HB89 • 2025

An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of telecommunications services, providing for compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure failures.

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: OWLETT
Last action: 2025-01-14
Official status: Referred to VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, Jan. 14, 2025
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of telecommunications services, providing for compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure failures.

What This Bill Does

An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of telecommunications services, providing for compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure failures.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2025-01-14 VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
Referred to VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, Jan. 14, 2025

Official Summary Text

An Act amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of telecommunications services, providing for compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure failures.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

PRINTER'S NO. 72
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 89
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY OWLETT, PICKETT, GILLEN, KAUFFMAN, BANTA, WARNER,
BURGOS, KENYATTA, SMITH, M. MACKENZIE AND PUGH,
JANUARY 14, 2025
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS, JANUARY 14, 2025
AN ACT
Amending Title 66 (Public Utilities) of the Pennsylvania
Consolidated Statutes, in alternative form of regulation of
telecommunications services, providing for compensation to
volunteer fire companies for equipment or infrastructure
failures.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Title 66 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
§ 3020. Compensation to volunteer fire companies for equipment
or infrastructure failures.
(a) Compensation.--If a local exchange telecommunications
company's equipment or infrastructure failure results in the
active deployment of a volunteer firefighter to the site of the
failure, the company shall physically respond to the site of the
failure within 90 minutes of receipt of notice of the failure. A
local exchange telecommunications company that fails to
physically respond within 90 minutes as required under this
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subsection shall pay compensation to the volunteer fire company
at a rate of $1,000 for each hour of active deployment of a
volunteer firefighter.
(b) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following
words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this
subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Volunteer fire company." As defined in 35 Pa.C.S. § 7802
(relating to definitions).
"Volunteer firefighter." As defined in 35 Pa.C.S. § 7412
(relating to definitions).
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
20250HB0089PN0072 - 2 -
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