HARRISBURG – Sen. Jarrett Coleman (R-16) announced today that Senate Bill 367 passed unanimously out of the state Senate and now moves to the state House of Representatives for consideration.
With Coleman as prime sponsor and Sen. Nick Miller (D-14) as co-sponsor, Senate Bill 367 would enable the statutorily required audits of local tax transfers in the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). Senate Bill 367 specifically authorizes the independent auditor for the NIZ contracting authority (the Allentown NIZ Development Authority, or ANIZDA) access to a qualified NIZ business’s state and local tax information to conduct these audits.
The bill also would make changes to the ANIZDA board, on which more than half the members continue to serve expired terms, a concern raised by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee that was charged with reviewing the NIZ program last year. Senate Bill 367 would establish a new board and process for selecting members: three appointed by the mayor, one by each of the three state representatives representing Allentown, and one by each of the two state senators, with a third selected by the senators jointly. The members will have staggered but fixed terms, can’t be members of the General Assembly or state employees and must abide by state ethics requirements for filing financial interest statements.
“Since taking office two and a half years ago, I’ve been fighting for more transparency and accountability from the NIZ, and I think real progress that serves the public interest is being made. I appreciate that my Democratic colleague, Sen. Miller, shares this goal, and I am hopeful our bipartisan approach will succeed in getting this bill to the governor,” Coleman said.
Miller added, “This bill is a positive step toward improving transparency and strengthening oversight of the NIZ. Giving independent auditors the tools they need will help ensure the program continues to serve the public interest effectively.”
CONTACT: Leo Knepper, 717-787-1349