Will Philadelphia property assessors have to get certified?

A Pennsylvania State Senator wants to make sure Philadelphia real estate assessors know what they are doing. 

Senator Larry Farnese has introduced a bill mandating Philadelphia real estate assessors be certified and go through annual rectification as is the case in the rest of Pennsylvania.  He says ending the exemption in Philadelphia is important with a citywide assessment just around the corner.

"It is to make the playing field fair across the board, it's really going to bring back and restore confidence in Philadelphia's property assessors and put them on par with their colleagues across the commonwealth," said Farnese.

Senator Farnese says the continuing education is common in other professions.

"You see that in other professions such as law where in Pennsylvania you are required every year to take a certain number of courses ethics course and other courses in whatever area it may be to just keep appraised of what is going on," he said.

If enacted, existing assessors would have four years to gain certification.