Rep. Michael Sturla (D-Lancaster) has reintroduced his State Police fee legislation as part of the Special Session on Transportation. (SS) House Bill 15 (PN 9) is quite similar to House Bill 1500 in that it would also charge municipalities in the Commonwealth that rely solely or partly on the State Police for local patrol services. (SS) HB 15 would place a fee on municipalities for full-time State Police patrols of $52, $104, and $156 per person for the first three years, respectively and thereafter. A part-time patrol service fee of $17 per person for the first year, $34 per person for the second year, and $52 per person for the third and subsequent years is also provided in the bill. Failure to pay this tax would result in the forfeiture of State Police coverage and the loss of all Commonwealth funding. The bill would also provide a phase-out of State Police funding through the state’s Motor License Fund to be completed by 2021. (SS) HB 15 is currently before the House Transportation Committee.
PSATS’ position on (SS) HB 15 is the same as our thoughts on HB 1500. Residents of the 1,200 affected municipalities already pay the same state taxes to fund the State Police as all other Pennsylvanians. (SS) HB 15 would require these communities to pay up to an additional $6 million annually in taxes for State Police coverage without receiving any additional benefits. Furthermore, since (SS) HB 15 would provide no tax relief to those residents residing in municipalities with their own police force, these Pennsylvanians will see absolutely no benefit from the passage of this bill or HB 1500. This fact demonstrates that both (SS) HB 15 and HB 1500 are not about “fairness” but rather retribution.
