Pa.'s economic growth hurt by outdated laws, studies say

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania’s economic growth and quality of life are being undermined by outdated laws governing how municipalities function, according to three independent reports released Sunday.

Improvement will come if municipal officials are given the ability, for example, to pool health-care costs or save money by regionalizing services, say the studies, which were conducted by the Pennsylvania Economy League, Penn State University and the Washington-based Brookings Institution.

The economy league reports a “fundamental mismatch” between today’s mobile Pennsylvanian — who often works, shops, lives and recreates in different municipalities — and the state’s system to provide services and levy taxes, which is based almost entirely on where taxpayers live.