PENN TWP – At the behest of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the township’s board of supervisors recently wrote a letter to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly opposing House Bill 299.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Pat Harkins, D-1st, aims to provide minimum occupational safety and healthy standards for public employees. This essentially would subject all levels of local government in Pennsylvania to the standards of private institutions, which are regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“The General Assembly ... finds it inappropriate to continue two standards for employee safety, one applicable to those who work in the private sector, and one for those who are employed by a public employer,” reads Section 1 of the bill.

However, township supervisors believe the bill, if passed, would have an adverse affect on the bottom line of the township and other townships across the commonwealth.

PENN TWP – At the behest of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the township’s board of supervisors recently wrote a letter to members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly opposing House Bill 299.

The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Pat Harkins, D-1st, aims to provide minimum occupational safety and healthy standards for public employees. This essentially would subject all levels of local government in Pennsylvania to the standards of private institutions, which are regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“The General Assembly ... finds it inappropriate to continue two standards for employee safety, one applicable to those who work in the private sector, and one for those who are employed by a public employer,” reads Section 1 of the bill.

However, township supervisors believe the bill, if passed, would have an adverse affect on the bottom line of the township and other townships across the commonwealth.

“This proposed legislation would put a financial burden on how we perform work with our road department,” supervisors chairman Samuel Ward said at their Tuesday, June 13, board meeting.

More specifically, opponents of the bill claim that townships already are working under the regulations set forward by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. If House Bill 299 were to go into effect, it would put one state government entity in position to impose financial penalties on another government entity, with the citizens ultimately paying for it.

According to township manager Linda Zerfoss, the letters reached state Sen. Scott Hutchinson, R-21st, and state Rep. Aaron Bernstine, R-8th, who said they were receptive to what Penn Township had to say.

“It would be very expensive for all municipalities, so we encouraged our representatives and senator to oppose that,” Zerfoss said. “They said they would definitely oppose that.”

“With limited revenue streams and ballooning expenses, many municipalities are already stretching every dollar they have,” reads the letter sent to Hutchinson and Bernstine. “Without full state funding for the excessive regulatory requirements and punitive penalties that HB 299 would impose, local elected officials will be forced to pass the costs of compliance along onto their taxpayers.”

The House approved the bill May 2 by a vote of 116-85, and the bill is now awaiting a vote in the state Senate.