LEGISLATIVE UPDATE


New PA LAC CHAIR Outlines


2025 Legislative Priorities Before getting into the 2025 Agenda for the CAI Pennsylvania Legislative Action Committee (PA LAC), I would like to thank Ed Hoffman, Jr., Esq., CCAL for his leadership as the PA LAC Chairperson for the past four years. It is only due to the progress made by the PA LAC over the past four years, under Ed’s leadership, that allows me to write about the PA LAC’s proactive and reactive agenda for 2025. All Common Interest Communities in Pennsylvania owe Ed a big thank you for his efforts. Ed’s new title within the PA LAC is “Emeritus Delegate,” and we plan to keep him involved in legislative issues in 2025.


On December 13, 2024, the PA LAC laid out its plans for the 2025 Legislative Year, starting with supporting CAI National’s 2025 Public Policy Priorities set by the CAI National Government & Public Affairs (G&PA) and National Legislative Action (LAC) Committees. This also includes joining with CAI National, hand-in- hand, in supporting the injunction that has put a stay on the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), and making all efforts in making the stay permanent.


From a Pennsylvania specific standpoint, PA LAC has established its Top Three Legislative Priorities for 2025 as follows:


1. Data Transparency After many years of lobbying to create a system where information regarding


1 6 JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2025


Common Interest Communities is collected by the counties to create a repository where information on these communities can be easily accessed, House Bill 2240 was presented by Representative Tim Brennan (D – Bucks County) and was passed through the House Local Government Committee on September 25, 2024. We plan on capitalizing on the momentum in 2025 and push to make this law by the end of the year.


2. Homeowners’ Association Contributions Tax Equity This is another multi-year effort of PA LAC that is looking at some optimism for 2025. This effort is to secure some financial relief for owners in Common Interest Communities who pay both community association dues / assessments and municipal taxes for services such as refuse collection, street / road maintenance, etc. Our efforts are modeled after the New Jersey Municipal Services Act, and we do have a legislator interested in being our sponsor for this Bill.


3. Clean up of Trilogy Statutes Every few years, PA LAC proposes amendments to the three statutes governing community associations in Pennsylvania. The LAC is working on language for another of these clean up Bills to hopefully be introduced in 2025. These amendments are typically technical changes and corrections. This Bill may also include language to


attempt to clarify the impact of House Bill 1795 that became law in 2023.


In addition to these Top Three Priorities for 2025, many other legislative issues will be on the PA LAC docket in 2025.


This incomplete list includes:


 Structural Integrity and Replacement Reserves


 Short-Term Rentals including Registration Issues


 Solar Panels  Electric Car Charging


Affordable Housing / Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)


 Right to Dry Laundry via Solar Energy (Clothes Lines)


It will be a very busy year!


Lastly, when you look at all the work being done by PA LAC, an inconvenient truth needs to be realized, lobbying and the drafting of laws are expensive ventures, even with all the volunteers we utilize. Even with stipends received from CAI National because of your Advocacy Support Fees, we do struggle to stay in the black. With that in mind I have two requests to financially support the PA LAC for all the planned work for 2025:


1. Community Associations Please consider making a contribution to the Buck- a-Door Program that has been a part of PA LAC funding for over a decade now.


2. Management Companies and Business Partners Please consider being a PA LAC sponsor either annually (Governor @ $1,000, Senator @ $500, Representative @ $250, or Constituent @ $100), or be a sponsor of the PA LAC Spring Happy Hour @ $500.


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