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Senate of Pennsylvania
SENATE DEMOCRATIC WRAP-UP FOR
THE WEEK OF |
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By a vote of 48-2, the Senate approved House amendments to Senate Bill 218 that provides reform of the $52 Emergency and Municipal Services Tax. Senate Bill 218 lessens the burden of the $52 tax by exempting low-income workers and permanently disabled veterans from the tax and allows all other workers to pay in installments instead of one lump sum. The bill also renames the tax the Local Services Tax (LST). The bill is now on the Governor’s desk.
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By a vote of 50-0, the Senate this week approved House legislation relating to state employee retirement funds. House Bill 876 would require an annual contribution rate of at least 4 percent from the employer for active member retirement funds. The current contribution calculates to $108.2 million. The bill is on the Governor’s desk * * *
The Senate unanimously passed legislation that would amend the Volunteer Fire Company and the Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Act. Under House Bill 906 a volunteer fire company must have actively responded to one or more fire or rescue emergencies during the previous calendar year and must agree to actively participate in the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System administered by the agency. The bill would also add advanced life support squads to the definition of what is considered a volunteer ambulance service. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
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The Senate unanimously passed legislation that would provide for Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service and establish the VoIP Emergency Services Fund. Senate Bill 385 would require VoIP telephone service providers to assess a $1 fee for each customer service line. This fee would be distributed by the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to counties to assist with implementing their 911 plans. The fee would be stated separately on a customer’s bill and collected separately from any other fee levied by the provider for 911 services. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
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By a vote of 50-0, the Senate approved Senate Bill 844, which would amend the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act. Senate Bill 844 would define “qualified association” to allow associate brokers and salespersons to set up entities such as S corporations or LLCs to conduct their real estate business and receive commissions. The bill would also impose a suspension or revocation of a license or registration certificate and the imposition of fines can be levied where a licensee or registrant participates in prohibited acts. Lastly, the bill would create provisions for handling of deposits and other escrows accepted by a broker. The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 877, which would amend the Public Welfare Code by establishing definitions for certain terms and administering a program of mandatory and voluntary managed care. The bill would provide definitions for behavioral health care services, managed care contractor, managed care organization, mandatory managed care, Medicaid, medical assistance, physical health care services, recipient, state plan, voluntary managed care and waiver. The bill would also administer a program of mandatory managed care for physical health care services for the southeast, southwest, Lehigh and Capital areas, as well as for recipients who reside outside the areas. The bill is now in the house.
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The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 834, which would amend the Library Code to add two additional members to the Advisory Council on Library Development Currently, the Advisory Council on Library Development includes twelve members appointed by the Governor. The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 799, which would add the regional campuses of the University of Pittsburgh to the list of colleges and universities whose faculty members are eligible for grants from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
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By a vote of 50-0, the Senate approved Senate Bill 413 that would amend the Second Class County Code for the purpose of adding the assessment of sign and sign structures. Senate Bill 413 would prohibit the assessment of signs or sign structures for the purpose of real estate taxes, and prevent these structures from being considered real property and thus taxable. This is regardless of whether or not the structure is permanent. The bill now moves to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved House amendments to Senate Bill 437, the latest in a series of changes to the 1999 Pennsylvania Construction Code Act. On the advice of industry experts, the bill waives a section of the code requiring bolts connecting single-family homes to their masonry foundations. Experts said past practice has proven to be safe. The bill now goes to the Governor for his signature.
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