PRINTER'S NO. 2136
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1387
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY HAYWOOD, SABATINA, FONTANA, FARNESE, BREWSTER,
TEPLITZ, SCHWANK AND KITCHEN, OCTOBER 17, 2016
REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, OCTOBER 17, 2016
AN ACT
Amending the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955, No.265), entitled, as
amended, "An act to promote public health, safety, morals,
and welfare by declaring the necessity of creating public
bodies, corporate and politic, to be known as housing
authorities to engage in slum clearance, and to undertake
projects, to provide dwelling accommodations for persons of
low income; providing for the organization of such housing
authorities; defining their powers and duties; providing for
the exercise of such powers, including the acquisition of
property by purchase, gift or eminent domain, the renting and
selling of property, and including borrowing money, issuing
bonds, and other obligations, and giving security therefor;
prescribing the remedies of obligees of housing authorities;
authorizing housing authorities to enter into agreements,
including agreements with the United States, the
Commonwealth, and political subdivisions and municipalities
thereof; defining the application of zoning, sanitary, and
building laws and regulations to projects built or maintained
by such housing authorities; exempting the property and
securities of such housing authorities from taxation; and
imposing duties and conferring powers upon the State Planning
Board, and certain other State officers and departments,"
further providing for powers of the authority; and providing
for relocation.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 10 of the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955,
No.265), referred to as the Housing Authorities Law, is amended
by adding a clause to read:
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Section 10. Powers of an Authority.--An Authority shall
constitute a public body, corporate and politic, exercising
public powers of the Commonwealth as an agency thereof, which
powers shall include all powers necessary or appropriate to
carry out and effectuate the purpose and provisions of this act,
including the following powers, in addition to others herein
granted:
* * *
(hh) To cooperate and execute agreements with other
authorities in the same geographic region for the purposes of
accommodating any tenant who requests to be relocated under
section 13.3.
Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
Section 13.3. Relocation.--(a) A tenant may submit to the
Authority a request to be relocated from the tenant's existing
dwelling to another dwelling under the control of the Authority
to which the request is submitted or to a dwelling under the
control of an Authority within the same geographic region.
(b) Each Authority shall review and approve a request
submitted under subsection (a) within five (5) days of receipt
of the request.
(c) An Authority shall relocate the tenant making the
request and any member of the tenant's household requesting to
be relocated to another dwelling unit under the control of the
Authority or under the control of an Authority within the same
geographic region within thirty (30) days of the submission of
the request.
(d) An Authority may not disclose the new address of a
relocated tenant to an individual identified by the tenant as
the perpetrator or an individual or entity representing the
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perpetrator, unless by court order.
(e) All information submitted to an Authority by a tenant
seeking relocation under this section shall be confidential and
shall not be subject to disclosure under any State law unless
ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction.
(f) For purposes of this section, the term "tenant" shall
mean an individual residing in a dwelling unit of the Authority
who is any of the following:
(1) A victim of abuse as defined in 23 Pa.C.S. § 6102
(relating to definitions) who files an affidavit with the
Authority stating the affiant's eligibility for a protection
from abuse order and further stating that the affiant fears
future violent acts by the perpetrator of abuse.
(2) A victim of sexual violence as defined in 42 Pa.C.S. §
62A03 (relating to definitions) who files an affidavit with the
Authority describing the perpetrator's violent actions or
threatened violent actions toward the affiant and further
stating that the affiant fears future violent acts by the
perpetrator of the sexual violence.
(3) A victim of stalking who files an affidavit with the
Authority describing the perpetrator's course of conduct or
repeated actions toward the affiant meeting the criteria
enumerated under 18 Pa.C.S. § 2709.1 (relating to stalking) and
further stating that the affiant fears future violent acts by
the perpetrator of the stalking.
(4) An individual, other than the perpetrator, who is a
member of the same household as the tenant requesting
relocation.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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