Central Bucks Lawmaker Moves Legislation Forward In Harrisburg

DOYLESTOWN, PA — The Pennsylvania House of Representatives acted this week on three measures introduced by Central Bucks County State Rep. Tim Brennan (D29).

• House Bill 1777: Agriculture preservation funds. The legislation passed the House 155-48. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The bill would protect Pennsylvania’s agricultural land by allocating more state funds in agriculture preservation and facilitating private investment in conserving farmland. By partnering with private land trusts to preserve farmland, the measure would reduce the burden on taxpayers, ensure this land continues to produce food for generations to come, and ensure more farmland is protected from development.

• House Bill 908: Requiring an AED in every state building. The legislation passed the House 166-37. It now heads to the Senate for consideration.

The legislation would require the Department of General Services to install and maintain in each state building at least one functioning automated external defibrillator to treat cardiac arrest.

• House Bill 1543: Repealing outdated transportation laws. The legislation was reported out of the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee. It now awaits consideration by the full chamber.

The legislation would repeal outdated and irrelevant laws from 1836 that are no longer enforced, including regulating the speed of horses on bridges, in the interest of cleaning up our state codes and maintaining an efficient and responsive government.

“This AED legislation is my first bill to be passed by the House, and the topic couldn’t be more important,” Brennan said. “Every second counts when you’re dealing with cardiac arrest, which means ambulances are often too late – the victim has less than a 10 percent chance of surviving. But if an AED is nearby, that survival rate jumps up to 25 percent This is a commonsense, inexpensive remedy to an urgent health issue, and I encourage the Senate to move quickly to approve it.

“My second bill, which protects and preserves prime farmland by partnering with land trusts, will directly benefit the people of Bucks County, will reduce the burden on our taxpayers and will protect prime farmland from being developed as warehouses, shopping malls or housing developments,” Brennan continued. The bill would also empower local non-profits, such as the Heritage Conservancy in Bucks County, to continue to better our communities by using private funds to preserve more farmland.

Brennan also announced he will soon introduce legislation to facilitate the expansion of residential electric car charging stations by allowing residents of condominiums and planned communities to install (at their own cost) electric car charging stations in their designated parking spaces.

In addition, last week Rep. Brennan introduced House Bill 1892 to create an inventory of state-owned assets to aid in the development of broadband internet services, with an aim of expanding access to communities that currently lack this critical infrastructure. The bill was referred to the Consumer Protection, Technology & Utilities Committee for consideration.

The 29th House District includes Doylestown Borough, Doylestown Township, New Hope Borough, Solebury Township, Chalfont Borough and New Britain Borough.