HARRISBURG - It didn't get done.
A state flood aid bill to provide money to repair damage from the destructive flooding throughout the Susquehanna River Basin in September 2011 is missing from the checklist of completed items as the General Assembly wrapped up voting this week for the 2011-12 legislative session.
Lawmakers left town Wednesday night without approving either a $150 million recovery bond issue as the Republican-controlled Senate sought or a no-borrow plan authorizing the smaller transfer of funds from a state economic development authority to pay for projects as the GOP-controlled House sought. A no-borrow flood aid bill that could have served as a compromise vehicle remains in the House Rules Committee.
Lawmakers from Northeast Pennsylvania have compiled a list of damaged roads, bridges and water and sewer systems in need of repairs as well as needed flood control projects to mitigate the impact of future flooding. The state aid is to complement federal disaster assistance provided to the region.
With no more voting session days scheduled before the session officially ends on Nov. 30, the legislative inaction represents a break with the way Pennsylvania has responded to large-scale disasters in recent decades.
The focus now turns to efforts by the Corbett administration, which eventually favored the no-borrow approach, to identify available funding from places like the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
The modern precedent for giving legislative approval to state aid packages to complement federal disaster assistance for major natural disasters was set following Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972, and continued during the Johnstown flood in 1977 and a one-two punch with a blizzard and river flooding during winter 1996.
"You don't have the resources to tackle it (repairs) as you had in every major natural disaster in the last half century," said Sen. John Yudichak, D-14, Nanticoke.
The new approach suggests that recovery aid will go through the annual state budget process, he said.
"We are a year removed from the storms, said Mr. Yudichak. "Do we wait until June 30 (the annual budget passage deadline)?"
The Corbett administration has given assurances that existing state and federal funds can meet recovery needs without any legislative authorization, said House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh, who has long expressed concern about adding to state debt.
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi, R-9, Chester, said he's not sure why House leaders didn't accept the Senate borrowing bill. A bipartisan coalition of Northeast region senators announced the package within weeks of Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee.
"It's between them (House lawmakers) and their constituents," said Mr. Pileggi.
A pot of $36 million is currently available through the CFA's H20 PA program to build and repair flood control projects, said Steve Kratz, spokesman for the Department of Community and Economic Development.
Municipalities, municipal authorities, the state and independent agencies can apply for H20 grants which are approved by the CFA board which includes legislative appointees.
CFA awarded a $452,000 grant to Athens borough in Bradford County through this program to repair the Chemung River Levee that was damaged during Tropical Storm Lee.
Sen. Lisa Baker, R-20, Lehman Twp., said the legislative inaction has strengthened her resolve to push next session for her bill to establish a permanent state disaster assistance program.
Contact the writer: rswift@timesshamrock.com