Government Affairs

Abandoned Personal Property Bill No. SB 887: This bill is the result of years of negotiation and often rancorous debate among stakeholders, including the Apartment Association. We were instrumental in proposing the original bill several sessions ago and remain an active participant in the "sausage making process" of manufacturing the legislation. The bill is not perfect. But it would provide for the disposition of personal property abandoned by the resident after relinquishing the premises. The bill's aim is to provide clear procedures for rental owners and residents alike. The Senate Urban Affairs Committee discussed this legislation on Wednesday. They unanimously reported it out of Committee. The next step is the full Senate, and then on to the House.

Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements: SB No. 920, The Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards Act, requires existing residential buildings that have fossil fuel-burning devices (appliances, heaters, fireplaces etc) or attached garages sold after the effective date of the act to have a carbon monoxide detector. The mandate includes multifamily dwellings. Detectors must be placed in the vicinity of the bedrooms. Rental owners would have to install the detectors but would not be responsible for their care and maintenance while the unit is occupied. Failure to maintain or install would be a summary offense with a $50 fine. Tampering or removing a detector would be a summary offense with a $500 fine for the first offense. Second and subsequent offenses would be a misdemeanor of the third degree punishable by a $3,000 fine. The Urban Affairs Committee unanimously reported the bill as amended.

How refreshing! A recent comment published in the Tribune Democrat of Johnstown offers some hope that reason and good judgment might still be a part of our democracy. A resident in a rental property in Johnstown wrote to address a new ordinance regulating rental properties in the city. "It is not fair to punish good landlords and their tenants," the writer exclaimed. "I don't want a stranger inspecting my space every three years.... My landlord takes pride in his rental property and keeps the property up to standards." Common sense. Here's hoping it'll catch on.