Reminder: Townships Urged to Complete Critical Lawsuit Survey

Township officials are urged to complete a critical survey that could help provide the data necessary to keep lawsuits and liability insurance from getting even more expensive for all townships. Due to a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision, the state legislature must determine how the current caps on local and state government lawsuits should be increased, expanded, or adjusted or the court will do so. As part of this, the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee is studying the impact of lawsuits on local governments and what would happen if the current $500,000 cap on damages were to be increased. Although only a very few extreme cases would suggest increasing the cap, everyone’s insurance costs will go up. Insurance premiums would be the newest unfunded mandate, and we need your participation in this survey to show that any increase can push communities closer to fiscal distress. 

Your input is central to this report. By taking a few minutes to complete this anonymous online survey, you can help ensure that any increases are as moderate as possible and based on real data. Click here to respond to the survey, which will close February 28.