Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

We continue to hear concerns from those who have to deal with applying for one of the various types of permits or licenses required by different state agencies. Businesses, local governmental entities, non-profits, and individuals share horror stories about unreasonable delays and great uncertainty involved in the process, which often leads to delayed start time on important projects, frustration, and monetary loss. The permitting process should be a collaborative effort between the entity seeking the permit and government and not something that is overly burdensome or punitive. We must reform this process to help businesses and business owners throughout the state.

After gaining bipartisan support, permit transparency was incorporated into last year’s budget through the Streamlining Permits for Economic Expansion and Development (SPEED) program. This was an important first step to addressing permitting paralysis in the Commonwealth.

The SPEED program requires the Department of Environmental Protection to create a tracker to allow applicants to track permits from start to finish. Our legislation will extend this requirement to all agencies that issue permits and licenses, to increase transparency throughout the process. This legislation will require agencies to post information about the permits and licenses that they grant on their website, to create an accessible tracking system for applicants to check the status of their applications and to clearly state the legal authority that the agency relies on when rejecting a permit application.

Additionally, the expanded tracking system shall include processing time, dates of each permit, completeness review, technical review, elevated review, and an estimated time remaining for each incomplete phase of the permit approval process, and a contact person assigned to answer questions about the application process. This will allow for greater transparency, which gives those individuals who are applying for permits, more peace of mind and assurance that they have not been forgotten in the process. We must reform this process to help businesses and business owners throughout the state.

Gov. Shapiro agreed with us when we set out to reform permitting throughout Pennsylvania and issued Executive Order 2024-04 which also seeks to streamline the permitting process across all state agencies. This executive order streamlines permitting and establishes a tracking dashboard, precisely what we have been working toward for years and what this legislation seeks to accomplish.

This legislation would codify legislative initiatives that have been championed for years along with Gov. Shapiro’s executive orders to give anyone who seeks to do business, build a business, or expand a business in Pennsylvania that these pro-growth policies will be in place long after our respective tenures in office.

If we want to be competitive as heck, let’s look at the proven strategies that have worked in states that are desirable to families and job creators, states like Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Please join us in cosponsoring this important piece of legislation, which promotes an accountable government that provides more clarity and certainty to businesses applying for permits. 

Previous cosponsors include Senators Martin, Stefano, Dush, J. Ward, Mastriano, Aument, Hutchinson, and Brooks.