An update of recent legislative activity by Pennsylvania House Democrats

May 2, 2008

COMMITTEE ACTION

Manderino bill that would increase reimbursement rate for school nurses voted out of House Education Committee

Rep. Kathy Manderino, D-Phila./Montgomery, said a bill she sponsored that would increase the reimbursement rate for school nurses was recently voted out of the House Education Committee. The legislation (H.B. 2408) would raise the reimbursement from $7 per student to $12 per student for nurse services provided. Funding for the higher amount would come through the state Department of Health.

"More and more children are coming to school with significant health care needs," Manderino said. "It's not unusual for some children to attend school on a ventilator or with a tracheotomy. In addition, there has been an increase in the number of children requiring medication to be administered during the school day."

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BILL INTRODUCTIONS

McIlvaine Smith introduces bill to create tax-deferred savings plan for special needs individuals

Rep. Barb McIlvaine Smith, D-Chester, has introduced legislation (H.B. 2406) that would enable parents of special needs children to put tax-deferred funds aside for when their children reach age 21. McIlvaine Smith's Special Needs Account Program, or SNAP, would be similar to the state's TAP 529 college savings plan. She noted that, while the TAP 529 initiative enables parents to save for their children's college education, her plan would enable parents of special needs children to save for their children's public support services when they reach 21, typically the age at which the services they received in school end.

"Special needs individuals don't stop needing assistance once they turn 21," McIlvaine Smith said. "To maximize their ability to gain employment and seek out housing, they need support services to continue beyond age 21."

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Shimkus offers way to include more seniors in state's PACE and PACENET programs 

At a news conference in Scranton recently, Rep. Frank Andrews Shimkus, D-Lackawanna, unveiled a plan to open the state's prescription assistance programs, PACE and PACENET, to more senior citizens. Shimkus announced the introduction of legislation (H.B. 2467) that would increase the maximum annual income for PACE eligibility from $14,500 to $16,500 for a single person and from $17,700 to $19,700 for a married couple's combined total income. It also would increase the PACENET maximum income eligibility from $23,500 to $25,500 for a single person and from $31,500 to $33,500 for a married couple's combined total income.

"The economy is hitting people in my district and all over the Commonwealth hard, and senior citizens get hit the hardest," Shimkus said. "They are pinching pennies to pay utility bills, to pay grocery bills and to pay gas bills. If we could add more of our senior citizens to our PACE and PACENET programs so they can get their prescription medicines paid it would certainly put many minds at ease."

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Myers introduces new bill to combat gun violence

Rep. John Myers, D-Phila., wants to give authorities a new tool that could lead to quicker apprehension of shooting suspects and provide enhanced evidence to aid in their prosecution. Myers has introduced a bill (H.B. 2228) that would require all ammunition sold in Pennsylvania to have a code imprinted on the projectile to allow it to be traced. The laser-etched serial code would remain intact, even if a recovered bullet was badly distorted, and could be read with a standard magnifying glass.

"If we begin coding bullets, we take a big step toward identifying those who misuse firearms and we do it without infringing on responsible gun owners," Myers said. "Ultimately, we make all Pennsylvanians safer."

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Gibbons proposes bill to give all registered voters a say in Pa. primary

Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Lawrence/Beaver/Butler, has introduced legislation that would give people not registered to vote as Democrats or Republicans the opportunity to vote in primary elections in Pennsylvania. House Bill 2482 would permit independent, non-party and third-party voters to file an affidavit or provisional party registration with the county election district no later than 30 days before each primary. This would allow the voter to commit to a party for primary voting purposes only; his/her registration would not officially change.

"I think all registered voters should have the opportunity to support the candidate of their choice in any election," Gibbons said. "However, our current laws prevent voters who aren't registered as Democrats or Republicans from voting in most primaries."

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Hanna legislation would triple fine for timber theft

Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre, is introducing legislation that would strengthen the penalty for timber theft. The legislation would increase the fine for timber theft to six times the value of the timber taken. Currently, the fine is two times the timber's value.

"Pennsylvania has some of the most valuable hardwood in the country," Hanna said. "Private residents, state forests and logging contractors lose thousands of dollars worth of timber each time their trees are illegally harvested."

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Readshaw bill would promote safe gun storage

Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny, today announced that he will soon introduce legislation that would exempt gun safes from the 6 percent state sales tax. Readshaw said that gun safes not only discourage theft of weapons by burglars, they also protect against the guns being accessed by unauthorized family members, including teens and young children.

"As gun owners, we have a responsibility to ensure that only people we trust can access our firearms in the home," Readshaw said. "A closed, heavy safe is going to be a sure deterrent against accident and theft, more so than a trigger lock or a gun rack."

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Petrone to introduce legislation to improve Guaranteed Energy Savings Act

Rep. Thomas Petrone, D-Allegheny, has announced plans to introduce legislation that would allow public housing authorities, or PHAs, to gain more benefit from a state law that allows state and local governments and agencies to use future cost savings to pay for energy-saving upgrades to their facilities. Petrone's bill would allow PHAs to extend energy performance contracts with third parties from 15 to 20 years. The contracts are available under the state's Guaranteed Energy Savings Act, which allows state and local agencies to enter into energy performance contracts with a third party to make energy-efficiency improvements and upgrades. The third party pays for the initial cost, and the agency uses the savings over the next 15 years to pay that cost back. Petrone said extending the payback period for housing authorities would allow them to make more energy improvements and save more money over time.

"This legislation would give public housing authorities 20 years to pay for energy-efficient improvements instead of 15," Petrone said. "The ability to make improvements like installing new windows and replacing heating systems and wall insulation helps these authorities provide better housing for low-income residents."

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Sturla bill would exempt libraries' used book sales from state sales tax

Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, has introduced legislation (H.B. 2346) that would exempt local and county libraries' used book sales from the state sales tax. Sturla noted that the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue estimates that the exemption would cost only $160,000 for the 2008-09 fiscal year.

"The cost for this exemption is a small part of the state budget that I know we can afford to lose this revenue due to the vital services performed by our libraries," Sturla said. "As a member of the House Finance Committee, I will try everything I can to move my bill through the legislative process."

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Galloway working to put more bite in local dog laws

Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, announced that he is crafting legislation that would allow municipalities to adopt their own ordinances pertaining to dangerous dogs without having them superseded by state law. Galloway said simply amending the state's current dog law to require that all dangerous dogs be leashed at all times may not be feasible, especially in rural areas, which is why he prefers to leave it up to individual municipalities to decide how to address dangerous dogs.

"In some communities, irresponsible owners of dangerous dogs do not take the necessary steps to ensure that their dogs are not running loose throughout the neighborhood," Galloway said. "Many municipal officials have complained that our state's current dog law is too weak and they want the ability to pass their own laws with more bite."