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HB 1731

An Act amending Title 12 (Commerce and Trade) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in consumer credit, providing for consumer debt collection fairness.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz and 9 co-sponsors

Funds of 7,595,440 are appropriated for FY2026 to Pat Harrison Waterway District for operating and capital needs, including park and dam repairs.

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Bill Summary · HB 1731

Summary — HB 1731: Appropriation; Pat Harrison Waterway District

Status: Died in Conference (conference report failed; final action recorded 2025-03-29)

Note on source material: The provided document contains text from several different bills titled “HB 1731” in different jurisdictions (including an Arkansas child‑labor measure and an Illinois estate‑tax bill). This summary focuses on the appropriation bill for the Pat Harrison Waterway District (Mississippi), which matches the bill title and the bulk of the appropriation language in the record.

Purpose / intent

Provide special‑fund appropriations to the Pat Harrison Waterway District to defray its operating and capital expenses for Fiscal Year 2026 (fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2026). The bill also establishes reporting, budgeting, and procurement preferences and places conditions on personnel spending.

Key provisions

  • Appropriates $7,595,440 (special funds) to the Pat Harrison Waterway District for FY2026.
  • Authorized staffing:
    • Permanent headcount: 25
    • Time‑limited positions: 0
  • Personnel and pay controls:
    • Agency must ensure personal services cost for FY2027 do not exceed FY2026 personal services appropriation unless the Legislature adds programs/positions.
    • Restrictions on using vacancy funds (must be used to fill vacancies, not for promotions/title/salary increases).
    • State Personnel Board publication of projected payroll; Department of Finance & Administration approval required to escalate positions/salaries; no replacement of federal/special salary funds with general funds.
  • Specific earmarks:
    • $700,000 designated for park facility repairs (bath houses and cabins; excludes Flint Creek Horse Trail repairs).
    • $480,000 designated for dam repairs.
  • Procurement preference:
    • When bids are equal, give preference to Mississippi Industries for the Blind (including purchases made without competitive bids).
  • Oversight, reporting and planning:
    • Report on completed park repairs to Legislature by December 1, 2025, with photos; copy to Joint Legislative Budget Committee with next year’s budget request.
    • Annual five‑year prioritized project plan due to Legislature by July 15 each year; copy to JLBC.
    • Annual audit of district operations required; copy to JLBC.
  • Standard appropriation controls and disbursement provisions included.

Fiscal impact

  • Total proposed appropriation: $7,595,440 from the district’s available special funds for FY2026.
  • Designated capital/repair amounts: $700,000 (park repairs) and $480,000 (dam repairs).

Effective date / technical note

  • The bill text states it “shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025” but also contains a likely typographical repeal date (“stand repealed from and after June 30, 2025”) that contradicts the intended fiscal year span. This appears to be an error in the draft (presumably meant to repeal June 30, 2026).

Who is affected

  • Pat Harrison Waterway District (primary recipient and implementer).
  • District employees (headcount / pay controls).
  • Contractors and vendors doing repair/dam work for the district.
  • Mississippi Industries for the Blind (procurement preference).
  • Legislature and oversight bodies (Joint Legislative Budget Committee; State Personnel Board; Department of Finance & Administration).

Legislative history (high‑level)

  • Advanced through committee and floor action; Senate amendments adopted.
  • Conferees named; bill went to conference.
  • Died in conference (3/29/2025) — did not become law.

If you want, I can (1) extract the exact line‑by‑line appropriation and reporting deadlines into a checklist, (2) compare this version to prior Pat Harrison Waterway District budgets, or (3) prepare a brief explaining how the personnel restrictions would operate in practice.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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