Proposed Bill Would Ban 'Defunding The Police' In PA

PENNSYVLANIA — A new bill is forthcoming in the Pennsylvania legislature that aims to effectively ban "defunding the police" at the local level across the state.

The legislation, which will be introduced by Lancaster County Democratic State Rep. P. Michael Sturla, aims to ensure that all municipalities have a minimum level of funding for police services.

In a co-sponsorship memorandum published Thursday, Sturla said the bill would "stop municipalities from reducing or disbanding their local police departments while turning to the state to pick up the tab."

Specifically, if any municipality chose to reduce its spending by 25 percent from the previous year, they would be required to pay the state in order for the Pennsylvania State Police to pick up the coverage.

"For example, if a municipality with a $2 million police budget decides to cut it in half to convert to a part-time force, it would have to send $1 million to the PSP, who end up having to cover their police work," Sturla adds.

It bears similarity to legislation proposed at the federal level earlier this year in U.S. Congress, the Defund Cities that Defund the Police Act. Although its not yet clear what level of support the Pennsylvania bill might enjoy in the legislature, the federal bill, introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, had votes from both sides of the aisle.

"At a time when police departments and our men and women in blue around the country are being threatened by certain politicians and movements to defund or abolish the police, steps must be taken to ensure that state and local governments do not legitimize or bow to the will of the dangerously misguided ‘Defund the Police’ movement," U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said upon introducing the federal bill. "Our support for the men and women of law enforcement, who put their lives on the line on a daily basis for our communities, must be clear. This legislation would prevent jurisdictions that defund the police from receiving certain federal grants, preventing specific federal taxpayer dollars from bankrolling jurisdictions who intentionally make their communities less safe."

Sturla added that under his proposal, the rules of Act 47, which requires that the Department of Community and Economic Development assist municipalities in "severe economic distress," would still apply.