01.23.13

Senator Mike Folmer Formally Introduces A Package of Bills Inspired By The City of Harrisburg

Today, Senator Mike Folmer R-48 formally introduced a package of bills to the Pennsylvania Legislature to address issues exemplified by the Harrisburg Incinerator financial transactions and subsequent public debt of over $330 million.

The bills:

• Senate Bill 292 (Folmer, Rafferty, Vance, and Volakovich)–Appointment of a Special Prosecutor to investigate the financial transactions of the Harrisburg Authority, the City of Harrisburg, and Dauphin County to determine if criminal proceedings are warranted

• Senate Bill 293 (Folmer, Teplitz, Rafferty, Vulakovich, Pileggi, and Eichelberger)–Amend the Municipal Authorities Act to ban the use of qualified interest rate management agreements, i.e. bans SWAPs in the State of Pennsylvania

• Senate Bill 294 (Folmer, Rafferty, Vulakovich, Pileggi, Waugh, and Eichelberger)–Amend the Local Government Unit Debt Act to strengthen Department of Community & Economic Development oversight, require only legitimate “self-liquidating” projects be approved for municipal borrowings, and prevent certain risky practices

• Senate Bill 295 (Folmer, Rafferty, Vulakovich, Waugh, and Eichelberger)–Amend the Local Government Unit Debt Act to add criminal penalties for filing false certifications that municipal debt is “self-liquidating”

• Senate Bill 296 (Folmer, Rafferty, Vulakovich, Waugh, and Eichelberger)–Amend the Sewer Rental Act to require justifications for sewer rates and charges and impose criminal penalties for violations.

photo by Natalie Cake, Roxbury News