An Act amending Title 68 (Real and Personal Property) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in land banks, further providing for definitions.
Summary
HB 369 amends Pennsylvania’s land bank law by broadening who can qualify as a “land bank jurisdiction” and by updating the definition of “municipality.” Under current law, land banks could be established by certain local governments, including counties, cities, boroughs, townships, and incorporated towns over a population threshold, or by groups of smaller municipalities acting together. This bill removes the population-based limits and replaces the narrower list with a broader reference to any municipality, while also allowing two or more municipalities to form a land bank through an intergovernmental cooperation agreement.
The practical effect is to make land banks more accessible to additional local government forms, including home rule municipalities, optional plan municipalities, and optional charter municipalities. The bill would amend Title 68 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and take effect 60 days after enactment. By expanding eligibility, the measure is intended to give more communities flexibility to create or participate in land banks for managing vacant, abandoned, or tax-delinquent properties and supporting local redevelopment efforts.
Impact
HB 369 changes the statutory definitions in Pennsylvania’s land bank chapter, expanding the set of local governments that may establish or participate in a land bank and eliminating the prior population-based restrictions for certain municipalities. It would affect Title 68, section 2103, and likely broaden access to land bank tools for local governments, especially those using home rule or alternative municipal structures, while preserving the ability of multiple municipalities to cooperate regionally.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have received generally favorable treatment in the House. It was reported from the House Local Government Committee by a strong 25-1 vote and then passed the House on final passage by a wide 162-40 margin, indicating broad support but not complete unanimity. The appropriations committee also re-reported it unanimously, suggesting little fiscal or procedural resistance at that stage.
Contention
The main point of contention appears to be the scope of the expansion. Supporters likely view the bill as a technical but useful modernization that removes outdated population thresholds and makes land banks more usable for more municipalities. The minority of no votes on final passage suggests some concern about expanding land bank authority or altering local-government definitions, though the available record does not show detailed objections. No committee transcript is available, so specific arguments from opponents are not documented in the provided materials.
In general provisions relating to residential real property, further providing for definitions; and, in seller disclosures, further providing for application of chapter and providing for disclosure of construction defects.
Amending Titles 45 (Legal Notices) and 65 (Public Officers) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in preliminary provisions, further providing for definitions; in legal advertising, further providing for use of trade publications and providing for local government unit advertising requirements; and, in open meetings, further providing for definitions.