PRINTER'S NO. 1945
No. 1619 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY REED, PRATT, KOWALYSHYN, MELUSKEY, BROWN AND
ZITTERMAN, AUGUST 17, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, AUGUST 17, 1977
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), entitled "An
2 act to consolidate, editorially revise, and codify the public
3 welfare laws of the Commonwealth," providing for rental
4 payments to landlords in certain cases.
5 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
6 hereby enacts as follows:
7 Section 1. The act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known
8 as the "Public Welfare Code," is amended by adding sections to
9 read:
10 Section 408.1. Landlord's Claim for Unpaid Rent.--The owner
11 of a property leased to a person receiving public assistance may
12 file a claim subscribed and sworn to by him with the county
13 board of the county where the property is located for unpaid
14 rent. It shall state the amount the rent consists of per month,
15 the number of months it is unpaid and the total amount of rent
16 in arrears. The county board shall notify the tenant thereof by
17 sending a copy of the claim to him by ordinary mail. The tenant-
18 recipient shall have ten days from the date of the mailing of
19 the notice within which to file with the board a writing
1 subscribed and sworn to by him denying the accuracy of the claim
2 filed by the property owner. The board shall, after a hearing,
3 decide the issues presented in the writings filed by the
4 property owner and recipient of assistance.
5 Section 408.2. Notification of Rent in Arrears.--The county
6 board shall notify the Department of Public Welfare of the
7 amount of rent found to be owed, if any, by the recipient of the
8 public assistance whenever it is at least a two months'
9 arrearage. A copy of the notice shall be sent by it to the
10 recipient.
11 Section 408.3. Deduction of Rent in Arrears.--The Department
12 of Public Welfare shall deduct from the monthly amounts to which
13 the recipient would be entitled an amount sufficient to pay the
14 rent stated in the notice given to it by the county board.
15 Section 408.4. Payment of Arrearage.--The Department of
16 Public Welfare shall send such deductions for rent to the owner
17 of the property and notify the county board involved that it has
18 done so.
19 Section 408.5. Payments to Municipalities.--Wherever a
20 municipality has adopted a rent withholding plan to improve a
21 property through the escrow of rents to the municipality instead
22 of the property owner, the Department of Public Welfare may make
23 such deducted rent payments to the municipality instead of the
24 property owner.
25 Section 408.6. Furnishing False Information; Penalty.--A
26 person who furnishes false information to a county board
27 concerning the amount of rent unpaid by a recipient of public
28 assistance is guilty of a summary offense and on conviction,
29 shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than three hundred
30 dollars ($300), or to undergo imprisonment for not more than
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1 ninety days, or both.
2 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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