Category: Pennsylvania Legislation

Laws proposed or passed in the Pennsylvania Legislature

Bill Would Close ‘Delaware Loophole’

A bipartisan group of House members came together this week to announce legislation aimed at helping to create a fairer business climate in Pennsylvania.

A bill to close the “Delaware Loophole” has been introduced in the Pennsylvania House, according to State Rep. Jim Cox. HB 2150 will prohibit multi-state corporations to reduce their Pennsylvania tax liabilities by transferring the ownership of intangible assets to an affiliated company in Delaware.

The bill would only affect businesses that are taking advantage of the loophole for the sole purpose of avoiding paying taxes in Pennsylvania and would use revenue gained from closing the loophole to reduce Pennsylvania’s overall business tax burden, Cox said.

Churches Charities Allowed Better Prizes

Churches Charities Allowed Better Prizes — A grand isn’t what it was, so the Pennsylvania legislature has for the first time since 1988 updated the state’s Small Games of Chance Act to increase  limits for prize payouts for contests run nonprofit associations, charitable organizations and other civic groups.

The law raises the limit from $500 to $1,000 for daily drawings, from $5,000 to $25,000 for weekly drawings and from $5,000 to $10,000 for raffles per calendar month.

The bill amending the act, HB 169, awaits the governor’s expected signature.

The Senate amended the bill to include measures that permit fire and emergency services to hold a raffle with $50,000 prize limits and to require clubs with liquor licenses to submit semi-annual reports to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

Hat tip State Rep Jim Cox (R-129)

 

Churches Charities Allowed Better Prizes

Bill Gives Women Right To See Sonogram

Bill Gives Women Right To See Sonogram — In the month marking the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade, several House members held an event in Harrisburg this week to urge action on the Women’s Right-to-Know Act, said State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

House Bill 1077 would offer every pregnant woman in Pennsylvania seeking an abortion the opportunity to view and receive a printed copy of an ultrasound image of her unborn child. In addition, any questions a woman would have as a result of the ultrasound, including those involving gestational age and general developmental health, would have to be answered fully and completely. The bill would not require a woman to view the ultrasound and would waive one in the event of a medical emergency. Similar legislation has been introduced in 20 other states.

The bill is in the House Health Committee.

 

Bill Gives Women Right To See Sonogram

House Committee OKs Smaller Legislature In Power Grab

The House Committee on State Government, yesterday, Jan. 24, voted overwhelmingly to send to the House floor a bill that would cut representation in Harrisburg.

The bill, HB 153, would cut the number of  representatives in the State House from 203 to 153. It would leave the membership of the state Senate unchanged at 50.

The bill would also mandate that counties, municipalities and wards not be divided in forming a senatorial or representative district which would be about the only bright side of this wealth and power grab.

The argument for the bill is to cut cost since the base  pay for a  Pennsylvania legislator is $$82,026, and, yes,  fewer legislators would mean spending less money. Of course, if saving money was really the motive, maybe they would have first thought of cutting their extremely generous pay and benefits rather than representation.

In fact, I am certain we could get high quality citizen-legislators who would be willing to serve for no material compensation just as we get high quality people willing to serve as volunteers as ambulance drivers, and firefighters and Little League coaches and on church boards and on charities.

In fact, I am certain they would be an improvement.

HB 153 is sponsored by House Speaker Samuel Smith (R-66). Among the co-sponsors is Bill Adolph (R-165) of Delaware County.

The only GOP State Committee members voting nay were Lynda Culver and Jerry Stern. The only Democrat members voting aye were Eugene DePasquale, Florindo Fabrizio and Steve Santarsiero.

Cox Online Petition For Ending Home Tax

State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) is circulating an on-line petition to present to Gov. Tom Corbett to encourage him to make supporting the Property Tax Independence Act his highest priority in  his annual budget address, before the the state House and Senate,  Feb. 7.

The bill, which has yet to be introduced but is expected to be called HB 1776, would eliminate school property and local school nuisance taxes across the Commonwealth and  replace those taxes with funding from a single state source.

If such a law came into effect one would actually own one’s home rather than simply rent it from the government.

The petition can be found at the link.

I signed it.

Cox Online Petition For Ending Home Tax

Cox Online Petition For Ending Home Tax

Charitable PLCB Seeks To Aid Delaware

Charitable PLCB Seeks To Aid Delaware — In an act of amazing charity, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, Jan. 11, sought to help the small neighboring state of Delaware by raising the prices of some of its wines and liquors by a dollar or two.

For those Pennsylvanians who don’t have Naamans Road as a convenient location and yet can’t afford the new demands of their state, a group of British fellows who have spent time living in Saudi Arabia have created a website dedicated to revealing the special techniques they developed to enjoy life in that benighted place.

While we certainly don’t endorse anything illegal and merely post this link to inform and edify, the Brits swear their stuff is better than what Harrisburg sells and doesn’t give hangovers.

 

Charitable PLCB Seeks To Aid Delaware

No-To-Ocare Bill Before The PA. House

No-To-Ocare Bill Before The PA. House — A bill that would prevent significant parts of ObamaCare from being enforced in Pennsylvania has been laid on the table of the State House.

The bill, HB 42,  was released from House Appropriations Committee on Oct. 26 fulfilling a pledge made by Appropriations Committee Chairman Bill Adolph (R-165) to Tea Party groups.

The committee vote was 21-14 with all Democrats against and all Republicans in favor.


The bill, introduced by Matthew Baker (R-68) on Jan. 19, says A law
or rule shall not compel, through penalties and fines, directly or
indirectly, any individual, employer or health care provider to
participate in any health care system.

It also specifically says that an individual or employer may pay directly for lawful health care services and shall not be required to pay penalties or fines for doing so; and specifically allows  health care providers to accept direct payments without penalties. It also prohibits state law enforcement and regulatory agencies from participating “in compliance with any Federal law, regulation or policy” that would compromise the “freedom of choice in health care” of any resident of the state.

No-To-Ocare Bill Before The PA. House

Texting Ban Looms For Pa. Drivers

The Pennsylvania House, yesterday, Oct. 31, voted 188-7 to pass SB 314 which bans texting while driving, and the state Senate approved the House’s revisions, today, 45-5 sending the bill the Governor for his expected signature.

Dissenting in the House were Speaker of the House Sam Smith (R-66), Daryl Metcalfe (R-12), Tom Creighton (R-37),  Gordon Denlinger (R-99), Jim Cox (R-129),  Scott Perry (R-92) and Stephen Bloom (R-199).

Dissenting in the Senate were Jake Corman (R-34), John Eichelberger (R-30), Mike Folmer (R-48), Charles McIllhenny (R-10) and Donald White (R-41).

The bill allows for the use of GPS devices and entering telephone numbers into cell phones.

The penalty is a $50 fine.

Pa. Senate Passes School Choice Bill

The Pennsylvania State Senate, yesterday, Oct. 26, passed SB 1, 27-22 sending it to the State House.

The vote was mostly along party-lines in the Republican-controlled institution with Democrat Daylin Leach (D-17) leading the opposition with claims that the bill will take money from poor school districts. He failed to note, however, that the money taken will then been given to the families of the poor children. He attempted to add an amendment prohibiting private schools from discriminating due to sexual orientation. It failed.

Democrat Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, however, who represents the 8th District which consists of a large section of southwest Philadelphia and a large section of southeast Delaware County, made an impassioned defense of the bill

Republicans who voted against the bill were Stewart Greenleaf of the 12th District; Lisa Baker of the 20th District;  John Gordner of the 27th District; Pat Vance of the 31st District; and Elder Vogel of the 47th District.

Democrats who voted for the bill were Williams; LeAnna Washington of the 4th District; and Andy Dinniman of the 19th District.

Not voting was Republican John Pippy of the 37th District.

The bill offers vouchers ranging from $5,765 to $13,905 to families with incomes of $29,000 whose children attend the 5 percent worst performing schools in the state that would allow them to  transfer their children to private or parochial schools. In the second year, the vouchers would also be offered to low-income students already attending private schools.

The bill also raises of the limit on the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (E.I.T.C.) from $75 million to $100 million for next two school years to $125 million for  2014-2015. Children from middle class families in all school districts are eligible for  E.I.T.C. scholarships.

Gov. Tom Corbett will almost certainly sign the bill if the House should pass it.

 

A Quiet Push To Reform Pa.’s Prevailing Wage Law

Pennsylvania’s prevailing wage law passed in 1961 requires all local governments and state agencies to pay workers a rate  determined by the state’s Secretary of Labor for any “construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration and/or repair work.”

This law has been shown to hike labor costs for school additions and such by as much as 44 percent.

Seven bills, some which would radically reform how prevailing wage is handled in Pennsylvania, were voted out of the Labor and Industry Committee of the State House chaired by Rep. Ron Miller (R- 93) on Oct. 3.

The most significant would be HB 1191 sponsored by Rep. Ron Marsico (R-105) which exempts local governments (school districts, municipalities and counties) from prevailing wage requirements — unless they really, really want them.

That raises the question as to what local government could possible want them. Go to Upper Darby, stand on the west bank of Cobbs Creek and look east. See that big, steaming pit of greed, corruption and incompetence? That one.

Also voted out of committee were:

HB 709 sponsored by Warren Kampf (R-157) which simply exempts school districts from the requirements.

HB 1271 sponsored by Rep. Marsico which would clarify, and expand, the maintenance exemptions for road work from prevailing wage requirements.

HB 1329 sponsored by Fred Keller (R-85) which would raise  to $185,000 the point at which which projects become subject to prevailing wage requirements. The mark is now  set at $25,000 as it has been since 1961. That amount in 1961 dollars roughly equals $185,000 today. Keller’s bill would require the limit to be adjusted annually for inflation or deflation.

HB 1367 sponsored by Rep. Miller which would require the Secretary of Labor to use data from the Labor Department’s Center for Workforce and Analysis in determining the prevailing wage.

HB 1541 sponsored by Scott Perry (R-92) which would require a project to be at least 51-percent publicly funded to be subject to prevailing wage restrictions.

HB 1685  sponsored by John Bear (R-97) which would standardize and require the public listings of worker classifications.

All the bills would help the taxpayer. With HB 1191, however, the taxpayer might actually notice it.