An Act establishing the Rebuild Pennsylvania Board, the Rebuild Pennsylvania Program and the Rebuild Pennsylvania Fund; providing for powers and duties of the board and for use of program money; and m . . .aking an interfund transfer.
HB571, the Rebuild Pennsylvania Act, would create a new independent Rebuild Pennsylvania Board and a Rebuild Pennsylvania Program to distribute state funding for a broad range of infrastructure, environmental, public safety, and economic development projects. The board would be made up of five gubernatorial and legislative appointees, with unanimous consent required for board action, and the Department of Community and Economic Development would provide administrative support. The program would offer grants, loans, and other financing tools for eligible uses selected by the board.
The bill directs program money to ten major categories: flood control, disaster response, green infrastructure, redevelopment and blight demolition, stormwater infrastructure, brownfield cleanup, contaminant remediation in schools and child-care centers, business development and site selection, energy efficiency, and transportation infrastructure. It also specifies numerous subprograms and recipient agencies, including DEP, PEMA, DCNR, PennDOT, the Department of Health, the Department of Education, DHS, the Fish and Boat Commission, the Game Commission, and others. The bill further requires agencies to consider regional and socioeconomic diversity, encourages outreach for competitive grants, allows matching funds, and permits combined applications where feasible.
HB571 would create a new dedicated state fund in the Treasury and authorize a $3 billion transfer from the General Fund for fiscal year 2024-2025, with all deposited money appropriated for the program’s uses. It would expand or channel funding into existing programs and create several new ones, including disaster assistance, pipeline preparedness and response, stormwater control grants, blight demolition and redevelopment, and remediation of lead and asbestos hazards in schools and child-care centers. The bill would also affect multiple existing statutes and programs by directing money to them and by establishing new administrative and funding structures for infrastructure and environmental projects across the Commonwealth.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee discussion or votes, the overall tone appears policy-driven and broadly supportive of public investment in infrastructure, environmental cleanup, and community redevelopment. The measure is framed as a comprehensive statewide reinvestment package rather than a narrow program change. Because no vote history or transcript is provided, there is no documented recorded opposition or support beyond the bill’s bipartisan-looking sponsorship list and the breadth of targeted spending categories.
The main likely points of contention are the size of the proposed transfer, the breadth of the spending categories, and the governance structure of the new board. A $3 billion General Fund transfer could raise concerns about fiscal impact, competing budget priorities, and whether the money should be spent through existing agencies rather than a new board. Other possible areas of debate include the inclusion of pipeline-related funding, support for natural gas infrastructure, the use of funds for ATV trail development, and the requirement that all board members agree to take action, which could make the program difficult to administer.