weekly legislative update

As I mentioned in the previous posting, the governor called a special legislative session to look into property tax reform. Information from that session is included here as well. Standard caveats apply (resolutions not generally included, list of sponsors deleted if it was too long – three lines in the originally formatting).

Our accountants friends at PICPA have updated their legislative page as well.

Special Session

These bills were introduced, not voted on. The descriptions tended to be pretty much the same, with only a few variations. If I actually looked at the full wording of the bills I would fall into a deep deep pit of big confusing words so if you are interested you will need to look them up yourself.

Monday 21 bills referred to finance committee (House)
Tuesday 3 bills referred to finance committee (House)
Friday 3 bills referred to finance committee (House)
3 bills referred to legislation committee (Senate)


Regular Session

Resolutions

A number of resolutions were pass this week, most naming a day or week or month as Something Day or week or month. There were also some resolutions honoring individual Pennsylvania soldiers who died while on duty.

Two struck me as interesting for purely personal reasons.

Serial No. 463 Printer's No. 2788. A Resolution urging the Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission to take an inventory and catalog historic barns in this Commonwealth.

Serial No. 468 Printer's No. 2793. A Resolution urging PEMA to review emergency preparedness.

I like barns and have actually done some reading on the folkways that barns represent. Sometimes the ethnic settlement patterns of an area can be mapped solely by barn design. Even so, this seemed a little unusual. I hope the legislature is going to fund this effort. As it is a lot of graduate students will be driving around looking at barns. It would be nice if their gas costs were reimbursed. It would also be nice if this resulted in a nice coffeetable book on Pennsylvania’s barns, in addition to a lot of dense academic articles.

As for the second resolution I’ve pulled out, I certainly hope PEMA would do this without legislative urging. Again, I hope some money goes along with the resolution.

Bills

As you browse through here, if you do, and it is dry reading, take note of HB 893, regarding shutting off water and sewer service for nonpayment of services. I hope there are some loopholes here for special circumstances. Please also note HB 1329 on snakehead fish. I actually looked at the full text of HB 859 and this amendment takes out several paragraphs on the private use of cars that dealers later intend to sell. I didn’t understand it all but those who follow used car sales might want to review that one carefully.

House

HB 1733 By Representative J. TAYLOR. Prior Printer's No. 2200. Printer's No. 2852. An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the offenses of possessing instruments of crime and of aggravated assault and for criminal history record expungement.

HB 1687 Prior Printer's No. 2183. Printer's No. 2850. An Act amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, further providing for exclusion from the sales tax.

HB 1559 Prior Printer's No. 1934. Printer's No. 2110. An Act providing for unannounced inspections of certain facilities and persons that provide child day care; and conferring powers and duties on the Department of Public Welfare.

HB 1455 By Representative WILT. Printer's No. 1753. An Act designating the intersection of State Route 18 and State Route 58 in Greenville, Mercer County, as the Joseph J. Lininger Intersection.

HB 1401 Printer's No. 1691. An Act designating a bridge on State Route 150 crossing the Beech Creek in Clinton and Centre Counties, Pennsylvania, as the Beech Creek Veterans Memorial Bridge.

HB 1320 Prior Printer's No. 1568. Printer's No. 2175. An Act amending Title 30 (Fish) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, restricting the transport, sale, importation or release of snakehead fish.

HB 1281 By Representative HARRIS. Prior Printer's No. 1525. Printer's No. 2849. An Act designating a portion of State Route 104 in Snyder County as the Timberwolves Memorial Highway - 104th Infantry Division, United States Army.

HB 372 Prior Printer's Nos. 399, 2203. Printer's No. 2241. An Act amending the act of June 23, 1931 (P.L.932, No.317), known as The Third Class City Code, further providing for residency requirements for vacancy appointments.

HB 11 By Representatives SEMMEL, PETRONE, LEH, TIGUE, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CORRIGAN, DALLY, GEIST, GRUCELA, GRUITZA, KOTIK, McCALL, SAINATO, SAYLOR, SOLOBAY, WILT, BUXTON, BEYER and GEORGE. Prior Printer's No. 910. Printer's No. 2400. An Act amending the act of December 19, 1988 (P.L.1262, No.156), known as the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act, further providing for prize limits, for limited sales and for recordkeeping; repealing certain provisions relating to advertising; and further providing for eligible organizations' use of locations for conducting small games of chance and for separate individual prize limitations.

HB 10 By Representatives SEMMEL, PETRONE, LEH, TIGUE, BELFANTI, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CORRIGAN, DALLY, GEIST, GRUCELA, HARHAI, KOTIK, McCALL, PALLONE, PAYNE, SAINATO, SANTONI, SAYLOR, SOLOBAY, WASHINGTON, WILT, BUXTON and GEORGE. Prior Printer's No. 909. Printer's No. 2399. An Act amending the act of July 10, 1981 (P.L.214, No.67), known as the Bingo Law, further providing for rules for licensing and operation.

SB 74 By Senators GREENLEAF, RAFFERTY, WONDERLING, KITCHEN, TARTAGLIONE and BOSCOLA. Prior Printer's Nos. 64, 1108. Printer's No. 1150. An Act amending Titles 23 (Domestic Relations) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for contempt for noncompliance with visitation or partial custody order and for child custody; and making conforming amendments.

HB 1069 Prior Printer's Nos. 1228, 1867, 2683. Printer's No. 2762. An Act amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for leaves of absence for certain government employees; and making a repeal relating to military leaves of absence.

HB 859 Prior Printer's Nos. 982, 2232. Printer's No. 2853. An Act amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, clarifying provisions relating to imposition of certain realty transfer taxes.

HB 816 By Representative FEESE. Prior Printer's No. 849. Printer's No. 2854. An Act amending the act of July 7, 2005 (P.L., No.6A), entitled "An act making an appropriation from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund and from Federal augmentation funds to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission," making an additional appropriation to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.

HB 1048 By Representatives O'NEILL, CALTAGIRONE, CAPPELLI, CASORIO, CORRIGAN, CRAHALLA, DENLINGER, DERMODY, FABRIZIO, GOODMAN, GRUCELA, JAMES, McILHATTAN, PALLONE, REICHLEY, SOLOBAY, THOMAS, TIGUE, YOUNGBLOOD, SHAPIRO, GRELL, GERBER, KENNEY and PYLE. Prior Printer's No. 1204. Printer's No. 2387.
An Act amending the act of May 29, 1956 (1955 P.L.1804, No.600), referred to as the Municipal Police Pension Law, further providing for payments under existing pension plans for service increments to pensions of police officers.

HB 893 Printer's No. 1016. An Act amending the act of April 14, 1949 (P.L.482, No.98), entitled, as amended, "An act authorizing and requiring cities, boroughs, townships, municipal authorities and public utility companies engaged in the supplying of water, to shut off the supply of water for nonpayment of sewer, sewerage, or sewage treatment rentals, rates, or charges imposed by municipal authorities organized by counties of the second class, by cities of the second class, by cities of the second class A, by cities of the third class, by boroughs or by townships of the first or second class; authorizing and requiring them to supply to such authorities lists of metered water readings and flat-rate water bills and other data; authorizing them to act as billing and collecting agents for such authorities; and conferring certain powers upon the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in connection therewith," further providing for shutting off water if sewer charge not paid, for notice and for statement of defense; and requiring certain procedures to be followed in residential buildings.

HB 58 By Representatives MAHER, BROWNE, GERGELY and BEYER. Prior Printer's No. 236. Printer's No. 2674. An Act providing a bonus to Pennsylvanians who are United States Merchant Marine veterans who served during World War II; imposing certain duties on the Adjutant General; providing penalties; and making an appropriation.

Senate

SB 601 By Senators WONDERLING, CORMAN, C. WILLIAMS, BRIGHTBILL, ERICKSON, FERLO, KITCHEN, LEMMOND, MUSTO, RHOADES, ROBBINS, TOMLINSON, WAUGH, M. WHITE, WOZNIAK, GREENLEAF, GORDNER, VANCE, LAVALLE, D. WHITE, ORIE, KASUNIC, STACK, RAFFERTY, LOGAN and PIPPY. Prior Printer's Nos. 633, 896, 1142. Printer's No. 1239. An Act relating to confidentiality of Social Security numbers.

HB 1435 Prior Printer's No. 1729. Printer's No. 2109. An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for the offense of computer-assisted remote harvesting of animals.