Category: Pennsylvania Legislation

Laws proposed or passed in the Pennsylvania Legislature

House Sends PACE Expansion To Senate

The State House, Jan. 27, unanimously voted to send to the Senate a measure  to allow nearly 40,000 Pennsylvania seniors to maintain access and allow nearly 10,000 additional seniors to qualify for the PACE and PACENET prescription drug programs, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

House Bill 777 would allow seniors who would be bumped from eligibility by Social Security cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) to stay in the PACE and PACENET programs and also would deduct Medicare Part B premiums from one’s income in order to increase eligibility for both programs.

PACE and PACENET offer life-sustaining medications to approximately 300,000 older Pennsylvanians. Current income eligibility levels for PACE are set at less than $14,500 for a single person and less than $17,700 for a couple. PACENET, which covers those individuals with incomes exceeding PACE maximums, is open to individuals earning between $14,500 and $23,500 and couples with incomes between $17,700 and $31,500. The minimum age to participate in the programs is 65, and they are funded from proceeds of the Pennsylvania Lottery.

House Sends PACE Expansion To Senate

Lottery Winners Could Lose Back Taxes

The State House, Jan. 29,  sent a bill that would deduct back taxes from  Pennsylvania Lottery winners to the State Senate reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

House Bill 1489 would require the Department of Revenue to conduct a background check on any individual who wins more than $2,500 as a result of playing the Pennsylvania Lottery. That background check would reveal whether or not the winner owes any back taxes. If so, the amount of those delinquent taxes would be deducted from lottery winnings. In addition, the bill also directs the Department of Revenue to request that the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) determine if the prizewinner is currently a recipient of public assistance benefits prior to making any lottery winnings payment. If the prizewinner is found to be receiving public assistance benefits, DPW must determine if the individual remains eligible for public assistance benefits.

Current state law only requires the Department of Revenue and the Department of Public Welfare to work together to garnish lottery winnings when back child support is owed. In the event someone owes both child support and taxes, the child support would be deducted first.

Lottery Winners Could Lose Back Taxes

Sex Offender Benefits Bill

Sex Offender Benefits BillLegislation was introduced last week that would prevent non-compliant Megan’s Law sex offenders from receiving welfare benefits in Pennsylvania, reports State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

House Bill 1951 would prevent taxpayer dollars from being given to sex offenders who do not meet the registration and other requirements outlined in Megan’s Law. The registry of sex offenders is intended to help protect the Commonwealth’s children. The bill aims to encourage compliance with Megan’s Law and to better direct welfare resources to those who are truly in need.

The measure is before the House Health Committee.

Sex Offender Benefits Bill

Corbett Supports Paycheck Protection

Gov. Tom Corbett has announced his support for pending legislation that will ban the automatic deduction of union dues from public employee paychecks reports Pennsylvania Independent.

Voluntary deductions will obviously remain allowed.  Paycheck protection empowers union workers as it allows them to withhold funding from leaders who may not be using the money, well, appropriately.

The legislation is being shepherded  by John Eichelberger in the senate and Bryan Cutler in the House.

This type of legislation is very good and necessary. If Corbett should actually sign it I will once again return to being his supporter despite the gas tax hike he has foisted upon us and his attempt to run an Obama supporter as the Republican senate candidate.

Still, if one gets a chance to sign a petition for Bob Guzzardi, the retired businessman seeking to the get on the Republican gubernatorial primary ballot, please do. Knowing the voters have an option on May 20 will certainly help keep Gov. Corbett’s mind right.

Corbett Supports Paycheck Protection

Bill Ends Pennsylvanian 911 Penalty

The Pennsylvania House, Jan. 14, voted 197-0 to approve a bill that would end penalties for calling for emergency assistance.

While the bill would preserve a municipality’s ability to combat nuisance properties and false alarms, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Domestic Violence reports that at least 23 municipalities in Pennsylvania have ordinances that would penalize a victim for simply calling for help, reports state Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

HB 1796 moves to the Senate for consideration.

 

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Education Bills Jan 2014 Before Pa Senate

The Pennsylvania House, last week, sent several education bills to the Senate according to State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) Education Bills Jan 2014 Before Pa Senate

House Bill 1411, also known as SchoolWATCH, would direct the Pennsylvania Department of Education to create a searchable online database detailing the revenues and expenditures of traditional, charter and cyber school districts across the Commonwealth. The bill follows the model of PennWATCH, which was created to allow Pennsylvania residents to see how tax dollars are being used by state agencies.

House Bill 1741 would require school boards to provide at least 48 hours of public notice prior to voting upon any proposed collective bargaining agreement or employment contract.

House Bill 1738 would create a commission to study basic education funding and develop a formula that takes into account each school district’s market value/personal income aid ratio, equalized millage rate, geographic price differences, enrollment levels, local support and other factors.

House Bill 1816 would allow Pennsylvania’s teachers, guidance counselors and other school administrators to receive necessary continuing education credits if they visit certain manufacturing facilities. These visits would take educators to manufacturers for in-person tours and orientation programs in manufacturing facilities with the goal of ensuring students are more familiar with available opportunities in the modern high-tech manufacturing industry.

House Bill 1878 would create the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Strategy (Pa WInS) program, which would offer tax credits to businesses to organize and collaborate with each other to address common personnel needs and training shortfalls and then develop employee training programs and implement them with readily-available pre-existing infrastructure.

Education Bills Jan 2014 Before Pa Senate

 

PCMH Bill Passes Pa House

PCMH Bill Passes Pa HouseThe Pennsylvania House, this week, unanimously sent to the Senate a measure to  improve patient care and reduce health care costs through the development of a Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Advisory Council for the state’s Medicaid program, says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129).

House Bill 1655 promotes the PCMH model that allows a primary care physician or nurse practitioner to act as the primary  contact for medical care. This model is especially effective for those with chronic diseases that require one or more specialists. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists and others would communicate to ensure the patient is receiving coordinated care, which includes making sure the patient does not undergo duplicative testing, receive important routine exams, and is alerted when immunizations are needed.

Twenty-six other states have  launched PCMH initiatives within their Medicaid programs on a state or regional level. Private insurers also are already using PCMH models.

 PCMH Bill Passes Pa House

HB 1411 Makes School Funding More Transparent

The Pennsylvania House is  scheduled to vote this week on  House Bill 1411   that would create the SchoolWATCH (Public School Web Accountability and Transparency) Act, according to state Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) HB 1411 Makes School Funding More Transparent

HB 1411 would require the posting of searchable financial information on the web. Does this include teacher salaries? This is what the bill says: The advisory committee may consider including ON THE INTERNET DATABASE INDIVIDUAL salary information for employees who are not administrative staff.

“May consider” is pretty fudgy.

Cox says that the legislation is similar in concept to the bill that created  PennWATCH, which enhanced the accountability of state government by posting state spending, budget and performance information online.

 HB 1411 Makes School Funding More Transparent

Bills Give Pa Less Representation

The Pennsylvania House, Dec. 17 passed bills calling for state constitutional amendments that would significantly cut the size of the state legislature, reports state Rep. Jim Cox (R-129) Bills Give Pa Less Representation

House Bill 1234 begins the process of cutting the House from 203 to 153 members and passed 148 to 50 with all but five of the nays being Democrats.

House Bill 1716 begins the process of cutting the size of the Senate from 50 to 38 members. The vote was 148 to 48. All but five of the nays were Democrats.

The only Delaware County rep that was a nay on both bills was Democrat Greg Vitali (R-166) albeit Democrat Thaddeus Kirkland of the 159th District was a nay on the bill to cut the size of the House.

Way to be a profile in courage Thaddeus.

The claim is that cutting the number of legislatures will save money. Of course, cutting their salaries, expensive accounts, pensions and health benefits would also save money and their doesn’t seem to be a push in that direction.

What the bills actually do is cut representation and make getting re-elected easier.

These proposed constitutional amendments now go to the state senate.

Article XI, Section 1 of the Pennsylvania Constitution states such amendments must pass two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly, and then be placed on the ballot as referendum questions to be approved or disapproved by the voters. If the amendments are approved in total, they would take effect with the first session of the General Assembly that begins after the 2020 census and subsequent reapportionment.

Bills Give Pa Less Representation

HB 1725 Would Establish CareerBound

HB 1725 Would Establish CareerBoundBills to aid in the cooperation between business and education sectors to help build and improve student skills moved through state House committees last week and are now before the full House says State Rep. Jim Cox (R-129)

House Bill 1725 would establish the CareerBound program, which would join local workforce investment boards, businesses and schools in an effort to develop innovative school-to-work pilot programs. The seven pilot CareerBound programs would be eligible to compete for more than $10 million in funding from a one-time issuance of tax credits for contributing businesses.

House Bill 1878 would create the Pennsylvania Workforce Investment Strategy, or “PA WInS,” which would offer a tax credit as an incentive to businesses to organize and collaborate with each other to address similar personnel and training issues. This would be coordinated through the Department of Labor and Industry.

HB 1725 Would Establish CareerBound