HR 527

                                                  PRINTER'S NO.    3412
                THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
         HOUSE RESOLUTION
            No. 527
                                            Session of
                                              2026
INTRODUCED BY COOPER, KUZMA, PUGH, BOROWSKI, ROWE, GILLEN AND
   T. JONES, MAY 14, 2026
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, MAY 14, 2026
                             A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to
2    conduct a comprehensive study of the operating revenues,
3    expenditures and balance sheet for service years 2023 and
4    2024 of all municipal authorities and municipalities which
5    operate municipal separate storm sewer system facilities in
6    this Commonwealth.
7WHEREAS, Federal Law requires that municipalities and other
8 entities such as universities and prisons that meet certain
9 criteria must obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
10 System permit coverage for discharges of storm water from their
11 municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4s); and
12WHEREAS, These mandates have resulted in fees to cover the
13 costs of implementation, which vary across this Commonwealth;
14 and
15WHEREAS, Fees are a financial hardship for many residents and
16 businesses across this Commonwealth; and
17WHEREAS, The General Assembly urgently needs reliable and
18 complete information on the operations and finances of Municipal
19 Separate Storm Water System facilities in this Commonwealth to
20 enable such facilities to be financed under State law on an
1 appropriate, fair and predictable basis; therefore be it
2    RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
3 issue a report based on a comprehensive and independent survey
4 and analysis of the operating revenues, expenditures and balance
5 sheet for service years 2023 and 2024 of all municipal
6 authorities and municipalities which operate municipal separate
7 storm sewer system facilities in this Commonwealth; and be it
8 further
9    RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
10 issue the report based on a survey and analysis conducted by a
11 professor of economics and public policy who is also a fellow of
12 the National Academy of Public Administration, has a Ph.D. in
13 economics, is employed by a university in a county of the second
14 class and is selected by the Legislative Budget and Finance
15 Committee; and be it further
16    RESOLVED, That the survey examine the following:
17(1)   The method of accounting used by regulated MS4s.
18(2)   The total number of full-time and part-time
19    employees for each regulated MS4.
20(3)   Revenues and composition of the regulated MS4s.
21(4)   Expenses and composition of the regulated MS4s.
22(5)   The amount of outstanding debt of the regulated
23    MS4s, including the term of the debt, repayment provisions
24    and any guarantees provided to the lender.
25(6)   The amounts of intergovernmental transfers of MS4
26    facilities, including a characterization of intergovernmental
27    transfers by source to MS4 operations from parent identified
28    organizations, including public authorities, municipalities
29    or consortium of municipalities and transfers of real estate
30    taxes and other money to finance MS4s.
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1(7)   The current mechanisms of financing in terms of
2    classes of MS4 payees, fee schedules and amounts collected
3    from each class;
4 and be it further
5    RESOLVED, That the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee
6 issue a report with findings and recommendations based on the
7 survey to the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Local
8 Government Committee of the House of Representatives and post
9 the report on the committee's publicly accessible Internet
10 website within one year of the adoption of this resolution.
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