{"id":11764,"date":"2025-10-22T21:48:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:48:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/11764\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T21:48:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:48:05","slug":"pa-senate-passes-permitting-transparency-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/11764\/","title":{"rendered":"PA Senate passes permitting transparency bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

A day after tensions flared during a debate over the state budget, Senate lawmakers voted in bipartisan fashion to approve legislation that would bring more transparency to the state\u2019s permitting processes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The state Senate voted 28-22<\/a> to pass Senate Bill 6<\/a>, a bill that would require state agencies to create public online tracking systems for state permits \u2013 and allow third parties to review permit applications. The legislation, sponsored by Republican state Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, would also require permits to be \u201cdeemed approved\u201d if a delay on the permit decision occurs and the application is not referred for third-party review.<\/p>\n

\u201cFolks, we can track something as inconsequential as a pizza,\u201d Phillips-Hill said on the Senate floor. \u201cWhy can\u2019t we track the status of a multi-million dollar business development, or, better yet, someone\u2019s livelihood in a professional license to allow them to enter a classroom (or) a hospital room or sell real estate?\u201d<\/p>\n

Phillips-Hill, who represents part of York County, noted that the bill would also codify portions of an executive order<\/a> signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro in January 2023, which created the Pennsylvania Office of Transformation and Opportunity \u2013 an entity designed to help implement major economic development programs in the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

State Sen. Lisa Boscola, a Democrat from the Lehigh Valley, was one of two Democrats to support the bill, the other being state Sen. James Malone. GOP state Sen. Dawn Keefer joined Democrats in opposing it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Boscola praised Shapiro for improving the state\u2019s permitting processes via executive order, and said Wednesday that the bill builds on Shapiro\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

\u201cPennsylvania needs to continue to invest in our technology and efficiency of the permitting process so we stay on the cutting edge,\u201d Boscola said. \u201cOur permitting process is vastly improved, and I know that (with) this governor, and with this proposal, it is only going to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

A majority of Democrats in the chamber voted against the legislation. Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa expressed concerns over the bill\u2019s price tag, suggesting that it could cost the state $134 million to implement.<\/p>\n

The bill had the backing of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business & Industry. In a memo<\/a> sent to Senate lawmakers on Wednesday, Amy Brinton, the chamber\u2019s director of government affairs, said the bill will improve the state\u2019s ability to process permits by fostering better communication between state agencies, allowing for a third-party review of permit applications and deeming permits approved when agencies fail to meet deadlines and refer applications for third-party review.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis legislation is a forward-thinking response to one of the most common barriers to economic investment in Pennsylvania,\u201d Brinton wrote. \u201cBy improving communication, ensuring accountability, and reducing permitting delays, Senate Bill 6 helps build a regulatory environment that fosters business growth, innovation, and long-term competitiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following the bill\u2019s passage, Pennsylvania Chamber President and CEO Luke Bernstein said passage of the bill is a \u201cmajor step toward ensuring that Pennsylvania\u2019s permitting process supports economic growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

“This legislation builds on last session\u2019s bipartisan passage of legislation to create the SPEED program, which expedites permits, and the commitment of the Shapiro administration to improve permitting and reduce DEP\u2019s historic permit backlog,\u201d Bernstein said in a statement. \u201cThis progress demonstrates how modernization, technology, and collaboration are delivering real results.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A day after tensions flared during a debate over the state budget, Senate lawmakers voted in bipartisan fashion…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[8434,1160,8433,2156,28,30,29],"class_list":{"0":"post-11764","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pennsylvania","8":"tag-capitol-beat","9":"tag-economic-development","10":"tag-general-assembly","11":"tag-news-politics","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-pennsylvania-headlines","14":"tag-pennsylvania-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}