PRINTER'S NO. 1832
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No.
1093
Session of
2024
INTRODUCED BY SANTARSIERO, MILLER, HUGHES, FONTANA, SAVAL,
CAPPELLETTI, TARTAGLIONE, DILLON, COSTA, KANE AND SCHWANK,
JULY 12, 2024
REFERRED TO EDUCATION, JULY 12, 2024
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
"An act relating to the finances of the State government;
providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
financial management firms, for private dam financial
assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
department, board, commission, and officer of the State
government, every political subdivision of the State, and
certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
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every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
Commonwealth," establishing the Put Down Roots PA Pilot
Program; and providing for duties of Pennsylvania Higher
Education Assistance Agency.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known
as The Fiscal Code, is amended by adding an article to read:
ARTICLE I-M
PUT DOWN ROOTS PA PILOT PROGRAM
Section 101-M. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this article
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Agency." The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance
Agency.
"Manufactured home." Any of the following:
(1) A manufactured home as defined in 42 U.S.C. §
5402(6) (relating to definitions).
(2) A mobile home as defined in 75 Pa.C.S. § 102
(relating to definitions).
"Program." The Put Down Roots PA Pilot Program established
under section 102-M(a).
Section 102-M. Establishment of program.
(a) Establishment.--The Put Down Roots PA Pilot Program is
established within the agency.
(b) Purpose.--The program shall provide student loan relief
for an individual who purchases a home in this Commonwealth for
the first time.
Section 103-M. Duties of agency.
The agency shall have the following duties:
(1) Administer the program and, in the agency's sole
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discretion, award a grant under the program to an individual
who submits a completed application to the agency and meets
the eligibility criteria under section 104-M.
(2) Develop an application form that an individual may
use to apply for a grant award under the program.
(3) Award grants under the program in a geographically
diverse manner throughout this Commonwealth.
Section 104-M. Program eligibility.
An individual who meets all of the following criteria shall
be eligible to submit an application to the agency for a grant
award under the program:
(1) Has purchased a home within this Commonwealth.
(2) Lives in or intends to live in the home as the
individual's primary residence.
(3) Has never purchased or owned a home in this
Commonwealth prior to the purchase of the home under
paragraph (1).
(4) Agrees to reside in the home for a minimum of three
years.
(5) Has an annual household income that does not exceed
$200,000.
Section 105-M. Limitations on grants.
(a) Amount.--The agency may award a grant under the program
to an individual who submits a completed application to the
agency and meets the eligibility requirements under section 104-
M in an amount not to exceed $40,000.
(b) Prohibition.--The agency may not award any of the
following:
(1) A grant under the program to an individual that
exceeds the individual's student loan debt.
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(2) A grant under the program that exceeds 15% of the
purchase price of an individual's home.
(3) More than one grant under the program to a single
individual under this article.
(4) More than one grant under the program to a single
home address.
Section 106-M. Joint applicants.
Notwithstanding section 105-M(b)(4), if there is more than
one individual on a deed or title of a manufactured home, each
individual who meets the eligibility criteria under section 104-
M may submit an application to the agency for a grant award
under the program. If each individual on a deed or title of a
manufactured home applies for a grant award under the program,
the agency may award a grant to each individual on the deed or
title of the manufactured home. Grant awards under the program
to more than one individual on the deed or title of a
manufactured home shall be distributed equally between all
individuals on the deed or title of manufactured home, unless
otherwise agreed to by the individuals in writing.
Section 107-M. Taxation.
A grant award provided under the program shall not be
included in classes of income under section 303 of the act of
March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of
1971.
Section 108-M. Administrative fees.
The agency may impose a reasonable administrative fee for the
direct costs associated for the implementation of the program.
Section 109-M. Annual report.
No later than one year after the opening of applications for
grant awards under the program and each year thereafter, the
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agency shall post on the agency's publicly accessible Internet
website and report to the Governor and the General Assembly, at
a minimum, the following:
(1) The number of applications received in the previous
year.
(2) The total number of applications received since the
inception of the program.
(3) The number of grants awarded in the previous year.
(4) The total number of grants awarded since the
inception of the program.
(5) The minimum, maximum and average grant amount
awarded in the previous year.
(6) The minimum, maximum and average grant amount
awarded since the inception of the program.
(7) The household income of each individual who received
a grant award in the previous year.
(8) The household income of each individual who received
a grant award since the inception of the program.
(9) The number of years of home ownership for each
individual since receiving a grant award.
(10) Any other relevant information as the agency may
determine.
Section 110-M. Notice of application period.
(a) Acceptance of applications.--Upon receipt of money
appropriated by the General Assembly for the program, the agency
shall transmit a notice of the appropriation to the Legislative
Reference Bureau for publication in the next available issue of
the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Upon the date of publication of the
notice under this subsection, the agency may begin accepting
applications for grant awards under the program.
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(b) Cessation of applications.--Upon the expenditure of all
money appropriated by the General Assembly, the agency shall
transmit a notice of the expenditure to the Legislative
Reference Bureau for publication in the next available issue of
the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Upon the date of publication of the
notice under this subsection, the agency shall cease accepting
applications for grant awards under the program.
Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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