SB 87 — An Act amending the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955, No.265), referred to as the Housing Authorities Law, providing for training requirement for members of authority.

PRINTER'S NO.   43

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                        SENATE BILL
                        No. 87
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY MILLER, COSTA AND FONTANA, JANUARY 22, 2025

     REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, JANUARY 22, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955, No.265), entitled "An
 2      act to promote public health, safety, morals, and welfare by
 3      declaring the necessity of creating public bodies, corporate
 4      and politic, to be known as housing authorities to engage in
 5      slum clearance, and to undertake projects, to provide
 6      dwelling accommodations for persons of low income; providing
 7      for the organization of such housing authorities; defining
 8      their powers and duties; providing for the exercise of such
 9      powers, including the acquisition of property by purchase,
10      gift or eminent domain, the renting and selling of property,
11      and including borrowing money, issuing bonds, and other
12      obligations, and giving security therefor; prescribing the
13      remedies of obligees of housing authorities; authorizing
14      housing authorities to enter into agreements, including
15      agreements with the United States, the Commonwealth, and
16      political subdivisions and municipalities thereof; defining
17      the application of zoning, sanitary, and building laws and
18      regulations to projects built or maintained by such housing
19      authorities; exempting the property and securities of such
20      housing authorities from taxation; and imposing duties and
21      conferring powers upon the State Planning Board, and certain
22      other State officers and departments," providing for training
23      requirement for members of authority.
24      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
25   hereby enacts as follows:
26      Section 1.    The act of May 28, 1937 (P.L.955, No.265),
27   referred to as the Housing Authorities Law, is amended by adding
28   a section to read:
29      Section 6.1.    Training Requirement for Members of
 1   Authority.--(a)   The Department of Community and Economic
 2   Development shall establish and implement a mandatory training
 3   program for members of housing authorities. The training program
 4   shall be developed by the Department of Community and Economic
 5   Development in consultation with representatives of housing
 6   authorities, municipal officials, public housing residents,
 7   housing industry professional organizations or a Statewide
 8   housing association and relevant Federal and State agencies.
 9      (b)   A member of an authority who is appointed after the
10   effective date of this section shall satisfactorily complete the
11   training program no later than one hundred eighty (180) days
12   following the beginning of the term of office of the member.
13      (c)   An individual serving as a member of an authority on the
14   effective date of this section shall satisfactorily complete the
15   training program within one hundred eighty (180) days of the
16   effective date of this section.
17      (d)   Following an initial or subsequent reappointment to an
18   authority, a member shall complete the training program within
19   one hundred eighty (180) days of the member's reappointment.
20      (e)   An authority may remove a member who does not complete
21   the training program.
22      (f)   The course curriculum for the training program shall
23   consist of a minimum of eight (8) hours of instruction delivered
24   either in person, online, virtually or remotely, and shall
25   include, at a minimum, information modules that encompass the
26   following topics or areas:
27      (1)   Fair housing fundamentals and protections, reasonable
28   accommodations and prevention of hate, harassment and
29   discriminatory practices.
30      (2)   Fiscal management, budgeting and capital planning.

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 1      (3)   Board governance best practices and fiduciary
 2   responsibilities.
 3      (4)   Best practices relating to building code compliance,
 4   including the general inspection, maintenance and repair of
 5   housing units.
 6      (5)   Strategies for crime prevention and drug elimination.
 7      (6)   Ethics and open meetings, including the requirements
 8   under 65 Pa.C.S. Chs. 7 (relating to open meetings) and 11
 9   (relating to ethics standards and financial disclosure).
10      (7)   The act of February 14, 2008 (P.L.6, No.3), known as the
11   Right-to-Know Law.
12      (8)   Any other topic deemed appropriate by the Department of
13   Community and Economic Development to enable a member of an
14   authority to serve effectively.
15      (g)   The training program shall be made available by the
16   Department of Community and Economic Development at no cost to
17   an authority or its members.
18      (h)   The Department of Community and Economic Development
19   shall use money appropriated by the General Assembly for the
20   purpose of underwriting the cost of providing and administering
21   the training program.
22      (i)   The Department of Community and Economic Development may
23   partner or contract with a third-party entity to develop and to
24   deliver the training program.
25      (j)   The Department of Community and Economic Development may
26   approve alternative training programs that fulfill the
27   requirements of this section which may be provided by an
28   authority to its members at the authority's own expense.
29      (k)   Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit
30   an authority from offering additional training programs or other

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1   learning activities in addition to the training program. The
2   costs of any additional training programs or other learning
3   activities may not be paid by the Department of Community and
4   Economic Development.
5      Section 2.   This act shall take effect in 180 days.




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