Sep. 29, 2021
HARRISBURG – Rep. Lee James (R-Venango/Butler) announced his bill, which aims to create uniformity and autonomy in boroughs, overwhelmingly passed the full House yesterday.
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House Bill 1350 modernizes the Borough Code in accordance with recent changes to the First Class Township Code,” said James. “It is important to ensure rules are the same across the board in order to eliminate any conflicting, confusing guidance.”
Specifically, this legislation provides protections for elected officials after seeking legal opinions and supplies borough councils with better options to seek a borough manager among others.
“Anyone who seeks legal advice on a matter should be exempt from any financial losses the borough incurs,” said James. “They should not bear the financial burden because the person acted in good faith. I am happy to see widespread support for this legislation so we can take the pressure off of officials making decisions in the best interest of their municipality.
“In the event a borough manager position becomes vacant, councils are handcuffed when it comes to determining the next individual for that role. This bill opens up the candidate field, which will be beneficial to finding the best person for the job,” he added.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
Representative R. Lee James
64th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Nate Temple
717-260-6396
Ntemple@pahousegop.com
repjames.com