Trending
I believe children with diverse abilities are some of the most precious children in our society. My daughter is legally disabled as she is deaf. I believe she and all children with diverse abilities should have the same opportunities and attention as any other child. This is important as we just marked the 33rd Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I have no concerns with HB 1173 from a strictly legislative perspective. My primary concern is the implementation of HB 1173 by the career bureaucrats in Harrisburg who far too often disregard Legislative Intent when implementing bills passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor.
My concern is that implementation of this bill will negatively impact rural communities and our chance to receive grant dollars. Many Pennsylvania playgrounds are in densely populated urban communities that have county and municipal governments with large planning and administrative staff. Those areas will be able to devote more time, resources, and energy into developing a more nuanced grant application than ones from sparsely populated rural municipalities like those I represent in the 84th District.
Many local governments in the 84th District already struggle with the duties they must perform, like road and bridge maintenance, stormwater infrastructure, equipment purchasing and upkeep, recruiting and retaining employees, and operating on a lean budget because of a small tax base. Additionally, several municipalities in our area already have difficulty navigating the current grant application process and HB 1173 could potentially be another barrier. I believe a lot of them will place a higher priority on other tasks and projects and may even avoid applying for playground grants. I cannot in good conscience vote in favor of something that I believe may hurt my local communities if implemented poorly by the State Agencies in Harrisburg.
Also, local governments in large urban settings usually cut funding to parks, playgrounds, and recreation during tough economic climates. Would implementation of HB 1173 open the door to urban centers receiving nearly all the grant dollars while leaving Rural Pennsylvania with very little? I posed this question to multiple research staff and never received a definitive answer. I will not vote for legislation when basic questions cannot be answered, as that is irresponsible. While I may have been the lone "NO" vote, there were many legislators with similar concerns who initially had a "NO" vote on the board but switched their vote to "YES" before the Board was locked.
While I support the legislative intent of House Bill 1173 ultimately my concern over implementation from the State is why I voted no.
State Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, represents part of Lycoming County and all of Sullivan County in the state Legislature.