A state lawmaker is proposing legislation that would require municipalities with no police force of their own to pay Pennsylvania State Police for providing law enforcement.

The bill was introduced this week by Representative John Pallone of Westmoreland and Armstrong counties. It would require municipalities with a population of more than 10,000 to pay $100 per resident to the state for services provided by state police.

Pallone said his legislation would generate an estimated $40 million, which he said state police could use to hire an additional 4,000 troopers.

"It is unfair to other communities whose residents pay local taxes to support their own police force plus see a chunk of their state taxes go to the state police so they can provide services to these larger municipalities that, for whatever reasons, choose not to have a police department of their own," Pallone said.

He introduced a similar bill last year.

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