Recent legislative activity by PA House Democrats
 

 June 19, 2009

 

House Democrats plan to expand prescription drug coverage for seniors

State House Majority Leader Todd A. Eachus, D-Luzerne, has officially introduced legislation that would expand the state's PACE/PACENET prescription drug program to cover prescription drugs for thousands more Pennsylvania seniors. The legislation (H.B. 1676) would enhance the quality of life for an additional 30,000 seniors in Pennsylvania who are struggling to make ends meet in today's difficult economy.

"With the economy in a recession, and many pension plans and investments wiped out by Wall Street greed, more and more seniors are finding it hard to pay the out-of-pocket costs of their prescription drugs," Eachus said. "In addition, many seniors have been forced to go back to work, making them ineligible for PACE/PACENET because they make too much money. We need to make sure our seniors are not forced to choose between groceries and their prescriptions."

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PASSED THE HOUSE

House passes Pallone bill to protect access to Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has unanimously passed state Rep. John Pallone's bill that would exempt economic stimulus payments from counting against the state's Property Tax/Rent Rebate income eligibility. House Bill 1481 now moves to the state Senate for consideration.

"The federal economic stimulus initiative provides for a $250 stipend to many senior citizens. This one-time payment could push some of our senior citizens over the income limits for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program," said Pallone, D-Westmoreland/Armstrong. "With many of our seniors already struggling in this tough economy, now is not the time to pull the rug out from under them by denying help with their property taxes or rent."

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House passes two Solobay bills

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives this week passed two pieces of legislation sponsored by state Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington. House Bill 68, which passed unanimously, would increase the amount banks and financial institutions return to the survivors of deceased account holders from the current maximum of $3,500 to $15,000. Also this week, the House passed Solobay's H.B. 155 that would increase the amount of time between calibrations for portable weight scales and non-radar speed timing devices.

"The disbursement from a deceased person's bank account hasn't been increased since 1993, but the cost of a funeral certainly has," Solobay said. "By increasing the amount banks and financial institutions return to a surviving family member upon death of the depositor, families will have the ability to make final arrangements without worrying how to pay the bill. My other bill extends the required testing and calibration for speed timing devices other than radar from 60 days to six months. These devices are primarily used by local police and extending the time between required calibrations could save local police departments between $500 and $2,000 per year."

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House passes DeLuca consumer protection bill

State Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, said the House of Representatives has passed his legislation that would protect consumers, including senior citizens, from unscrupulous investment sales by insurance annuity agents and companies in Pennsylvania. DeLuca, chairman of the House Insurance Committee, said the legislation (H.B. 1119) would prohibit insurance agents and brokers from selling annuities that would act to the detriment of consumers.

"My bill would protect consumers from being sold investments that would not necessarily be in the best interests of the consumer," DeLuca said. "The agent or company trying to make the sale would have to take into account the customer's financial information and status before a transaction could be completed."

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COMMITTEE ACTION

Mirabito bill that would help high-tech businesses grow advances to full House

State Rep. Rick Mirabito's bill designed to help high-tech and manufacturing businesses grow in Pennsylvania with financing through the Second Stage loan program was unanimously approved by the House Commerce Committee this week. Currently the Second Stage loan program restricts the loan guarantee amount to 50 percent of the loan for the first two years then lowers it to 25 percent for the remainder of the term. Loans can only be made to businesses that are at between two and seven years old, and the loan amounts are capped at $1 million. Mirabito's bill (H.B. 1597) would keep the two-year age minimum but eliminate the age cap of seven years, retain the 50 percent loan guarantee for the life of the term, and increase the per-loan cap to $5 million.

"In its five years of existence, the Second Stage program has issued only six loan guarantees. That means there may be businesses out there that are not able to access the capital they need to grow because there isn't enough participation by the banks," said Mirabito, D-Lycoming. "Without spending any additional tax dollars, my bill would revise the program to make it more attractive to lenders."

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Vitali's clean-energy legislation voted out of committee

Clean-energy legislation (H.B. 80) introduced by state Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, was reported out of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee this week. Vitali's bill would increase Tier I requirements in Pennsylvania's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards to 20 percent by 2026. Tier I requirements are the proportion of electricity that electric distribution companies must purchase from renewable sources such as wind and solar. The bill also would increase the amount of electricity from solar photovoltaic panels that electricity companies must purchase and use to 3 percent by 2026; require Pennsylvania to develop and operate a carbon capture and sequestration network for coal-burning power plants in Pennsylvania; and require 3 percent of the energy purchased by electric distribution companies in Pennsylvania to come from coal-fired power plants that sequester carbon.

"This bill is important for both the environment and the economy," Vitali said. "If enacted, it would remove 16 million tons of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere, which equates to 3 million cars being taken off the road. This legislation also would create good-paying jobs and economic growth, which is a distinct advantage in our economic recovery efforts."

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Judiciary Committee approves constable reform bill

State Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the committee has approved his constable consolidation legislation. Caltagirone's bill, H.B. 1607, would consolidate numerous state laws concerning constables, whose duties include providing security for court rooms and polling places, making arrests and transporting prisoners. Constables are elected officials who serve six-year terms and work in 66 of the state's counties, excluding Philadelphia.

"Existing statutes governing constables are so widely dispersed among multiple titles and freestanding laws in Pennsylvania that as lawmakers, our challenge is to draft legislation that works for everyone," Caltagirone said. "What we do know is that the system is too broad currently, and my legislation is a necessary first step in reforming the system."

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Committee approves bills on voting standards, candidate financial disclosures

State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., said two of her bills were reported out of the House State Government Committee this week. Under H.B. 1595, the court would have the authority to allow candidates to correct non-fraudulent errors and omissions in their financial disclosure statement after it's been filed so they can remain on the ballot. Under H.B. 1596, Pennsylvania would adopt permanently the voting standards that are currently being used to determine what a valid vote is. These standards were first adopted in 2003 after the Help America Vote Act required each state to adopt uniform and nondiscriminatory standards on what is counted as a valid vote.

"Both bills are important for their own reasons," said Josephs, who also is chairwoman of the committee. "The voting standards bill would maintain the state's uniformity in the decision of what is a valid or invalid vote, while the other piece of legislation would make it easier for candidates to correct unintentional mistakes on their financial disclosure paperwork."

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Committee approves Kula hunting-under-the-influence bill

State Rep. Deberah Kula announced that the House Game and Fisheries Committee has approved her legislation that would lower the blood alcohol content limit for hunting under the influence from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent. Based on a law passed last year to lower the limit to 0.08 percent for boating under the influence, Kula's bill (H.B. 1523) would align the BAC under state law governing the Pennsylvania Game Commission, with the limit already used by both the Fish and Boat Commission and Department of Transportation.

"Hunting has a rich history in Pennsylvania, but it is also a family tradition that must be both protected and held to high safety standards," said Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland. "The new guidelines I am proposing would stiffen penalties for hunters found to be under the influence, ultimately making our rural areas and forests safer during hunting season."

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Casorio pension forfeiture bill advances in state Senate

A state Senate committee has approved legislation introduced by state Rep. James E. Casorio Jr., D-Westmoreland, that would expand the list of crimes requiring public officials and employees to forfeit their pension benefits. The bill (H.B. 1182) would expand a state law that requires public officials and employees to give up their taxpayer-paid pension benefits when they plead guilty to or are convicted of specific crimes by adding institutional sexual assault and contraband to the list of crimes currently in the law. The bill also includes a provision that would require pension benefits that are forfeited under the law to be calculated from the date of the official's original arraignment.

"All of the crimes included in this law involve state officials or employees using their position as a way to commit crimes or to contribute to the criminal activity of others," Casorio said. "I strongly believe that institutional sexual assault, particularly when it involves young people in detention centers or youth homes, should be added to the law, as well as cases where guards or employees use their position to allow inmates access to illegal drugs or other prohibited items in prison or other detention facilities."

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Committee approves Josephs bill to ban human ID implantations

The House State Government Committee has approved a bill (H.B. 1175) introduced by state Rep. Babette Josephs that would prohibit a person from requiring, coercing or compelling another person to be surgically tagged with an identification device. Currently, Pennsylvania has no law prohibiting the forced implantation of identification devices, though Josephs said that numerous threats to personal health, privacy and civil liberty had been brought to the nation’s attention by other states. California, North Dakota and Wisconsin have already passed legislation to create civil penalties and cause for action for damages resulting from such coerced procedures.

"As more and more advanced technology becomes available, it carries with it an equally detrimental set of risks," Josephs said. "We need to safeguard against all possible abuses of the use of ID devices, as they pose significant ramifications which might compromise the information security of countless individuals using the device."