With a lot of recent debate in the legislature surrounding mass transit funding, many of us have heard frequent references to Act 89 of 2013 which was the last comprehensive transportation funding package voted on by the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Among the provisions included in Act 89 was an annual appropriation of $5 million from the Motor License Fund for the maintenance, construction, and repair of county-owned bridges. Yet, despite the City of Philadelphia and the County of Philadelphia being one in the same since 1854, approximately 157 bridges owned by Philadelphia have not received one cent of this supplemental funding due to legal interpretations by PennDOT.
 
Both the Philadelphia Consolidation Act of 1854 and the Pennsylvania Constitution clearly state that the City and County of Philadelphia are the same entity, which means bridges owned by Philadelphia are county-owned bridges and should be eligible for this funding, despite PennDOT’s legal interpretations to the contrary. Considering that the people of Philadelphia contribute to the Motor License Fund just as the residents of Pennsylvania’s other 66 counties do, it seems inherently unfair that Philadelphia has been denied this funding for over a decade.
 
For these reasons, I am introducing legislation that will make bridges owned by the City of Philadelphia eligible for this supplemental funding. This bill will also authorize additional dollars to be drawn from the Motor License Fund for this program to ensure that money is not taken away from any other counties to accommodate Philadelphia, allowing each county to maintain its current funding levels.
 
As Philadelphia is unique in that it performs the functions of both a city and a county, it should be entitled to receive this funding for county-owned bridges. I appreciate and thank you for your support of this legislation.