Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), Minority Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, Wednesday praised the unanimous Senate passage of two critical pieces of flood control legislation.

House Bill 1913 (Culver-R- Northumberland) would allow local taxing bodies to decrease real estate taxes for properties substantially affected by the September flooding.  House Bill 1916 (Millard-R- Columbia) would authorize state funding for a list of highways, bridges, and flood control and hazard mitigation projects.

"While I am pleased with the bipartisan efforts to move this essential flood relief legislation along in the legislative process, I would be remiss if I did not express frustration with the months of inaction on these important bills," Sen. Yudichak said. "Many families and businesses throughout my district suffered massive property and financial losses in September's flooding. We cannot continue to drag our feet in Harrisburg while these families and our local economies continue to struggle in their recovery efforts."

House Bill 1916 would authorize $150 million in borrowing in the form of bonds for the rehabilitation of areas affected by Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee in September 2011. The bill would allocate 75 percent of the funds for Pennsylvania's share of projects funded by the federal government; the remaining 25 percent would be allocated for projects with either an insufficient federal share or are ineligible for federal funding.

House Bill 1913 would allow a county assessment office to decrease, credit or refund up to $30,000 in real estate taxes due to a decrease in property value caused by Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee. The bill would also create a real estate tax exemption on the assessed value of houses affected by the storms to encourage communities to reconstruct and rebuild flood damaged properties.

Sen. Yudichak also commended state Sens. Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne), John Blake (D-Lackawanna), John Gordner (R-Columbia), and Gene Yaw (R-Bradford) for their work on the flood relief legislation.

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6/18/2012