A state-backed landslide and sinkhole insurance program sponsored by two Allegheny County lawmakers is closer to becoming a reality after a strong bipartisan majority of the state House approved the proposal Monday.
Brighton Heights Democrat Emily Kinkead and Moon Township Republican Valerie Gaydos have long sought protections from landslides for homeowners and municipalities. The idea has been on Harrisburg's agenda for years, but the two sponsors say it feels like there's a will from both parties to create a self-replenishing state insurance fund, which could pay out up to $150,000 to policy holders if a disaster strikes.
"It's not a huge payout, but it will enable folks to at least move on and cut the costs," Gaydos said in an interview. "The people paying the premiums then will be putting some money into it, so it's a good approach."
The bill passed 152-51 with all Allegheny County Republicans joining every House Democrat. If the measure gains the approval of the GOP-led state Senate, the state would create a $10 million insurance fund program within the state Department of Community and Economic Development.
That initial $10 million investment will be eventually be paid back with premium payments, meaning it will not be an open-ended funding commitment. Gaydos said she believes the bill's limited-government approach will entice enough Senate Republicans to send the measure to Gov. Josh Shapiro's desk.
"So the Commonwealth can pay for many other things that are needed — it truly is the way that government should operate," Gaydos added.
In a speech on the House floor, Kinkead said southwestern Pennsylvania is one of the nation's hardest-hit regions by landslides, but the natural disaster can hit anywhere in the state with sloping terrain and susceptible soil.
Sinkholes are a related problem: Last year a Westmoreland County woman died after falling into a sinkhole. And Centre County Democrat Paul Takac convinced the Allegheny lawmakers to include sinkholes, so that the bill would appeal to a wider swath of the state.
"Government is supposed to step in when no one else is helping," said Kinkead, adding that even when state legislatures require private insurance companies to offer landslide protection, some "companies just pull entirely out of the market," as seen in California.
If Pennsylvania simply required private insurance companies to offer landslide and sinkhole insurance instead of creating its own fund, Kinkead says she worries insurers here could respond in a similar way.
But currently Pennsylvania lacks such insurance protections entirely. And nearly 44% of the country is susceptible to landslide activity, according to a 2024 study from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Insurance experts such as Chad Marzen, a former faculty member at Florida State University and professor of business law of Penn State, said Pennsylvania trails only Florida in its abundance of sinkholes.
And Marzen said the new program would be based on a long-established model: the state's successful mine subsidence program.
"[Mine subsidence insurance] has been around for over 60 years and has not attracted tons of attention nor controversy," he said in an interview earlier this year. (Flood insurance is another story, he noted: "At the national level, there are a lot of questions as to the viability of the national flood insurance program.")
Gaydos and Kinkead gave a nod to House lawmakers who previously championed similar bills, such as Coraopolis Democrat Anita Kulik and now-state Sen. Jay Costa. Gaydos said she remembers an early 2000s landslide in Kilbuck that spurred colleagues to introduce bills back then.
In the Senate, the measure is likely to be taken up by the Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness committee, chaired by Republican Doug Mastriano and Democrat Katie Muth. Allegheny County Democrats Lindsey Williams and Nick Pisciottano are also members of the committee, and will have an important say if the bill moves to a full Senate vote.
Gaydos said she hoped the measure could offer relief to communities that need it.
"It's not perfect, [but] right now these municipalities and individuals have nothing," she said.
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