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Committee reports bill to let counties use Act 13 bridge funds for preventative local maintenance
Summary
The committee reported House Bill 23/24-37, which would expand Act 13 unconventional gas well fee uses so counties can spend allocated bridge funds on general upkeep and preventative maintenance for local bridges rather than only 'at-risk' bridges.
The House Transportation Committee reported House Bill 23/24-37 after a sponsor's presentation arguing the change would let counties be proactive about bridge upkeep.
Staff summarized the bill as removing the restriction that Act 13 funds in the highway bridge improvement restricted account be used only for "at-risk" bridges; if passed, the measure would allow counties and municipalities (with PennDOT approval) to use remaining funds for upkeep of all local bridge infrastructure. Staff listed a set of supporters, including the administration, ACEC, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the PA Chamber of Business and Industry, and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
Representative Nate Davidson, the bill sponsor, said counties that have proactively maintained bridges should be allowed to access the funds for preventative maintenance rather than waiting until deterioration reaches a threshold that makes bridges "at risk." "This bill would simply allow the county to access those bridge repair funds and spend them, ahead of time," Davidson said.
The committee took a vote and reported the bill out of committee. The transcript contains inconsistent numbering for this item (the chair called up "House Bill 23 37" then staff read the bill as "House Bill 24 37"); staff later said the bill is identical to Senate Bill 1070, which staff said passed the Senate.
