S.E. Republicans Back Wolf’s ‘Restore Pennsylvania’

STATE REP. Tom Murt

Guided by local feedback on the infrastructure needs of Pennsylvania’s communities, the Restore Pennsylvania legislation was introduced with strong bipartisan support. HB 1585, sponsored by State Reps. Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny) and Thomas Murt (R-Northeast), has 98 cosponsors and SB 725, sponsored by State Sens. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne) and Tom Killion (R-Delaware) has 25 cosponsors.

“We have a real opportunity to make impactful infrastructure investments in Pennsylvania. Restore Pennsylvania is the only plan presented that can actually address the needs in every community,” said Gov. Tom Wolf. “We have an opportunity to provide all of our students internet access, an opportunity to help our municipalities truly address the crippling effects of blight, an opportunity to help families devastated by flooding when the federal government turns its back on them, and so much more. We need to seize this opportunity for all Pennsylvanians.”

Earlier this year, Wolf announced the Restore Pennsylvania proposal, citing the need to invest in infrastructure across Pennsylvania.

STATE SEN Tom Killion

Since then, Wolf and his administration have made more than 75 stops in communities across the state, garnering official endorsements from more than 60 stakeholders and municipal leaders, and verbal support from hundreds more.

Funded by a natural-gas severance tax, Restore Pennsylvania would invest $4.5 billion over the next four years in high-impact projects throughout the commonwealth to help catapult Pennsylvania ahead of every state in the country in terms of technology, development, and infrastructure.

Keeping the impact fee in place, Restore Pennsylvania will provide resources to communities that disproportionately receive impact-fee funding, allowing all municipalities to complete much-needed infrastructure projects.

Encompassing new and expanded programs to address priority infrastructure areas, Restore Pennsylvania projects will be driven by local input about local needs. Projects identified by local stakeholders will be evaluated through a competitive process.

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