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A Resolution of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, calling on the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Governor, to assist in protecting the residents of Allegheny County by specifically authorizing the implementation of a contractor licensing program in Allegheny County.
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WHEREAS, although there are at least hundreds of contractors doing business in Allegheny County, the County and its residents do not have a program in place to allow meaningful identification and tracking of individuals performing this type of work; and
WHEREAS, home improvement and other contractors often perform work that is relatively expensive, particularly to the County's large number of residents living on fixed incomes; and
WHEREAS, individuals hiring contractors typically are not well-versed in the type of work to be done, what materials may or may not be necessary, how much time might be required to complete the work, and other factors that may have a profound impact upon the amount that they ultimately pay; and
WHEREAS, this combination of factors has created a situation in which unscrupulous individuals are in a position to take advantage of the County's residents by inflating their estimated costs, performing substandard work, or by other means, with little or no accountability; and
WHEREAS, County Council desires to enact legislation to create a comprehensive contractor licensing program within the County, such that its residents will be able both to investigate contractors doing business here with relative ease and to report difficulties they have had with specific contractors to a single entity for investigation; and
WHEREAS, it is not at present clear from existing state law what the parameters of such a program must be in Allegheny County;
The Council of the County of Allegheny hereby resolves as follows:
SECTION 1.
Allegheny County Council hereby request that the General Assembly and Governor assist in protecting the residents of Allegheny County by authorizing the implementation of a mandatory contractor licensing program in Allegheny County. It is the desire of the Council that the authorization specifically address the County's ability to:
A. Create an entity to administer the contractor licensing program, or to designate an existing County office to do so;
B. Require certain information as part of the license application procedure, including but not limited to:
1. Information identifying the owner(s), operator(s), and parties bearing a significant relationship to the owners and/or operators of a particular contractor's business;
2. Articles of incorporation, lists of corporate officers, agents of service, and other information pertaining to corporations that may make applications;
3. Verification of employment eligibility of any individual owner, operator, or employee of a contractor making an application; and
4. Bonding and insurance status of the contractor making an application.
C. Impose criminal and/or civil sanctions for violation of the program's provisions; and
D. Investigate alleged violations of the program's requirements, and pursue administrative remedies against individuals or companies found to have committed such violations.
SECTION 2.
Copies of this Resolution shall be transmitted to the Members of the General Assembly from Allegheny County and the Governor of the Commonwealth as notice of Allegheny County's request.
SECTION 3. If any provision of this Resolution shall be determined to be unlawful, invalid, void or unenforceable, then that provision shall be considered severable from the remaining provisions of this Resolution which shall be in full force and effect.
SECTION 4. Any Resolution or Ordinance or part thereof conflicting with the provisions of this Resolution is hereby repealed so far as the same affects this Resolution.