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Mowery Introduces Bill to Help Homeowners Pay for
Water, Sewer Connections
HARRISBURG -- State
Sen. Hal Mowery (R-31) has introduced legislation to help homeowners cover the
cost of connecting to municipal water and sewage systems.
Senate Bill 1170 would
establish the “Municipal Connection Funding Program” under the Pennsylvania
Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST). The program would provide
low-interest loans and grants to homeowners who are required to connect to
municipal water and sewer systems, or if they are required to replace their
lateral lines as part of an upgrade of existing water and sewer systems,
according to the senator.
“Many homeowners find
mandated connections to be extremely costly, and in some instances they have had
to sell their homes,” said Mowery, a member of the PENNVEST board of directors.
“Modern municipal water and sewer systems can be a real benefit to communities,
but connecting to them should not put a property owner in a financial bind.
The loans would be
below-market rate and grants would be available if certain income eligibilities
are met.
The senator introduced a
second bill, Senate Bill 1171, to ensure competitive bidding on PENNVEST
projects to allow Pennsylvania businesses to compete in the marketplace.
The measure would require
PENNVEST to write contract specifications in such a manner that would prohibit
proprietary, exclusionary or discriminatory requirements unless it can be
determined that those requirements are necessary to test or demonstrate a
specific thing or for interchangeability of parts. Also, at least two brand or
trade names shall be listed with the words “or equal.”
Currently, when PENNVEST puts
a bid out for a project, it specifies a specific brand name of equipment to be
used. The bill would allow for companies with products of equal value to compete
for such projects.
Both bills have been referred to the Senate
Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.
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