HB 2141 — An Act amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, in oil and gas wells, further providing for Oil and Gas Lease Fund; and, in general budget implementation, further providing for Federal and Commonwealth use of forest land.

PRINTER'S NO.   2766

                  THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                      HOUSE BILL
                      No. 2141
                                             Session of
                                               2026

     INTRODUCED BY CAUSER, PICKETT, ZIMMERMAN, SMITH, ARMANINI,
        GILLEN AND CIRESI, JANUARY 13, 2026

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, JANUARY 14, 2026


                                  AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
 2      "An act relating to the finances of the State government;
 3      providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
 4      ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
 5      Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
 6      financial management firms, for private dam financial
 7      assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
 8      the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
 9      bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
10      collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
11      due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
12      including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
13      the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
14      and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
15      Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
16      Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
17      courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
18      Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
19      all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
20      moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
21      and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
22      authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
23      to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
24      section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
25      Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
26      certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
27      department, board, commission, and officer of the State
28      government, every political subdivision of the State, and
29      certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
30      association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
31      collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
32      imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
33      other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
34      every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
 1      Commonwealth," in oil and gas wells, further providing for
 2      Oil and Gas Lease Fund; and, in general budget
 3      implementation, further providing for Federal and
 4      Commonwealth use of forest land.
 5      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 6   hereby enacts as follows:
 7      Section 1.    Section 1601.2-E(b)(1) and (2) of the act of
 8   April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, are
 9   amended to read:
10   Section 1601.2-E.    Oil and Gas Lease Fund.
11      * * *
12      (b)   Sources.--The following shall be deposited into the
13   fund:
14            (1)   [Rents] Except as provided under section 1798.1-E(h)
15      (3)(i), rents and royalties from oil and gas leases of land
16      owned by the Commonwealth, except rents and royalties
17      received from game and fish lands.
18            (2)   [Amounts] Except as provided under section 1798.1-
19      E(h)(3)(ii), amounts as provided under section 5 of the act
20      of October 8, 2012 (P.L.1194, No.147), known as the
21      Indigenous Mineral Resources Development Act.
22            * * *
23      Section 2.    Section 1798.1-E(b) and (g) of the act, amended
24   July 11, 2024 (P.L.550, No.54) and November 12, 2025 (P.L.156,
25   No.45), are amended and the section is amended by adding
26   subsections to read:
27   Section 1798.1-E.    Federal and Commonwealth use of forest land.
28      * * *
29      (b)   Charge.--Except as provided under subsection (g), the
30   following shall apply:
31            (1)   For land owned by the Department of Conservation and
32      Natural Resources, subject to subsection (c), real property

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 1    under subsection (a) shall be subject to an annual charge of
 2    all of the following:
 3             (i)     For the benefit of each county where the real
 4        property is located:
 5                    (A)   Three dollars per acre [for the benefit of
 6             each county where the real property is located]. One
 7             dollar and twenty cents shall be paid by the
 8             Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and
 9             $1.80 shall be paid from money available under 4
10             Pa.C.S. § 1403 (relating to establishment of State
11             Gaming Fund and net slot machine revenue
12             distribution).
13                    (B)   The per-acre amount determined under
14             subsection (e)(4).
15             (ii)    For the benefit of the schools in each school
16        district where the real property is located:
17                    (A)   Three dollars per acre [for the benefit of
18             the schools in each school district where the real
19             property is located]. One dollar and twenty cents
20             shall be paid by the Department of Conservation and
21             Natural Resources and $1.80 shall be paid from money
22             available under 4 Pa.C.S. § 1403.
23                    (B)   The per-acre amount determined under
24             subsection (e)(4).
25             (iii)     For the benefit of the township where the real
26        property is located:
27                    (A)   Three dollars per acre [for the benefit of
28             the township where the real property is located]. One
29             dollar and twenty cents shall be paid by the
30             Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and

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 1                  $1.80 shall be paid from money available under 4
 2                  Pa.C.S. § 1403.
 3                      (B)   The per-acre amount determined under
 4                  subsection (e)(4).
 5            * * *
 6      (e.1)    Additional payments.--The State Treasurer shall pay to
 7   political subdivisions under subsection (d) the following
 8   amounts:
 9            (1)   The amount deposited into the Forest Reserves
10      Municipal Relief Supplement Account for the prior fiscal year
11      ending June 30.
12            (2)   The per-acre supplemental payment amount under
13      subsection (b)(1)(i)(B), (ii)(B) and (iii)(B), calculated by
14      dividing the amount under paragraph (3) by the number of
15      acres for which payment is due under subsection (b)(1).
16      (g)     Adjustments based on Consumer Price Index.--Beginning in
17   fiscal year 2030-2031, and every five years thereafter, the
18   Secretary of the Budget shall increase the amounts of the
19   payments under subsection [(b)] (b)(1)(i)(A), (ii)(A), (iii)(A)
20   and (2) by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index
21   for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) for the Pennsylvania, New
22   Jersey, Delaware and Maryland area between July 1 of the fiscal
23   year in which the amounts last went into effect and July 1 of
24   the fiscal year in which the next increases will take effect.
25   The increases shall take effect on July 1 of the first year of
26   each five-year period. The secretary shall determine the
27   percentage increase and the new amounts based on the most
28   recently reported Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers
29   (CPI-U) for the Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland
30   area by the United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor

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 1   Statistics and shall transmit notice of the percentage increase
 2   and new amounts to the Legislative Reference Bureau for
 3   publication in the next available issue of the Pennsylvania
 4   Bulletin no later than August 31 of each fiscal year in which
 5   the increases take effect. When determining the increases and
 6   amount, the secretary shall take the following into account:
 7            (1)   The amounts in subsection [(b)] (b)(1)(i)(A), (ii)
 8      (A), (iii)(A) and (2) may not be increased by more than 10%.
 9            (2)   Payment of the increased amounts under this
10      subsection shall be allocated equally between the funding
11      available to the agency for the payments under subsection (b)
12      (1) and the funding available under 4 Pa.C.S. § 1403
13      (relating to establishment of State Gaming Fund and net slot
14      machine revenue distribution).
15            (3)   Payment of the increased amounts under this
16      subsection shall be allocated between the funding available
17      to the agencies under subsection (b)(2) and the funding
18      available under 4 Pa.C.S. § 1403 in the same proportions as
19      specified in subsection (b)(2).
20      (h)   Forest Reserves Municipal Relief Supplement Account.--
21            (1)   There is established a restricted account in the
22      General Fund to be known as the Forest Reserves Municipal
23      Relief Supplement Account.
24            (2)   Money in the account is appropriated on a continuing
25      basis to the State Treasurer for the payment of amounts under
26      subsection (b)(1)(i)(B), (ii)(B) and (iii)(B).
27            (3)   Twenty percent of the following amounts shall be
28      deposited into the account:
29                  (i)   Rents, royalties and other payments received by
30            the Commonwealth from oil and gas leases of land owned by

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 1        the Commonwealth, except game and fish lands.
 2             (ii)    Amounts as provided under section 5 of the act
 3        of October 8, 2012 (P.L.1194, No.147), known as the
 4        Indigenous Mineral Resources Development Act.
 5             (iii)    Rents, royalties and other payments received
 6        by the Commonwealth from timber sales on land owned by
 7        the Commonwealth, except rents, royalties and other
 8        payments received from game and fish lands.
 9             (iv)    Rents, royalties and other payments received by
10        the Commonwealth from the construction or placement of
11        radio towers on land owned by the Commonwealth, except
12        game and fish lands.
13             (v)    State park user fees.
14             (vi)    Rents, royalties and other payments received by
15        the Commonwealth from energy development on land owned by
16        the Commonwealth, including the construction or placement
17        of solar or wind electricity generating facilities,
18        except game and fish lands.
19             (vii)    Any other money appropriated or transferred to
20        the account.
21    Section 3.     This act shall take effect immediately.




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