HARRISBURG PA – Two separate and unrelated pieces of legislation recently introduced to the Pennsylvania House by 146th District state Rep. Joe Ciresi would “ensure the proper use of electric vehicle (EV) charging spots,” and “pay down the unfunded liabilities in the state and school employees’ pensions systems,” his office reported.
Electric vehicle charging
Ciresi noted that “there is a limited availability of public charging stations” nationwide, despite the fact that more than 2 million electric vehicles can now be found on its highways. Too many of those stations in Pennsylvania are being carelessly blocked by owners of non-electric vehicles, he said.
He called it “a common frustration among many EV owners,” one that also is cited by Pennsylvania planners “as a challenge to EV deployment.”
Ciresi said his proposed bill, H.B. 1043, “would ensure that spots clearly marked as reserved for electric vehicle charging are properly utilized, and cannot be used by non-electric vehicles or vehicles not connected for charging.” It would be “similar to existing laws restricting improper use of reserved disability parking spaces,” he suggested.
Unfunded liability payments
Separately, in H.B. 1137, Ciresi also proposed to use state surplus funds to pay down the pension systems’ unfunded liabilities. He claimed the measure would “relieve tax burdens on local taxpayers and school districts.”
The payments significantly increased since pension reforms in 2010. They revised benefits, and prompted expanded pension contributions from public employers to pay down existing pension debt. Those contributions are set to decline as the pension debt is reduced.
Ciresi proposes to tap the state’s Rainy Day Fund to pay $670 million on the state’s unfunded liabilities with the Pennsylvania State Employees’ Retirement System, and another $330 million on those in the Public School Employees’ Retirement System. State Department of Revenue data indicates “state revenues for the 2022-23 fiscal year have come in $1.2 billion ahead of estimates,” added.
What’s next
The bills must pass through assigned committees of the state House and Senate, then successfully pass full votes by both, and then be signed by the governor, before they can take effect.
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