An Act amending the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955, No.265), referred to as the Housing Authorities Law, further providing for establishment of rentals and selection of tenants and for veteran preferences.

PRINTER'S NO. 167
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 218
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY LANGERHOLC, ROTHMAN, PHILLIPS-HILL, BROWN,
HUTCHINSON, STEFANO, J. WARD, PENNYCUICK, VOGEL AND DUSH,
FEBRUARY 3, 2025
REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, FEBRUARY 3, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955, No.265), entitled "An
act to promote public health, safety, morals, and welfare by
declaring the necessity of creating public bodies, corporate
and politic, to be known as housing authorities to engage in
slum clearance, and to undertake projects, to provide
dwelling accommodations for persons of low income; providing
for the organization of such housing authorities; defining
their powers and duties; providing for the exercise of such
powers, including the acquisition of property by purchase,
gift or eminent domain, the renting and selling of property,
and including borrowing money, issuing bonds, and other
obligations, and giving security therefor; prescribing the
remedies of obligees of housing authorities; authorizing
housing authorities to enter into agreements, including
agreements with the United States, the Commonwealth, and
political subdivisions and municipalities thereof; defining
the application of zoning, sanitary, and building laws and
regulations to projects built or maintained by such housing
authorities; exempting the property and securities of such
housing authorities from taxation; and imposing duties and
conferring powers upon the State Planning Board, and certain
other State officers and departments," further providing for
establishment of rentals and selection of tenants and for
veteran preferences.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Section 13 of the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955,
No.265), referred to as the Housing Authorities Law, is amended
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to read:
Section 13. Establishment of Rentals and Selection of
Tenants.--Subject to the preferences under section 13.2, an
Authority may rent or lease dwelling accommodations only to
persons of low income and at rentals within their financial
reach. It may rent or lease to a tenant a dwelling consisting of
the number of rooms (but no greater number) which it deems
necessary to provide safe and sanitary accommodations to the
proposed occupants thereof without overcrowding. It shall not
accept any person as a tenant in any housing project if the
person or persons, who would occupy the dwelling, have an
aggregate annual income in excess of six times the annual rental
of the quarters to be furnished such person or persons. In
computing rental for the purpose of selecting tenants, there
shall be included in the rental the average annual cost, as
determined by the Authority, to the occupants of heat, water,
electricity, gas, cooking range, and other necessary services or
facilities, whether or not the charge for such services and
facilities is in fact included in the rental. An Authority may
not rent or lease dwelling accommodations to a person who is not
a citizen of the United States or any person who is present in
this Commonwealth or the United States in violation of 8 U.S.C.
Ch. 12 (relating to immigration and nationality). Every
Authority shall file a schedule of its rental charges for
dwelling accommodations with the State Planning Board.
Nothing contained in this or the preceding section shall be
construed as limiting the power of an Authority to vest in an
obligee the right, in the event of a default by the Authority,
to take possession of a housing project, or cause the
appointment of a receiver thereof, or acquire title thereto
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through foreclosure proceedings, free from all the restrictions
imposed by this or the preceding section.
Section 2. Section 13.2 of the act is amended by adding a
subsection to read:
Section 13.2. Veteran Preferences.--* * *
(b.1) The preference established by this section shall apply
to all programs offered by the authority for which the recipient
of the preference qualifies.
* * *
Section 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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