Jun. 24, 2016
HARRISBURG – Rep. Rosemary M. Brown’s (R-Monroe/Pike) legislation to grant the power of investigation and mediation of complaints from planned communities, cooperatives and condominiums to the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection passed the House on Tuesday.
Nearly one quarter of Pennsylvania residents live in these types of self-governing communities, including a significant portion of people in the 189th District. Communities formed under Title 68 are operated under a set of governing bylaws that creates a micro government. When disagreements or incidences of fraud occur in these communities, residents and unit owner boards feel they have nowhere to turn for assistance in resolving these complaints.
“Due to the self-governing nature of private communities, the state does not have the authority to intervene on behalf of boards or residents when disputes flair up,” Brown said. “My office gets a tremendous amount of calls from frustrated residents and we are forced to tell them there is nothing we can do. For serious violations to the law based on the framework, communities must follow the Planned Community Act. I strongly believe there should be a mechanism to help mediate, and if needed, investigate specific violations to protect the rights of homeowners and boards.”
As a possible solution to some of these frustrations, Brown crafted
House Bill 1774. Her intent is that this measure could provide private community residents and boards an avenue to seek mediation and investigation of serious violations of the Planned Community Act without having to jump directly to potentially costly lawsuits. House Bill 1774 passed the House unanimously this week and now moves to the Senate for consideration. Brown is asking all residents in favor of House Bill 1774 to contact their senator to urge continued movement of this proposal.
For more information about House Bill 1774, or any state-related issue, contact Brown’s district office in East Stroudsburg located at 143 Seven Bridge Road, by calling 570-420-8301. Information can also be found on online at
RepBrown.com or
Facebook.com/RepRosemaryBrown.
Representative Rosemary M. Brown
189th District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Krisinda Corbin
717.705.2032
KCorbin@pahousegop.com
RepBrown.com /
Facebook.com/RepRosemaryBrown