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Pennsylvania House of Representatives
04/25/2024 02:56 PM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20130&cosponId=12624
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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

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House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: April 26, 2013 09:40 AM
From: Representative Chris Ross
To: All House members
Subject: Delinquent Real Estate Tax Sale Reform
 
In the next couple of weeks, I plan to introduce legislation that will reform our antiquated, inefficient tax foreclosure laws. The current laws contain confusing provisions dating from the 1920s, allow properties to continue in delinquency ten years and longer, and discourage responsible developers from investing in property repairs or improvements.

The bill adds a chapter to Title 53, commonly called the Local Government Code, to provide tax delinquent owners, who work out and maintain hardship payment agreements with the taxing authority, the opportunity to pay what they owe and not lose their homes. Additionally, it will create a simple judicial tax foreclosure process resulting in a single sale as ordered by the court. The new process will be completed in a shorter timeframe and will produce properties with clear title for responsible tax payers to purchase.

Specifically, the bill:
  • Authorizes creation of hardship payment programs whereby eligible, low-income owner-occupants pay delinquent taxes according to an agreement;
  • Requires improved notice to owners, occupants and interested parties to fully protect their constitutional rights;
  • Reduces the timeframe between the point of delinquency and the eventual sale;
  • Eliminates post-sale right of redemption.
Finally, this bill approaches the blight and abandonment problems by changing outdated state laws and cumbersome practices rather than requiring additional spending of limited state and local dollars. My bill is another tool that local governments will have to redevelop their communities into viable, sustainable places in which people want to live and work.

Please join me in cosponsoring this legislation.

Introduced as HB1409