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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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CONTACT: James M. Dawes Communications Director Professional Licensure Committee |
State Rep. Mike Sturla D-Lancaster Majority Deputy Whip Chairman, Professional Licensure Committee |
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Sturla bill would end inequity of state police fines’ revenue
to municipalities
HARRISBURG, May 1 – State Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, has introduced a bill (H.B. 1070) that would bring fairness to the collection of fine monies in situations involving state police actions.
“Currently, municipalities that do not pay for police services and rely solely on the state police for coverage are benefiting from revenue collected from state police citations in their area. Meanwhile, other municipalities have to use these funds to offset costs associated with their own police services,” Sturla said. “Why should we be rewarding municipalities who do not have police forces? My legislation would correct this inequality by removing their right to receive these funds.”
Under Sturla’s proposal, the state police fine monies would be returned to a municipality only if that municipality provides local police services through a municipal police department, participation in a regional police department, or contracts with other municipal or regional police for police services. Municipalities that completely rely on the state police would not be eligible for these funds and their portion of the funds would be returned to the Motor License Fund.
“To allow affected municipalities time to prepare for their loss in state police fines’ revenue, my bill includes a five-year phase out schedule,” Sturla said. “During the phase out, a municipality would receive 80 percent of the revenue paid in year one, 60 percent in year two, 40 percent in year three, 20 percent in year four, and none in year five.”
Sturla noted that the House’s Committee of the Whole on Crime adopted a version of his bill last session by a vote of 133-41.
H.B. 1070 has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
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