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03/19/2024 01:57 AM
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20210&cosponId=37011
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House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: March 10, 2022 11:01 AM
From: Representative Doyle Heffley
To: All House members
Subject: PSP Decrease of Funding from Motor License Fund
 
In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to decrease PA State Police (PSP) funding from the Motor License Fund (MLF) to $300 million in the upcoming fiscal year.

As background, the Fiscal Code was amended in 2016 to require an annual stepdown of PSP funding from the MLF by 4% each FY until $500 million is reached in FY 27-28. While the Governor has proposed expediting this reduction to $500 million in FY 22-23, this reduction is simply not enough. At a recent House Appropriations Committee Hearing, PennDOT stated that, while the Commonwealth is expected to receive $4 billion over the next 5 years for roads and bridges from the federal infrastructure bill, these additional federal dollars will require a state match of approximately $930 million over the next 5 years. The Governor's suggested reduction of $500 million would still leave the Commonwealth short of the state match requirement by $544 million.

PennDOT has suggested that the legislature should consider new or increased taxes and fees to provide additional funding to the MLF. As you may recall, the Governor's Transportation Revenue Options Commission (TROC) report provided a wish list of burdensome taxes on our constituents:
  • Per mile tax.
  • Tolling interstates and bridges.
  • Increasing registration fees by 100%.
  • Goods delivery fee.
  • Index the gas tax to inflation.
  • An annual tax on the value of a vehicle.
The legislature should not even entertain any of the aforementioned taxes and fees until we get our fiscal house in order. To this end, I am introducing legislation amending the Fiscal Code to limit the total appropriation to the PSP from the MLF to no more than $300 million in FY 22-23. Additionally, each fiscal year thereafter, the amount may
only be increased according to the rate of inflation.

Please join me in cosponsoring this legislation. Our taxpayers cannot afford any of the Governor’s proposed new or increased taxes, and it is time for the legislature to properly budget PSP funding from the General Fund and use the MLF for its intended purpose.



Introduced as HB2495