Side-Shot from Harrisburg - Winter 2025

The Senate and House finally agreed upon Pennsylvania’s 2025-2026 budget, and it was signed into law by the Governor on November 12, 2025.  The budget totals $50.1 billion, focusing on tax relief, public education, and economic growth.  Key highlights include the new Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit providing $193 million in tax relief, significant investments in public schools, including increased basic education funding and school infrastructure, and initiatives for economic development like expediting corporate tax cuts.

With that being said, the Senate and House will be hard at work moving things along that were stuck in the log jam.

I continue to attend many events and have several discussions with legislators; focusing on both promoting and opposing several PSLS legislative issues. We will be working on and/or supporting five pieces of legislation.

The State Plane Coordinate System Law (HB 513), which was introduced by

Representative Eric DaVanzo on February 4^th, has been referred to the House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee. This legislation will replace the current Pennsylvania Coordinate System Law, P.L. 1223, No. 161, Cl.76.  An update of this law is necessary to provide users with a new framework of planar coordinates that are aligned to the new geometric reference frame (AKA horizontal datum) in development by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and to allow those users of the State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) to update/modernize their data while maintaining compliance with applicable Federal guidelines.  There is a plan in place by NGS to modernize the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), which is the official definition of positional parameters including latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States.  The new datum is known as the North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 and the final definition and acceptance is expected to occur in 2026.  I expect that this bill will start to move very soon.

The Right-of-Entry legislation will be introduced by PSLS in the 2025-2026 Legislative Session.  This will grant surveyors and their subordinates the limited right-of-entry to the lands of others which are necessary to perform their work.  This legislation will be similar to the West Virginia Law as referenced here:  https://codes.findlaw.com/wv/chapter-61-crimes-and-their-punishment/wv-code-sect-61-3b-1/, with the following modifications:  (E) Entry where no physical damage is done to property (1) in the performance of surveying to ascertain property boundaries, and (2) in the performance of necessary work of construction, maintenance and repair of a common property line fence, or buildings or appurtenances which are immediately adjacent to the property line and maintenance of which necessitates entry upon the adjoining owner's property.

The Registration Law (Act of 1945) will be updated and introduced in the 2025-2026 Legislative Session. This will be drafted with recommended revisions and explanations to the current NCEES Model Law Section 110.20 and Model Rules Section 210.25 relevant to surveying.  This will make the necessary revisions to bring the profession to today’s standards.  This will address a lot of what we were trying to accomplish in Old House Bill 609.

Also, Senate Bill 399, introduced by Senator Laughlin, amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidation Statutes, in limitation of time, further providing for construction projects.  This will change the civil action or proceeding brought against any person lawfully performing or furnishing the design, planning, supervision or observation of construction, or construction of any private or public improvement to real property must be commenced within six years, not twelve years, after completion of construction of such improvement to recover damages for:

If an injury or wrongful death shall occur more that [ten] four and within [12] six years after completion of the improvement a civil action or proceeding within the scope may be commenced within the time otherwise limited, but not later than [14] eight years after completion of construction of such improvement.

PSLS will be supporting this legislation along with many other special interest groups.  The key is getting both labor and trial lawyers on-board.

Finally, we will be introducing an amendment to HB 873, introduced by Representative Zimmerman, which is known as the Erosion and Sedimentation Control Permit Act.  This bill currently sits in the Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee.

We are opposing Licensure exemption (SB 215), which was introduced by Senator Lisa Baker, on February 3^rd.  This is the same piece of legislation, SB 1226, which she introduced near the end of the last legislative session.  We were successful in preventing that Bill from coming out of the Committee.  This legislation will provide a licensure exemption under the Engineer, Land Surveyor and Geologist Registration Law for employees, contractors and agents of public utilities, electric cooperatives and telecommunications companies. Utilities, electric co-ops, and telecommunications companies utilize both employees and contractors for field work including, but not limited to vegetation management, pole attachments, line construction and asset management. Under current law, utility and telecommunications company employees are already exempted. This legislation would extend the exemption to their contractors and agents and include the related industries of electric co-ops and cable and broadband service providers. This exemption is critical to the rapid and efficient deployment of much-needed broadband services to underserved areas of the Commonwealth.

With the amount of legislation that PSLS is attempting to get done and to accomplish our agenda, we must continue to donate to the Political Action Committee (PAC).  This will enable us to discuss pending legislation affecting the profession and allow us to protect the interests of surveyors.  I encourage everyone to consider donating to the PAC so that we can protect our profession!

Let’s not forget that the PAC is our voice!!  Please visit our website to donate at www.psls.org or visit the booth at the 2026 Surveyor’s Conference in Hershey.

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