked about agency involvement, startup costs and property-rights implications. Chairman Gillan asked whether agencies such as the treasurer's office, the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency had been consulted. Kinkade replied that the treasurer and agencies had "weighed in" and that the treasurer had offered language incorporated in an earlier amendment.
Representative Taycan and others described local experience with sinkholes and landslides, particularly in karst regions and southwestern Pennsylvania. Committee discussion noted that prior consideration in another committee produced some negative votes, but the Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee advanced the bill to the floor by roll call, 25 yes to 1 no. The transcript records no details of the lone no vote in committee.
The bill includes provisions to incentivize landslide and sinkhole mitigation plans (premium discounts for municipalities that adopt eligible mitigation plans) but does not mandate mitigation or change private property rights; Kinkade described mitigation plans as incentives that would entitle residents of a municipality to premium discounts if implemented. The committee did not finalize implementing regulations in session; the bill would require further steps if passed by the full House and the Senate.
