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| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
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| HOUSE BILL |
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| INTRODUCED BY PICKETT, BAKER, BOYD, CALTAGIRONE, CARROLL, CAUSER, CLYMER, EVERETT, FABRIZIO, FAIRCHILD, FLECK, GEIST, GEORGE, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, HENNESSEY, HESS, M. KELLER, MAJOR, MILLARD, MILLER, PAYNE, PEIFER, PERRY, PHILLIPS, RAPP, ROHRER, SCAVELLO, SIPTROTH, STABACK, STERN, STEVENSON, TRUE, VULAKOVICH, WANSACZ, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, FEBRUARY 4, 2009 |
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| REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 4, 2009 |
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| AN ACT |
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1 | Providing for determination of a rural area in certain laws, |
2 | programs and studies. |
3 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
4 | hereby enacts as follows: |
5 | Section 1. Short title. |
6 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Rural |
7 | Definition Act. |
8 | Section 2. Definitions. |
9 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
10 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
11 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
12 | "Authority." An authority created by a county or |
13 | municipality pursuant to 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 56 (relating to |
14 | municipal authorities). |
15 | "Commonwealth agencies." Any of the following: |
16 | (1) A department, authority, commission, committee, |
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1 | council, board, bureau, division, office or other entity in |
2 | the executive branch of the Commonwealth. |
3 | (2) A Commonwealth task force, center, board, |
4 | commission, agency or council that includes members appointed |
5 | by the Governor or by an appointee of the Governor, |
6 | including, but not limited to, the Center for Rural |
7 | Pennsylvania. |
8 | "Law." A Federal or State statute, regulation, program or |
9 | policy that does not preclude the Commonwealth from defining |
10 | "rural" for purposes of implementing that Federal or State |
11 | statute, regulation, program or policy. |
12 | "Population density." The number of inhabitants per square |
13 | land mile as determined by the official report of the Federal |
14 | decennial census as revised every ten years. |
15 | "Program." A Federal, State or a joint Federal-State program |
16 | that is administered by a Commonwealth agency and funded, in |
17 | whole or in part, by an appropriation enacted by the General |
18 | Assembly. |
19 | "Rural area." When a law has reference to: |
20 | (1) A rural county or rural school district, the term |
21 | shall mean a county or school district with a population |
22 | density that is less than the population density of this |
23 | Commonwealth. |
24 | (2) A rural municipality or a rural authority, the term |
25 | shall mean a municipality or an authority with a population |
26 | density that is less than the population density of this |
27 | Commonwealth or a municipality or authority with a total |
28 | population of less than 2,500 unless more than 50% of the |
29 | population resides in an urbanized area as defined and as |
30 | subsequently revised by the United States Bureau of the |
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1 | Census. |
2 | (3) A rural area other than an area specified in |
3 | paragraph (1) or (2), the term shall mean an area with a |
4 | population density that is less than the population density |
5 | of this Commonwealth. |
6 | Section 3. Entities and services. |
7 | Whenever a law employs the term "rural" to describe an entity |
8 | or service without reference to a geographical area, the term |
9 | shall apply to an entity that is located and services that are |
10 | furnished within a rural municipality. If the entity is located |
11 | in a nonrural municipality within a rural county, the entity |
12 | shall be deemed a rural entity if it provides substantial |
13 | services to the rural portion of the county. |
14 | Section 4. Administration of programs. |
15 | Whenever a law enacted after the effective date of this |
16 | section, including any program created or funded by a block |
17 | grant or State plan authorized pursuant to a general |
18 | appropriation act, employs the term "rural" or a definition that |
19 | includes the term "rural" in connection with the administration |
20 | of a program authorized or funded by that act, the Commonwealth |
21 | agency shall adhere to the provisions of "rural" set out in this |
22 | act in the administration of the program. |
23 | Section 5. Studies and evaluations. |
24 | Each Commonwealth agency shall employ the provisions relating |
25 | to "rural" contained in this act in the conduct of any study, |
26 | assessment or evaluation of conditions, funding or program |
27 | affecting rural areas and rural populations. |
28 | Section 6. Transition. |
29 | Whenever the official report of the Federal decennial census |
30 | establishes that a county, municipality, authority or school |
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1 | district has attained a population that removes it from the |
2 | definition of "rural" as defined in this act, that county, |
3 | municipality, authority or school district may adopt a |
4 | resolution to retain its status as a rural area for a two-year |
5 | period following the change in the census to the extent that the |
6 | retention of such rural status does not conflict with any |
7 | Federal statute, regulation or policy relating to the program. |
8 | Section 7. Coordination. |
9 | The Governor shall direct the Office of the Budget to |
10 | coordinate the administration of this act in consultation with |
11 | the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. |
12 | Section 8. Consultation with Center for Rural Pennsylvania. |
13 | Each Commonwealth agency shall consult with the Center for |
14 | Rural Pennsylvania in connection with the administration of any |
15 | program and the conduct of any study that is subject to this |
16 | act. |
17 | Section 9. Effective date. |
18 | This act shall take effect in 180 days. |
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