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Senate of Pennsylvania
SENATE DEMOCRATIC WRAP-UP FOR
THE WEEK OF |
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By a 46 to 1 vote, the Senate this week approved legislation that is known as the “Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act.” Senate Bill 100 would regulate home improvement contracts and the registration of contractors who own and operate a home improvement business or who undertakes, offers to undertake or agrees to perform any home improvement. The legislation would cover repair, replacement, remodeling, demolition, removal, renovation, installation, alteration, conversion, modernization, improvement, rehabilitation or sandblasting. It does not include construction of a new home. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 116, taking a substantial step toward insuring that there is minority representation on juries. Under the Democratic-sponsored bill, counties could expand the substance and diversity of their jury pools by contacting the state Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts to access rosters of Pennsylvania residents from the state Revenue and Health and Welfare Department rolls. The bill is now in the House.
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By a unanimous vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 221, which would give deployed military personnel a 90-day extension on their a license to carry a firearm. The extension would be granted if the permit were scheduled to expire while the soldier was deployed overseas. The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 8, which would establish the Medical Safety Automation Fund and provide grants of up to $1 million to health care providers and organizations to implement medial safety automation systems. To be eligible for the proposed grant, a health care provider must provide medical services to individuals regardless of their ability to pay for the services. Applications for funding must address how the system would: protect privacy; maintain and provide permitted access to health information; ensure compliance with national standards; improve quality and reduce medical errors; reduce health care costs; ensure interoperability with other systems and health care providers; improve public health reporting; facilitate health research; promote prevention of chronic diseases and provide for consumer access to personal medical information. The bill now goes to the House.
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