Legislation would reduce paperwork for steel procurement

Legislation recently introduced in the state Senate seeks to amend the Steel Products Procurement Act to reduce the paperwork required.

Senate Bill 1043 would ease the extensive paperwork required for steel leaving the mill while maintaining an auditable record of the product. Under the current law, “unidentifiable” steel products melted and manufactured in the United States require excessive paperwork to comply with the act.

The bill’s goal is to save taxpayers and industries time and money while restarting the economy.

If enacted, the bill would require anyone obtaining steel requiring documentation would be directed to a centralized portal. The person under the contract might use unidentifiable steel products on future projects if certification was submitted to the public agency that the documentation previously was submitted.

“As so many people and companies in Pennsylvania are struggling, we have to help. We can do that by reducing some of Pennsylvania’s cumbersome laws and regulations that impede success,” State Sen. Pat Stefano (R-Fayette/Somerset), who introduced the bill, said. “By allowing contractors to submit the necessary documentation electronically, they will have more time to focus on their job of installing steel products instead of doing administrative work.”

The bill moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.