Local Government 2023-2024

The Senate Local Government Committee met on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 and reported out the following bill as amended:

SB 225 (Dush) – Amends the Fiscal Code to increase payment from DCNR and the Game Commission or Fish and Boat Commission to counties, school districts and townships for certain state-owned lands, in lieu of taxes.

  • Amendment A01092 (Dush) – technical amendment correcting dates.

SB 740 (Regan) – Amends the Second Class Township Code to allow for increased compensation of township auditors

SB 765 (Comitta) – Amends Title 8 to make several changes to the Borough Code in line with recent updates to the First Class Township Code. This is a Local Government Commission bill.

SB 774 (Hutchinson) – Amends Title 11 to allow a third class city to appoint a partnership, limited partnership, association or professional corporation as the city administrator. This is a Local Government Commission bill.

SB 775 (Hutchinson) – Amends Title 53 to provide for emergency meeting powers and succession of local officers during an emergency. This is a Local Government Commission bill.

SB 784 (Kearney) – Amends Title 53 to provide an alternative process for the formation of a government study commission to consider home rule for municipalities currently in the Act 47 recovery program. This is a Local Government Commission bill.

All votes were unanimous.

The Senate Local Government Committee met on Tuesday, June 6, 2023 and reported out the following bill as amended:

SB 749 (DUSH) – Makes two specific changes to the Second Class Township Code in a manner consistent with recent revisions to the First Class Township Code as comprehensively updated by Act 96 of 2020.

SB 753 (KEARNEY) – Makes various technical changes and clarifications to the Borough Code. The legislation also provides for the reduction of council membership from 7 to 5 or 3 members regardless of borough population, and conversely increase council size, repeals current provisions in the Borough Code regulating the accumulation and collection of garbage and other refuse materials and creates a new chapter 25B “Solid Waste Collection and Disposition.”

SB 754 (BROWN) – This bill amends Act 247 of 1968, the Municipalities Planning Code (MPC), to specifically provide authorization for digital submissions and electronic transmittals of a proposed comprehensive plan or amendment, a proposed land use ordinance or amendment, or an adopted comprehensive plan, land use ordinance or amendment for review, comments, or recommendations.


The Senate Local Government Committee met on March 6 2023, and reported out the following bill as amended.

  • SB 143 – YAW – Prohibits municipalities from restricting or prohibiting the connection of utility service to a consumer based on source of energy. Formerly SB 275 from last session, which passed the senate 35-15 and was vetoed by Governor Wolf. The bill as amended was adopt 8-3, with Senators Kearney, Comitta, and Fontana voting no.
    • A00140 – BROWN – This amendment expands the preemption of policies that limit or restrict utility connections (based on their source of energy) to not just individual consumers, but to any entity. The amendment was adopted 9-2, with Senators Kearney and Comitta voting no.