An
update of recent legislative activity by
Pennsylvania House Democrats
June 1, 2007
Markosek introduces plan for transportation
transformation
At a Capitol news conference this week, Rep. Joseph Markosek,
D-Allegheny/Westmoreland, chairman of the House Transportation Committee,
announced a package of legislative proposals that would provide increased
accountability, efficiency and management of the state's transportation
system. The plan would create a Pennsylvania Transportation Finance
Authority with the power to acquire, operate, manage and maintain the
Pennsylvania Turnpike and other toll roads; reduce the number of Department of
Transportation districts from 11 to three; require all new candidates for
employment with PennDOT or the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to use either
the "CareerLink" System or the state civil service system; expand state
oversight of the transportation system; and create a new funding formula for
the state's transportation system that would track inflation, provide a greater
share of local funding and strengthen transit agency oversight and
accountability.
"These comprehensive changes would
streamline our transportation agencies and eliminate many of the current
problems affecting them," Markosek said. "We cannot ask our colleagues in the
legislature, and ultimately the taxpayers of Pennsylvania, to support any
additional transportation funding without assurance that those tax dollars are
invested and spent properly and responsibly."
Click
here to read more.
Cohen aims to extend right to free speech
Rep. Mark Cohen,
D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would allow workers' unions free
speech access in shopping malls. The legislation (H.B.
1383) would permit employee bargaining agencies to distribute literature,
gather signatures on petitions or membership cards, and host tables in the
interior walkways of malls and at shopping centers or any other large retail
establishments that host commerce.
"The walkways and open spaces in
our commerce centers ought to be receptive to free speech," Cohen said. "Malls
attract diverse groups and can be a great place for organizations to access
these different populations."
-- Click
here to read more.
Gergely: Rise in gas prices means time to act on 'drive-off'
bill is now
With the approach of the summer vacation season and
all-time-high gas prices, Rep. Marc
Gergely, D-Allegheny, says punishment must be heightened for "drive-off"
gasoline thieves. He has introduced legislation (H.B.
998) that would add a 30-day to six-month license suspension to the fines
already in place for gasoline theft.
"When it costs upwards of $60 to
fill your gas tank, some people are willing to take the risk of driving away
without paying for their fuel, especially when weighing the likelihood of being
caught and receiving a small fine," Gergely said. "If stealing gasoline meant
you could lose your way to get to work, run errands, or even go on vacation,
people would think twice before pulling away without paying."
-- Click
here to read more.
Siptroth: Gas-pricing legislation needed for summer
vacation season
Rep. John
Siptroth, D-Monroe/Pike, is urging action on his legislation (H.
B. 234) that would prohibit gasoline retailers in Pennsylvania from
increasing the price of fuel more than once in a 24-hour period. Because the
market is so unstable, many gas customers currently face per-gallon retail
prices at the pump that change many times during the day.
"Currently, prices can be changed
by retailers throughout the day, so the cost of gasoline is sometimes
significantly higher on your drive home than when you left for work in the
morning," Siptroth said. "My legislation would address the issue of speculative
pricing and give consumers some certainty when filling their tanks that the
price will not change in a matter of minutes."
-- Click
here to read more.
Taylor bill would address backlog of personal
care home inspections
Rep. Rick Taylor,
D-Montgomery, will introduce legislation to bolster the number of state
inspectors to address a huge backlog of inspections of personal care homes for
the aging and people with disabilities. The proposal would provide $167,000 to
the Department of Public Welfare to hire 20 additional inspectors for the remainder
of the current fiscal year.
"We must do better in protecting
those unable to protect themselves," Taylor said. "Recently, we had word that
only about 30 percent of the nearly 1,600 personal care homes in Pennsylvania
have received the annual inspection required by state law, and that follow-up
inspections of homes cited for deficiencies are also severely hampered by the
staff shortage."
-- Click
here to read more.
Caltagirone seeking to legalize sports pool betting
Rep. Tom
Caltagirone, D-Berks, has reintroduced a bill that would legalize sports
pool betting in Pennsylvania. The legislation would add sports pool betting to
the list of permissible small games of chance operated by nonprofit
associations for the promotion of charitable and civic purposes. Small games of
chance currently permitted by law include: weekly and daily drawings, raffles,
punchboards and pull-tabs.
"For churches, schools and many
other nonprofit organizations, small games of chance are important sources of
revenue," Caltagirone said." I've designed this legislation to make it easier
for them to raise money by adding sports pool betting."
-- Click
here to read more.
Shimkus working to limit account freezes
for fuel purchases
Rep. Frank
Andrews Shimkus, D-Lackawanna, has introduced legislation (H.B.
1372) that would prohibit fuel retailers from placing a hold on a customers'
debit card accounts in excess of the price of the fuel purchased. The hold can
be for as much as $75 above the actual cost of gasoline purchased, and can stay
on a customer's debit card account for days.
"When you buy a gallon of milk, you pay for a gallon of milk
-- nothing more, nothing less," Shimkus said. "The same should apply when you
buy a gallon of gasoline."
-- Click
here to read more.
James introduces proposals to govern conduct of
district attorneys
Rep. Harold James,
D-Phila., has introduced two bills that would establish standards of conduct
and set penalties for misconduct for district attorneys in Pennsylvania. The
first bill (H.B.
1413) would set standards and penalties for the district attorney and
employees of the districts attorney's office in Philadelphia; the second bill (H.B.
1414) would cover district attorneys in Pennsylvania's other 66 counties.
"I have introduced these bills in
the past and they have not received adequate consideration," James said. "It is
my hope that under new leadership, the Judiciary Committee will take up my bill
to provide this ethical guidance to our state's district attorneys."
-- Click
here to read more.
Bill would tax advertising to fund property tax relief
Rep. Tom
Caltagirone, D-Berks, is reintroducing legislation to end the state sales
tax exemption on advertising. The bill would apply the state sales, currently 6
percent in most of the state, to any receipts collected from an advertiser.
"Making advertising revenue
subject to the state sales tax could generate much-needed revenue for
initiatives such as property tax relief," Caltagirone said.
-- Click
here to read more.
Shimkus plans bill to simplify language in auto
insurance policies
Rep. Frank
Andrews Shimkus, D-Lackawanna, will introduce legislation that would
simplify the language in automobile insurance policies to clearly state if a
consumer is signing away their right to sue. In Pennsylvania, insurance
customers have the option of purchasing limited-tort coverage, which offers
motorists savings on their premium in exchange for giving up their right in
most cases to sue for pain and suffering, and full tort, which costs more but
gives motorists an unrestricted right to sue for pain and suffering.
"Drivers ought to know exactly
what they're signing when they buy vehicle insurance," Shimkus said. "Phrases
like 'full tort' and 'limited tort' can be confusing. Let's call it what it is -
a full right to sue and a limited right to sue."
-- Click
here to read more.
Pashinski
introduces bill to develop registry for prepaid cell phones
Rep. Eddie Day
Pashinski, D-Luzerne, has introduced legislation that would require retail
stores in Pennsylvania to keep a registry of people purchasing prepaid cellular
telephones. The measure (H.B.
1371) would require people to provide two forms of identification when
purchasing a prepaid cell phone, and require retail stores to maintain a
database of purchasers and provide a quarterly report to the Pennsylvania State
Police.
"Across the country, prepaid
phones have been used in cases of terrorism, identity theft and by sexual
predators," Pashinski said. "My legislation would give law enforcement officials
a trail back to the prepaid cell phone purchaser in cases of illegal drug
activity. It is another tool to help police solve and possibly even deter
crime."
-- Click
here to read more.
Kortz bill would prevent premature publishing of
search and arrest warrants
Rep. Bill Kortz,
D-Allegheny, has introduced legislation (H.B.
1117) that would prevent the publishing of search
and arrest warrants on the Internet until seven days after the warrant has been
issued. The premature announcement of a pending investigation can result in
allowing suspects to destroy or hide evidence, or escape or evade capture. This
can also put law enforcement officers at greater risk when serving search or
arrest warrants.
"Some search warrants have been
revealed on the Internet prior to their being served and executed, thereby nullifying
their purpose and effect," Kortz said. "While it is my understanding that the state's
Unified Judicial System has taken measures to prevent this situation, I feel
legislation is needed to help protect our law enforcement officers and allow our
prosecutors the ability to gather important evidence."
-- Click
here to read more.
Caltagirone seeking tax exemption for utility workers'
overtime pay
With the start of the hurricane season, Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks, is
reintroducing legislation that would help utility workers who respond to
natural disasters and other emergencies. Under the bill, the 3.07 percent state
Personal Income Tax would not be levied on overtime pay utility workers collect
while they are responding to emergencies.
"When emergencies happen, these
are the people who are called out in the middle of the night to make sure the
rest of us have power or other utilities," Caltagirone said. "It's more than
fair to exempt their pay for that work from state income tax."
-- Click
here to read more.
Wojnaroski bill would provide COLA for retired state
troopers
Rep. Edward
Wojnaroski, D-Cambria, has introduced legislation that would provide
retired Pennsylvania State Police with an annual cost-of-living increase. The
bill (H.B.
1390) would provide for a 3 percent annual cost-of-living adjustment for
all PSP retirees who have been collecting retirement benefits for at least 24
consecutive months.
"The men and women of the
Pennsylvania State Police make great sacrifices in order to keep the public
safe from criminals," Wojnaroski said. "It is only fair that we make
available a secure retirement for the sacrifices the officers have made during
their careers with the PSP."
-- Click
here to read more.
