From Representative Jared G. Solomon:
Under current Pennsylvania law, every telephone user pays a 911 surcharge, including a flat-rate fee of $1.65 on each wireless line, to help fund our 911 emergency telecommunication services. However, the fee has not been adjusted since 2015, and rising costs for equipment, operations, and new technology pose a problem for local 911 emergency departments. Additional funding is needed to continue properly dispatching calls to keep Pennsylvanians safe during emergencies.
I am introducing a bill that increases the uniform 911 surcharge to $1.97 from $1.65, indexed with inflation each year, and extends the surcharge sunset date by five years to 2029. My bill is in line with Governor Shapiro’s proposal to cut taxes on cell phone bills while directing more investment toward our critical emergency response infrastructure.
The 911 uniform surcharge is a crucial source of funding to offset operation and maintenance costs of our 911 services and telecommunications systems. In conjunction with a plan to eliminate the gross receipts and sales and use taxes on mobile telephone service, this plan focuses our efforts on the need to support our 911 dispatchers who provide life-saving care to people across the Commonwealth.
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On November 18th, Governor Josh Shapiro signed the measure into law.
