SB 646 — An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, in additional special funds and restricted accounts, establishing the Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair and Empowering Housing Trust Fund; and making an interfund transfer.

PRINTER'S NO.   658

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                      SENATE BILL
                      No. 646
                                             Session of
                                               2025

     INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, SAVAL, SANTARSIERO, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA,
        HAYWOOD, COMITTA, COSTA, CAPPELLETTI AND STREET,
        APRIL 21, 2025

     REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, APRIL 21, 2025


                                  AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
 2      "An act relating to the finances of the State government;
 3      providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
 4      ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
 5      Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
 6      financial management firms, for private dam financial
 7      assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
 8      the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
 9      bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
10      collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
11      due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
12      including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
13      the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
14      and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
15      Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
16      Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
17      courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
18      Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
19      all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
20      moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
21      and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
22      authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
23      to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
24      section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
25      Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
26      certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
27      department, board, commission, and officer of the State
28      government, every political subdivision of the State, and
29      certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
30      association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
31      collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
32      imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
33      other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
 1      every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
 2      Commonwealth," in additional special funds and restricted
 3      accounts, establishing the Survivor-Centered, Accessible,
 4      Fair and Empowering Housing Trust Fund; and making an
 5      interfund transfer.
 6      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 7   hereby enacts as follows:
 8      Section 1.    Article XVII-A.1 of the act of April 9, 1929
 9   (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, is amended by
10   adding a subarticle to read:
11                                SUBARTICLE K
12                  SURVIVOR-CENTERED, ACCESSIBLE, FAIR AND
13                       EMPOWERING HOUSING TRUST FUND
14   Section 1795-A.1.    Definitions.
15      The following words and phrases when used in this subarticle
16   shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
17   context clearly indicates otherwise:
18      "Agency."    The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
19      "Department."    The Department of Transportation of the
20   Commonwealth.
21      "Domestic violence program."       As defined in 23 Pa.C.S. § 6102
22   (relating to definitions). The term includes a culturally
23   specific organization that has a substantive partnership with a
24   domestic violence program.
25      "Fund."     The Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair and
26   Empowering Housing Trust Fund established under section 1796-
27   A.1.
28      "Housing program."    A project designed to provide emergency,
29   transitional and permanent housing, along with related support
30   services to facilitate movement toward living as independently
31   as possible.
32      "Immediate family member."       An adoptive child, biological


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 1   child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, brother, sister,
 2   stepbrother, stepsister, half brother or half sister currently
 3   living with a victim or survivor of domestic violence, sexual
 4   assault, dating violence, human trafficking or stalking.
 5      "Rape crisis program."     A nonprofit organization or program
 6   which has a primary purpose to provide confidential services to
 7   sexual violence victims, which include the following:
 8            (1)   Survivor services, such as crisis intervention,
 9      crisis hotlines, counseling and therapy, legal and medical
10      advocacy.
11            (2)   Community services, such as information and
12      referrals, prevention education, community awareness,
13      professional training and outreach and institutional advocacy
14      in legal, medical, educational, housing and employment areas.
15      "Target population."     Victims and survivors of domestic
16   violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking and
17   stalking and their immediate family members.
18   Section 1796-A.1.     Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair and
19                  Empowering Housing Trust Fund.
20      (a)   Establishment.--The Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair
21   and Empowering Housing Trust Fund is established as a separate
22   fund in the State Treasury.
23      (b)   Purpose.--The fund is established for the following
24   purposes:
25            (1)   To provide the target population with access to
26      emergency, transitional and permanent housing programs in
27      order to reduce homelessness and housing instability. Housing
28      programs and services shall be available to the target
29      population regardless of an individual's sex, gender identity
30      or sexual orientation.

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 1            (2)   To promote a policy of housing as a right, rather
 2      than requiring survivors to demonstrate housing readiness as
 3      a prerequisite for obtaining permanent housing.
 4   Section 1797-A.1.       Sources of revenue.
 5      (a)   Transfer.--On the effective date of this subsection, the
 6   sum of $1,000,000 shall be transferred from the General Fund to
 7   the fund.
 8      (b)   Additional surcharge.--
 9            (1)   In addition to any fee, charge or cost authorized by
10      law, an additional fee of $10 shall be charged and collected
11      by the recorder of deeds and clerks of court or by any
12      official designated to perform similar functions on each
13      filing of a deed or mortgage.
14            (2)   All money received under paragraph (1) shall be
15      transferred by the recorder of deeds and clerks of court
16      collecting the fee to the State Treasurer for deposit into
17      the fund.
18      (c)   Contributions.--
19            (1)   Within one year of the effective date of this
20      paragraph, the department shall provide for all of the
21      following:
22                  (i)    The ability of an individual renewing a driver's
23            license or identification card electronically through the
24            department's publicly accessible Internet website to make
25            a contribution of $5 to the fund.
26                  (ii)   The ability of a person renewing a vehicle
27            registration electronically through the department's
28            publicly accessible Internet website to make a
29            contribution of $5 to the fund.
30            (2)   The contributions shall be implemented as follows:

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 1                  (i)    A contribution under paragraph (1) shall be
 2            added, as appropriate, to the regular fee for a renewal
 3            of a driver's license or identification card and a
 4            renewal of a vehicle registration.
 5                  (ii)    A contribution under paragraph (1) may be made
 6            for each renewal of a driver's license or identification
 7            card and each renewal of a vehicle registration.
 8            (3)   Contributions under paragraph (1) shall be used
 9      exclusively for the purposes of the fund under section 1796-
10      A.1(b).
11            (4)   The department shall determine on a monthly basis
12      the total amount collected under this subsection and report
13      that amount to the State Treasurer. The State Treasurer shall
14      transfer that amount from the Motor License Fund to the fund.
15            (5)   The fund shall reimburse the Motor License Fund for
16      the actual costs incurred by the department in the
17      administration of paragraph (1).
18            (6)   The department shall provide adequate information
19      concerning the contribution to the fund in the department's
20      instructions for the renewal applicants under paragraph (1).
21      The information shall include the listing of an address
22      furnished by the agency to which contributions may be sent by
23      individuals wishing to make additional contributions.
24      (d)   Other contributions.--Any grants, gifts, donations and
25   other payments from an individual or government entity may be
26   accepted as a contribution to the fund.
27   Section 1798-A.1.       Use of fund.
28      (a)   Authorization.--
29            (1)   The agency shall administer the fund and have the
30      power to allocate revenue from the fund for any purpose

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 1    consistent with this subarticle.
 2          (2)   The agency shall allocate revenue from the fund to
 3    reimburse the Motor License Fund as provided under
 4    section 1797-A.1(c)(5).
 5    (b)   Grants.--
 6          (1)   The agency shall allocate revenue from the fund to
 7    provide grants to domestic violence programs or rape crisis
 8    programs that operate housing programs for the target
 9    population. A domestic violence program or rape crisis
10    program receiving a grant under this paragraph shall offer
11    any of the following to the target population:
12                (i)    Affordable housing.
13                (ii)    Relocation services.
14                (iii)    Rent or rental subsidies.
15                (iv)    Stipends for security deposits, furniture and
16          any other housing-related needs.
17                (v)    Financing options to facilitate homeownership.
18                (vi)    Any other service determined by the agency to
19          provide housing options.
20          (2)   When allocating revenue from the fund under
21    paragraph (1), the agency shall address and identify
22    geographical areas where target populations have been
23    underserved, disadvantaged and prevented from accessing safe,
24    stable and permanent housing.
25    (c)   Operation.--
26          (1)   The agency shall adopt a statement of policy
27    consistent with this subarticle within 60 days of the
28    effective date of this paragraph. The statement of policy
29    shall be transmitted as a notice to the Legislative Reference
30    Bureau for publication in the next available issue of the

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 1      Pennsylvania Bulletin, but shall not be subject to review
 2      under any of the following:
 3                  (i)    Section 205 of the act of July 31, 1968
 4            (P.L.769, No.240), referred to as the Commonwealth
 5            Documents Law.
 6                  (ii)    Sections 204(b) and 301(10) of the act of
 7            October 15, 1980 (P.L.950, No.164), known as the
 8            Commonwealth Attorneys Act.
 9                  (iii)    The act of June 25, 1982 (P.L.633, No.181),
10            known as the Regulatory Review Act.
11            (2)   At a minimum, the statement of policy shall provide
12      information on the maintenance of the fund, the criteria used
13      by the agency to determine eligibility for the allocation of
14      revenue from the fund and the procedures by which a program
15      may request funding.
16            (3)   No less than once a year, the agency shall review
17      the statement of policy.
18            (4)   The agency may solicit and accept gifts, donations,
19      legacies and other revenues for deposit into the fund from
20      any person or entity, including a government entity.
21      (d)   Report.--Within one year of the effective date of this
22   subsection, and every year thereafter, the agency shall submit a
23   report to the chairperson and minority chairperson of the
24   Appropriations Committee of the Senate, the chairperson and
25   minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the
26   House of Representatives and the chairperson and minority
27   chairperson of the Urban Affairs and Housing Committee of the
28   Senate. The report shall specify all of the following:
29            (1)   The revenues and expenditures of the fund in the
30      prior fiscal year.

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 1            (2)   The name of each program that has received money
 2      from the fund and the number of individuals assisted.
 3            (3)   The number of individual grants awarded and the
 4      county of residence of the grantees.
 5            (4)   A breakdown of total money spent by county, type of
 6      services provided and outcomes related to housing permanency.
 7      (e)   Audit.--The Auditor General shall conduct an audit of
 8   the revenues and expenditures of the fund no later than three
 9   years after the effective date of this subsection. The Auditor
10   General shall conduct subsequent audits of the revenues and
11   expenditures of the fund no more than once every three years
12   from the date of the preceding audit. The Auditor General shall
13   submit a report of each audit to the Governor and the
14   chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations
15   Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority
16   chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the House of
17   Representatives.
18      Section 2.    This act shall take effect in 60 days.




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