Our Issues
Take action to help fully fund key park and recreation budget proposals
Dear PRPS Members and Friends:
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has entered the home stretch of its work to complete the 2024-25 fiscal year budget. We need your help to ensure that two of the Shapiro administration’s key budget proposals that improve parks and recreation are fully funded.
The administration has proposed $5 million in additional funding for the Pennsylvania Outdoor Corps (POC). The POC offers paid work experience, skills training, professional development, and environmental educational opportunities to youth and young adults who complete recreation and conservation projects on Pennsylvania’s public lands. Not only do our public lands benefit from the valuable work done by POC crews, but the program serves as a wonderful means to stimulate lifelong career pathways for young people in the conservation, park and recreation fields.
The administration has also proposed $8.5 million in new investments in our state park and state forest trail system that will enhance the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ ability to nurture and take fullest advantage of Pennsylvania’s growing outdoor recreation economy. The money will be used to design and construct new trails in parks and forests; retrofit, widen, and improve existing trails; and better maintain and manage trails.
Please take a few minutes to contact your state representative and state senator to urge that they fully fund these important proposals. We have provided a sample letter but encourage you to personalize the message.
Thank you for your help and your support.
Tim Herd, CPRE
CEO
Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society
Please Help Save Municipal Preschool Recreation Programs
PRPS would appreciate your help as we work to protect and even expand municipal preschool recreation programs used by thousands of Pennsylvania children. Last year the Pennsylvania House approved bipartisan legislation that would permanently protect these programs from closure while ensuring the safety of participating children. However, the bill never came up for a final passage vote in the Senate. We must therefore restart the process in the new legislative session. Representatives Mary Jo Daley and Barry Jozwiak yesterday circulated a memo to all House members requesting support and co-sponsorship of the forthcoming bill. We could use the help of PRPS members and friends to build support for the legislation and educate the many new House members on the need for the bill.
Please contact your state representative below to protect vital recreation programs for children
Help us pass a bill to protect park and trail volunteers from baseless lawsuits
Pennsylvania’s community parks, state parks, state forests, hiking trails and other recreational assets on public lands benefit from countless thousands of hours of labor contributed by volunteers and volunteer organizations such as friends’ groups and trail organizations. These volunteers give freely of their time to help keep trails open, assist with park maintenance, and enhance the quality of these public recreational assets.
In recent years, however, volunteers and volunteer organizations in Pennsylvania have been the subject of baseless lawsuits that have nothing to do with their work but merely with their association with a park or trail. As a result, volunteer organizations such as park and forest friends’ groups are now faced with rapidly rising expenses for liability insurance, which divert much needed funds away from projects. One friends group was even forced to go out of business due to two baseless lawsuits.
Last session, House Bill 1694 was approved by the House Representatives and the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee, but did not receive a vote in the full Senate. We are now launching our efforts this session on behalf of bills in both the House and the Senate.
Please consider contacting your legislators in both the House and the Senate to request that they co-sponsor this important legislation. We have provided a sample letter below, which we encourage you to personalize if you know of parks and trails in your area that benefit from volunteers.
Thank you for your help!
Tim Herd, CEO
Amending the Recreational Use of Land and Water Act for Limited Liability Protections for Volunteers and Volunteer Organizations
In the near future, we plan to introduce legislation that will amend the Recreational Use of Land and Water Act to provide protections for volunteers, volunteer organizations, and those that landowners invite onto their property in order to improve the property for recreational use.
RULWA was created to encourage landowners to make land and water areas available to the public for recreational purposes by limiting liability to the landowners. Our amendment will extend that limited liability protection to volunteers, volunteer organizations, and those who the landowner invites onto their property who “without compensation, provide services to care for, enhance, preserve, restore or maintain land for recreational purposes.”
Several organizations in Pennsylvania have been swept up in lawsuits filed against landowners where they volunteer, but that have nothing to do with the volunteers and volunteer organizations themselves, or their volunteer work. Situations of this type make it impossible, or nearly impossible, for these non-profit volunteer organizations to obtain reasonable liability insurance, putting their beneficial volunteer operations at risk. The increasing costs of liability insurance has become a burden for friends’ groups and others who give so much to our communities.
This bill will be identical to the version of House Bill 1694 that unanimously passed the House of Representatives last session. The bill has the support of over 80 organizations around the Commonwealth including the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, and the Fairmount Park Conservancy.
Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation.
RULWA was created to encourage landowners to make land and water areas available to the public for recreational purposes by limiting liability to the landowners. Our amendment will extend that limited liability protection to volunteers, volunteer organizations, and those who the landowner invites onto their property who “without compensation, provide services to care for, enhance, preserve, restore or maintain land for recreational purposes.”
Several organizations in Pennsylvania have been swept up in lawsuits filed against landowners where they volunteer, but that have nothing to do with the volunteers and volunteer organizations themselves, or their volunteer work. Situations of this type make it impossible, or nearly impossible, for these non-profit volunteer organizations to obtain reasonable liability insurance, putting their beneficial volunteer operations at risk. The increasing costs of liability insurance has become a burden for friends’ groups and others who give so much to our communities.
This bill will be identical to the version of House Bill 1694 that unanimously passed the House of Representatives last session. The bill has the support of over 80 organizations around the Commonwealth including the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation, Trout Unlimited, Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, and the Fairmount Park Conservancy.
Please join us in co-sponsoring this legislation.
Please Act to Save Municipal Preschool Recreation Programs
PRPS could really use your help as we work to save, protect, and even expand municipal preschool recreation programs used by thousands of Pennsylvania children. The Pennsylvania Senate may consider as early as next week bi-partisan legislation that would permanently protect these programs from closure while ensuring the safety of participating children.
Please contact your state senator to urge support for House Bill 1155
Background
Pennsylvania daycare regulations were designed to provide standards to protect the health, safety, and rights of children in private daycare facilities. Unfortunately, the Department of Human Services (DHS) has extended these regulations by interpretation to municipal preschool recreation programs even though they are not private daycare centers. As a result, municipal preschool recreation programs, some in existence for over 50 years, have been forced to close their doors because it is physically, financially, or otherwise infeasible to be licensed as a daycare program by DHS. Other programs have continued to operate under threat of fines and “cease and desist” letters.
Unlike a private daycare facility subject to an annual or biannual inspection, a municipal recreation program features additional layers of protection for children as municipal park and recreation agencies work closely with police, emergency services, solicitors, and elected officials.
Representatives Barry Jozwiak (R-Berks) and Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery) have advanced bi-partisan legislation to protect these programs. House Bill 1155 requires municipalities to adopt by ordinance or resolution a rigorous and detailed set of best health and safety practices in order to offer these preschool recreation programs. These standards will ensure child safety and address the core concerns of parents, professional recreation providers, and state regulators alike.
The municipal preschool recreation programs at risk if House Bill 1155 does not pass provide wonderful opportunities for healthy recreation in the outdoors, pools, and recreation centers that are not part of the typical daycare experience. These experiences can help instill habits, interests, and skills that can last a lifetime. There is extensive research showing the benefits of connecting children with nature and introducing play programs at an early age.
Please find below a sample letter to your state senator that includes many of these same points. We encourage you to personalize the letter if you or your children have benefited from these programs, as well as forward the action alert to park and recreation staff, parents and other community members who would benefit from the preservation of these valuable programs.
Thanks for your help!
Tim Herd
CEO
Act Now to Support Vital Funding for Pennsylvania Parks
Pennsylvania's municipal and state parks are vital assets for our communities, economy, and quality of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of parks for physical health and mental well-being as citizens continue to use these valuable resources in high numbers.
We now have a chance to secure significant funding for badly needed investments in community and state parks thanks to legislation sponsored by Senator John Gordner and Representative Lynda Culver. These bills would dedicate $500 million of Pennsylvania's share of the federal American Rescue Plan for a Growing Greener III program.
It is now crunch time for our advocacy. The fate of these proposals will be decided in the next ten days as the General Assembly works to pass budget and other funding bills for the new fiscal year that starts on July 1.
Please ask your state senator and state representative to support this vital funding to the Department Conservation and Natural Resources for investments in municipal parks, state parks, trails, and other recreation facilities.
While Pennsylvania's community and state parks have been used in record numbers, both have been chronically underfunded and have a large backlog of infrastructure needs.
Please lend your voice to our efforts to boost funding for community and state parks by urging your state senator to support this important proposal.
Please Act to Save Municipal Preschool Recreation Programs
PRPS could really use your help as we work to save, protect, and even expand municipal preschool recreation programs used by thousands of Pennsylvania children. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is poised to vote as early as next week on bi-partisan legislation that would permanently protect these programs from closure while ensuring the safety of participating children.
Please contact your state representative to urge support for House Bill 1155
The municipal preschool recreation programs at risk if House Bill 1155 does not pass provide wonderful opportunities for healthy recreation in the outdoors, pools, and recreation centers that are not part of the typical daycare experience. These experiences can help instill habits, interests, and skills that can last a lifetime. There is extensive research showing the benefits of connecting children with nature and introducing play programs at an early age.
Please find below a sample letter to your House member that includes many of these same points. We encourage you to personalize the letter if you or your children have benefited from these programs.
Thanks for your help!
Help protect park and trail volunteers from baseless lawsuits
Pennsylvania’s municipal parks, state parks, trails and other recreational assets on public lands benefit from countless thousands of hours of labor contributed by volunteers and volunteer organizations such as friends’ groups. These volunteers give freely of their time on behalf of their communities. They help keep trails open, assist with park maintenance, and enhance the quality of these public recreational assets.
In recent years, however, volunteers and volunteer organizations in Pennsylvania have been the subject of baseless lawsuits that have nothing to do with their work but merely with their association with a park or trail. As a result, volunteer organizations are now faced with rapidly rising expenses for liability insurance, which divert much needed funds away from projects. One friends group was even forced to go out of business due to two baseless lawsuits.
Bi-partisan legislation has now been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would protect volunteers and volunteer organizations from these baseless lawsuits. House Bill 1694 has been referred to the House Tourism & Recreational Development Committee, which could consider the legislation this fall.
We need your help to boost support for this legislation. Please consider contacting your state representative below to request that they support and co-sponsor House Bill 1694. We have provided a sample letter, which we encourage you to personalize if you know of parks and trails in your area that benefit from volunteers.
Thank you,
Tim Herd, CPRE, CEO
In recent years, however, volunteers and volunteer organizations in Pennsylvania have been the subject of baseless lawsuits that have nothing to do with their work but merely with their association with a park or trail. As a result, volunteer organizations are now faced with rapidly rising expenses for liability insurance, which divert much needed funds away from projects. One friends group was even forced to go out of business due to two baseless lawsuits.
Bi-partisan legislation has now been introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives that would protect volunteers and volunteer organizations from these baseless lawsuits. House Bill 1694 has been referred to the House Tourism & Recreational Development Committee, which could consider the legislation this fall.
We need your help to boost support for this legislation. Please consider contacting your state representative below to request that they support and co-sponsor House Bill 1694. We have provided a sample letter, which we encourage you to personalize if you know of parks and trails in your area that benefit from volunteers.
Thank you,
Tim Herd, CPRE, CEO
Protect Women's Sports Act
| The opportunity for girls to compete on a level playing field must be protected. Title IX was designed to stop discrimination and create equal athletic opportunities for women. However, allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports reverses nearly 50 years of advancement for women. |
Act Now to Support Vital Funding for Pennsylvania Parks
Please contact you Legislators!
Municipal Rec Programs
In the future, the plan is to re-introduce legislation (Previous House Bill 1831) to protect municipal recreation programs and the vital opportunities they provide to our Commonwealth’s children and their parents. Municipalities across the state provide these programs, often on a seasonal basis.
Provisional Hiring Parity Legislation
Legislation to amend the Child Protective Services Law to place an employer’s ability to hire an employee on a provisional basis on par with the 45-day provisional hiring window that is currently authorized for child-care providers.
Updating Regulations for Public Swimming and Bathing Places
Proposed legislation to require the Pennsylvania Department of Health to periodically update the public swimming and bathing area regulations to be consistent with the Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC).
Compose Your Own Message
