Jun. 17, 2021
HARRISBURG – This week, the House advanced several measures authored by Rep. Frank Farry (R-Langhorne), including legislation to enhance smoke alarm safety, protect public safety official confidentiality, improve wireless service and honor a local veteran by designating the PFC John Elton Candy Memorial Bridge.
“We had a busy week in the House taking on a number of measures to make sure rental properties have tamper-resistant smoke alarms, to help improve wireless capacity, and to protect the confidentiality of public safety officials,” Farry said. “We also honored a fallen hero from our community.”
Farry’s measures that passed through House committees this week included:
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House Bill 860, co-authored with Rep. Todd Polinchock (R-Chalfont), would require all rental properties in Pennsylvania install 10-year, tamper-resistant smoke alarms when a new occupant takes residence, when a smoke alarm is being replaced, or a new alarm is being installed. This would also require that only 10-year, tamper-resistant smoke alarms be sold in Pennsylvania, starting two years after the effective date of the act.
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House Bill 1546, which would amend Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, creating the offense for releasing confidential personal information of public safety officials.
“The privacy and safety of our public safety officials is a top priority and must be taken seriously,” Farry said. “The sharing of personal and private information puts our officials and their families in a potentially dangerous situation. By creating offenses for such acts, we are working to prevent these incidents from occurring.”
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House Bill 1621, co-authored with Reps. Jim Marshall (R-Beaver/Butler) and Rob Matzie (D-Beaver/Allegheny), would create a statewide process for the review and approval of applications to put small wireless facilities within the right-of-way on existing or new utility poles and municipal-owned poles.
“This is an important bill that will improve access to 5G wireless signals by streamlining the process for small wireless facilities to use utility poles and municipal-owned poles,” Farry said. “This legislation is paving the way to a better Internet experience and helping to meet demand. As we have witnessed during this pandemic, we must ensure we have a robust network.”
Additional legislation crafted by Farry and approved by the entire House included:
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House Bill 1048, which would designate a bridge, in Middletown Township, Bucks County, as the PFC John Elton Candy Memorial Bridge. PFC Candy, upon graduation from Neshaminy High School, enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and died in 1968 at the age of 20 while serving in Vietnam.
“Years from now, we want people to drive on this road and be reminded of PFC John Elton Candy’s legacy. His contributions and sacrifice to not only our community but our nation will not be forgotten with this memorial dedication,” Farry said.