Blight Legislation PASSES:

October 29, 2010

A HUGE SUCCESS! On October 27, 2010, Governor Rendell signed Senate Bill 900 (Argall-Schuylkill) into law, creating Act 90, or the Neighborhood Blight Reclamation and Revitalization Act of 2010. Act 90 will help municipalities prevent blight and remediate abandoned properties through several new approaches. The law will:

• Allow municipalities to file court actions against owners of properties with serious code violations resulting in judgments against the owners’ assets, not just liens against the buildings.
• Provide for out-of-state owners of deteriorated property to be extradited to the Commonwealth for prosecution.
• Allow municipalities to deny applications for certain municipal permits and approvals if the applicant is delinquent on taxes or other municipal charges, or if the applicant owns property that is in serious violation of codes and has taken no substantial action to bring the property into code compliance.
• Encourage the development of education and training programs for judges related to blighted and abandoned property.
• Authorize the establishment of housing courts.

Senator Argall has worked hard for several years to get this bill passed. "My goal was to see this important bipartisan bill signed into law this session," said Argall.

"This is a major victory for municipalities throughout Pennsylvania who have been impacted by abandoned or dilapidated properties. These eyesores leave a black mark on our communities that many times are difficult to eliminate." Argall added, "The Statewide Blight Task Force, my colleagues in the House, Senate and governor's administration deserve a great deal of credit for their hard work and commitment to this effort."

Passing SB 900 was one of the Pennsylvania Works! campaign’s top priorities, so many thanks to all of our partners for their help and support. Also, a huge CONGRATULATIONS to the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, which led the effort to get this important bill passed. Lastly, thank you for contacting your representatives and raising legislative awareness to get this passed.

The Pennsylvania Works! campaign is built on the common interest of our citizens to improve our economic opportunities and enhance the things we value. Our plans work to build lasting prosperity, through efficient and innovative use of public resources, and create significant and accountable return on taxpayer investments.

In some cases, we need to update our laws and policies. In some cases, we need to change how people in power think and act on issues. And in all cases, we need to open up our government to the voices of the people.

There really is only one way forward for Pennsylvania – in a strong partnership of citizens, state and local governments, private investors, and public interest and community organizations … all of us, working in Pennsylvania.

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