Sep. 22, 2022
HARRISBURG – Rep. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe/Pike), majority chairwoman of the House Urban Affairs Committee, announced her bill to encourage further transparency and reliability in Pennsylvania Common Interest Ownership Communities (CIOC) has been reported to the full Senate for consideration.
House Bill 1795 was approved unanimously by the Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee on Wednesday after passing the House unanimously.
“This legislation has been worked on for over four years and it has always been a top priority of mine to address the concerns of residents living in CIOCs,” said Brown. “The absence of detailed election procedures within these communities, as well as bylaw changes, have negatively impacted property owners and the board members representing the communities.
“I am confident my bill will help these larger communities conduct their elections, amend bylaws and abide by the Uniform Planned Communities Act, reducing conflict within the CIOCs, while still respecting the balance of state government and private community rights,” she added.
Brown’s bill would require CIOCs with 500 units or larger to use an independent reviewer to conduct their elections, taking a “hands off” approach to the process to offer confidence to community residents who have felt election procedures within communities need a stronger process. The bill requires the independent reviewer to certify the results and provide them to the community and all residents.
The bill also requires communication to residents regarding meetings proposed for bylaw changes and the ability to amend those bylaws with 51 % of the votes collected. Currently, the state law contains no requirements for amendments to bylaws. This is extremely problematic as some CIOC boards may amend bylaws without notice to residents or obtaining important input and opinions from the unit owners.
Furthermore, the bill would require communities with 25 units or more to offer a “Meet the Candidate” opportunity or event, whether virtual or in person, during the board election process. This parameter is meant to strengthen the communication process and importance of these positions within the CIOCs.
Brown concluded, “This is one more step in the process to addressing these critical discrepancies, protecting private community resident’s rights and strengthening the framework for all CIOC communities in Pennsylvania.”
Additional information about this legislation can be found by visiting
RepBrown.com.
Representative Rosemary Brown
189th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Katie Park
717.885.3846
kpark@pahousegop.com
RepBrown.com | Facebook.com/RepRosemaryBrown