Legislative Activity
State Legislation
The bill increases the uniform 911 surcharge to $1.97 from $1.65, provides an annual fee escalator indexed with inflation each year, and extends the surcharge sunset date by five years to 2029.
Companion legislation to House Bill 1304; increasing the state 911 surcharge from $1.65 to $1.97, providing an annual fee escalator indexed with inflation each year, and extending the surcharge sunset date by five years to 2029.
Pennsylvania House Bill 349 and Pennsylvania House Bill 1463
Both bills seek to define telecommunicators/dispatchers as first responders at a state level. HB349 was submitted to the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee in March 2023 and HB 1463 was submitted to the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee in June 2023. The content of both bills are nearly identical.
This legislation creates the Keystone First Responder Award to recognize first responders who were either killed or suffered a career-ending injury in the line of duty. 911 telecommunicators have been included the definition of “first responder” for the purposes of this legislation.
Federal Legislation
House Resolution 3565, the Spectrum Reauthorization Act of 2023, would help fund the transition to NG9-1-by providing up to $14.8 billion from FCC airwaves auctions. This bill was unanimously approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and now we expect it will be voted upon by the full House before the July 4th recess.