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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 3196

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 2317 Session of 2002


        INTRODUCED BY CAPPELLI, ARMSTRONG, BARRAR, BELFANTI, BROWNE,
           CASORIO, COY, CREIGHTON, CRUZ, CURRY, DeLUCA, FAIRCHILD,
           FORCIER, GABIG, GEIST, GEORGE, GRUCELA, HERSHEY, HORSEY,
           KIRKLAND, LAUGHLIN, LEH, MAYERNIK, McILHATTAN, PETRARCA,
           PISTELLA, RAYMOND, READSHAW, SAINATO, SATHER, SHANER,
           E. Z. TAYLOR, THOMAS, TURZAI, WALKO, WANSACZ, WILT,
           WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD AND WASHINGTON, JANUARY 29, 2002

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT,
           JANUARY 29, 2002

                                     AN ACT

     1  Amending the act of May 17, 1956 (1955 P.L.1609, No.537),
     2     entitled "An act to promote the welfare of the people of the
     3     Commonwealth by the reduction of unemployment in certain
     4     areas of the Commonwealth determined to be critical economic
     5     areas; providing for the establishment of industrial
     6     development projects in such areas; creating The Pennsylvania
     7     Industrial Development Authority as a body corporate and
     8     politic with power to allocate funds for and make secured
     9     loans to industrial development agencies for the payment of a
    10     part of the cost of industrial development projects in
    11     critical economic areas; authorizing the Authority to enter
    12     into agreements with the Government of the United States or
    13     any Federal agency or industrial development agency;
    14     empowering the Authority to take title to, sell, convey and
    15     lease industrial development projects where necessary to
    16     protect loans made by the Pennsylvania Industrial Development
    17     Authority on industrial development projects; providing that
    18     no debt of the Commonwealth, its municipalities or political
    19     subdivisions shall be incurred in the exercise of any powers
    20     granted by this act; and providing for the examination of the
    21     accounts and affairs of the Authority; and making an
    22     appropriation," further providing for administrative powers.

    23     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
    24  hereby enacts as follows:
    25     Section 1.  Section 6(e) of the act of May 17, 1956 (1955

     1  P.L.1609, No.537), known as the Pennsylvania Industrial
     2  Development Authority Act, amended July 13, 1988 (P.L.534,
     3  No.95), is amended to read:
     4     Section 6.  Powers of the Authority; Loans to Industrial
     5  Development Agencies.--When it has been determined by the
     6  Authority upon application of an industrial development agency
     7  and hearing thereon in the manner hereinafter provided, that the
     8  establishment of a particular industrial development project of
     9  such industrial development agency in a critical economic area
    10  has accomplished or will accomplish the public purposes of this
    11  act, the Authority may contract to loan such industrial
    12  development agency an amount not in excess of the percentage of
    13  the cost of such industrial development project, as established
    14  or to be established as hereinafter set forth, subject, however,
    15  to the following conditions:
    16     * * *
    17     (e)  Any such loan of the Authority shall be for such period
    18  of time and shall bear interest at such rate not to exceed
    19  (3.75%) as shall be determined by the Authority and shall be
    20  evidenced by bond or note of the industrial development agency
    21  and secured by mortgage on the industrial development project
    22  for which such loan was made, such mortgage to be second and
    23  subordinate only to the mortgage securing the first lien
    24  obligation issued to secure the commitment of funds from the
    25  aforesaid independent and responsible sources and used in the
    26  financing of the industrial development project. Loans for
    27  industrial parks and multiple-tenancy building projects shall be
    28  secured as provided in subsections (b.1) and (b.2),
    29  respectively. The Authority may require such additional security
    30  for its loan as the board may determine necessary.
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     1     Moneys so loaned by the Authority to industrial development
     2  agencies shall be withdrawn from the Industrial Development Fund
     3  or other account of the Authority and paid over to the
     4  industrial development agency in such manner as shall be
     5  provided and prescribed by the rules and regulations of the
     6  Authority.
     7     Loans by the Authority to an industrial development agency
     8  for an industrial development project shall be made only in the
     9  manner and to the extent as in this section six provided,
    10  except, however, in those instances wherein an agency of the
    11  Federal government participates in the financing of an
    12  industrial development project by loan, grant or otherwise of
    13  Federal funds. When any Federal agency does so participate the
    14  Authority may adjust the required ratios of financial
    15  participation by the industrial development agency, the source
    16  of independent funds, and the Authority in such manner as to
    17  insure the maximum benefit available to the industrial
    18  development agency, the Authority, or both, by the participation
    19  of the Federal agency.
    20     Where any Federal agency participating in the financing of an
    21  industrial development project is not permitted to take as
    22  security for such participation a mortgage the lien of which is
    23  junior to the mortgage of the Authority, the Authority shall in
    24  such instances be authorized to take as security for its loan to
    25  the industrial development agency a mortgage junior in lien to
    26  that of the Federal agency.
    27     Before any loan is approved by the Authority, the responsible
    28  tenant or purchaser must certify to the Authority that it has
    29  not been cited by a governmental agency for causing pollution in
    30  the Commonwealth, or if it has been so cited, that it is
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     1  embarked on a specific program for eliminating the cause of the
     2  citation. The responsible tenant or purchaser must also certify
     3  to the Authority that the proposed project would be designed so
     4  as not to cause pollution in violation of existing standards.
     5     In the event of the imposition of any civil or criminal
     6  penalty on a specific industrial development project hereinafter
     7  approved, resulting from the violation of any law or regulation
     8  relating to environmental pollution in the Commonwealth, the
     9  responsible tenant or purchaser shall, at the request of the
    10  Authority, be required to either show evidence of having entered
    11  into an agreement with the appropriate governmental agency
    12  providing for the required abatement, or if the violation has
    13  been appealed to the courts, evidence of having complied with a
    14  finally adjudicated decision of a court of law relating to the
    15  violation. If the responsible tenant or purchaser shall fail to
    16  show such evidence, the Pennsylvania Industrial Development
    17  Authority together with the Environmental Quality Board of the
    18  Department of Environmental Resources may at their discretion
    19  take such action as they deem appropriate with regard to the
    20  project loan.
    21     Section 2.  The following apply:
    22         (1)  The amendment of section 6(e) of the act shall apply
    23     to loans made or renewed on or after the effective date of
    24     this act.
    25         (2)  The Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority is
    26     authorized to renegotiate loans existing on the effective
    27     date of this act in accordance with the amendment of section
    28     6(e) of the act.
    29     Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.

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