House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

Posted:	March 18, 2013 09:16 AM
From:	Representative Michael H. Schlossberg
To:	All House members
Subject:	Gun Discharge Eviction Act

In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation amending the Landlord Tenant Act with the addition of a clause addressing the eviction of a tenant who is convicted of discharging a firearm illegally in an occupied building. One of my former colleagues on Allentown City Council made me aware of an exceptionally bizarre situation: currently, under the Landlord Tenant Act, there is no provision which allows for the eviction of a tenant who unlawfully discharges a firearm within the confines of an occupied building! Landlords, therefore, have no recourse in removing a tenant found to have committed this careless and dangerous act. This legislation will assist landlords in removing offending tenants from their properties, maintaining the safety and security of the surrounding neighborhoods. Keeping our municipalities free from such activity should be paramount in our efforts as a legislature. It is imperative that we do all that we can to ensure that our constituents feel safe in their own homes. Allowing for the removal of those tenants who engage in this sort of behavior will promote safety and security not only in the dwellings in question, but throughout the surrounding communities.
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Introduced as HB1117