PRINTER'S NO. 2491
No. 2032 Session of 1981
INTRODUCED BY COLE, GRIECO, STUBAN, MORRIS, PHILLIPS, SHOWERS,
MADIGAN, HALUSKA, BROWN, LLOYD, WENGER, BOWSER AND HONAMAN,
OCTOBER 28, 1981
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION, OCTOBER 28, 1981
AN ACT
1 Providing for an annual survey of agricultural land transfers;
2 imposing powers and duties on the Department of Agriculture
3 and county assessors.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Short title.
7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Agricultural
8 Land Reporting Law."
9 Section 2. Statement of legislative findings.
10 (a) (1) It is declared policy of the Commonwealth to
11 conserve and protect and to encourage the development and
12 improvement of its agricultural lands for the production of
13 food and other agricultural products.
14 (2) It is also the declared policy of the Commonwealth
15 to conserve and protect agricultural lands as valued natural
16 and ecological resources which provide needed open spaces for
17 clean air, as well as aesthetic purposes.
18 (3) Many of the agricultural lands in the Commonwealth
1 are in jeopardy of being lost for any agricultural purposes.
2 These lands constitute unique and irreplaceable land
3 resources of Statewide importance.
4 (b) It is the purpose of this act to provide a means by
5 which an annual inventory of agricultural lands may be provided,
6 showing all transfers of agricultural lands on a county by
7 county basis and intended land use.
8 Section 3. Definitions.
9 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
10 have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
11 meanings given to them in this section:
12 "Agricultural lands." Land used for the purpose of producing
13 an agricultural commodity or when devoted to and meeting the
14 requirements and qualifications for payments or other
15 compensation pursuant to soil conservation or Agricultural
16 Stabilization and Conservation Service programs under an
17 agreement with an agency of the Federal Government.
18 "County assessor." The county assessors of the 67 counties
19 of Pennsylvania.
20 "Department." The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
21 Section 4. Duties of county assessors.
22 Each county assessor shall be required to submit,
23 periodically, on forms provided by the department, information
24 on the transfer of any agricultural land.
25 Section 5. Duties of the department.
26 The Department of Agriculture shall:
27 (1) Collect accurate data on the total amount of
28 agricultural land in Pennsylvania and transfers of such land.
29 (2) Develop and submit to county assessors appropriate
30 forms for ascertaining the total amount of agricultural land
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1 in the county and the amount of such land affected by
2 transfers.
3 (3) Establish a periodic reporting process for county
4 assessors.
5 (4) Make annual reports to the General Assembly on the
6 inventory of agricultural lands, the report to provide a
7 breakdown by county and acreage of common agricultural land
8 uses and the uses of any transferred agricultural land.
9 (5) Promulgate such rules and regulations that are
10 necessary to implement and administer this act.
11 Section 6. Effective date.
12 This act shall take effect one year after final passage.
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