Finance 2011-2012
The Senate Finance Committee met October 15, 2012 and reported the following bills:
As Committed
House Bill 2591 (Godshall): Amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) relating to retirement rights and Title 71 (State Government) relating to the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS).
As Amended
House Bill 2626 (Benninghoff): A freestanding act that establishes the Promote Employment across Pennsylvania Program (PEP).
The Senate Finance Committee met October 3, 2012 and reported the following bills:
As Committed
Senate Bill 1284 (McIlhinney): Amends Titles 51 (Military Affairs) and 71 (State Government) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for the calculation of military members’ State Employees’ Retirement System benefits
House Bill 2319 (Evankovich): Allows career and technical schools to be eligible for Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) programs in the same manner as other public schools and provides for a set-aside for donations within the program to career and technical schools
House Bill 2626 (Benninghoff): A freestanding act that establishes the Promote Employment across Pennsylvania Program (PEP).
[divider top=”1″]The Senate Finance Committee met May 23, 2012 and reported out the following bill:
As Committed
Senate Bill 161– A joint resolution amending the PA Constitution giving the General Assembly exclusive power in writing laws providing for the qualifications of institutions of purely public charity.
The Senate Finance Committee met Wednesday, May 9, 2012 and reported the following bills:
As Amended:
SB 1265 (Earll) – Amends Title 12 (Commerce and Trade) providing for an Angel Investment Tax Credit for early stage business financing. Senator Earll offered Amendment A10194, which provides technical changes, makes clarifications to certain definitions, provides further requirements for businesses that qualify for tax credits, and lists additional requirements for the administration of the tax credits. The amendment was adopted.
SB 1388 (Ferlo) – Amends the Realty Transfer tax by broadening the definition of “real estate company” and proveds that a “real estate company” becomes an “acquired company” in certain additional cases where a legal commitment to transfer is provided. Senator Brubaker offered Amendment A10192, which makes technical changes. The amendment also changes the language on “acquired company” to require a binding legal commitment; providing for fixed, non-negotiable terms; and that full consideration, in any form, is received by the transferring party. The amendment was adopted.
SB 1460 ( Brubaker) – Amends the Tax Reform Code to provide for an Industry Partnership Tax Credit. Senator Brubaker offered Amendment A10319, which was technical in nature, making changes to the bill’s effective date. The amendment was adopted.
SB 1490 (Brubaker) – Amends the Tax Reform Code to provide reform of the Commonwealth’s Tax Appeals Process. Senator Brubaker offered Amendment A10093, which was technical in nature, removing unnecessary language. The amendment was adopted.
As Committed:
HB 1913 (Culver) – Enacts the Real Estate Tax Abatement for Properties Damaged by Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee Act.
The Senate Finance Committee met April 3, 2012 and reported out the following legislation:
As Amended
Senate Bill 1090 (Corman): Amends the Tuition Account Programs and College Savings Bond Act.
Senate Bill 1135 (Corman): Amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971 as it relates to deductions for contributions into a qualified tuition program.
Senate Bill 1309 (Argall): Amends Title 53, the Consolidated County Assessment Law, prohibiting a taxing district from appealing the assessment of real property based upon a recent sale and to clarify the cases in which a taxing district may appeal the assessment of real property
House Bill 761 (Cutler): Amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971 as it relates to the Realty Transfer Tax and the transfers of real estate used by family farms.
The Senate Finance Committee met March 28, 2012 and reported out the following legislation.
As Committed
House Bill 1761 (Smith): Amends the Second Class County Code relating to the Second Class County Employees’ Retirement System.
The Senate Finance Committee met December 14, 2011 and reported the following bills out of committee:
As Amended
Senate Bill 562 (Corman) Permits individual taxpayers to offset gain within one class of income
Senate Bill 1354 (Corman) Permits an individual taxpayer to carry forward loss within a class of income to subsequent tax years
The Senate Finance Committe met November 16, 2011 and reported out the following bills:
As Committed
Senate Bill 371 (D. White): Requires distributors to notify retailers when cigarettes are removed from the Tobacco Product Directory. It also extends the 21 day selling period after delisting for retailers to 45 days.
Senate Bill 1036 (Vance): The liquid fuels tax funds have been released annually on April 1 accordingly to §2615.4(3) of the Liquid Fuels Municipal Allocation Law. The bill would change it to March 1.
House Bill 1164(Godshall): Amends the Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Act (Act 65 of 2006) in order to remove the sunset clause associated with the tax credit portion of the Act.
As Amended
Senate Bill 382 (Baker): Amends the definition of “earned income” in the Local Tax Enabling Act (Act 32 of 2008)to exempt wages paid to individuals on active duty military service, regardless of whether it is earned inside or outside the Commonwealth.
Senate Bill 1201 (Folmer): This bill amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971, further providing for the definition of “child with a disability”; and providing for inheritance tax
Senate Bill 1301 (Williams) Amends the Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Act (Act 65 of 2006) in order to remove the sunset clause associated with the tax credit portion of the Act.
The Senate Finance Committee met October 26, 2011 and reported out the following bills:
As Amended
Senate Bill 746 (Pileggi): Amends the Realty Transfer Tax creating a new term, “family farm business”, by incorporating the existing definitions of “family farm corporation” and “family farm partnership”
Senate Bill 1150 (Smucker): Creates the Historic Preservation Incentive Act, a tax credit program to provide for expenditures incurred to restore certain historic structures.
Senate Bill 1267 (Blake): Creates the Real Estate Tax Abatement for Properties Damaged by Hurricane Irene or Tropical Storm Lee Act.
As Committed
Senate Bill 1263 (Browne): Creates a provision in the Fiscal Code for the Reed Act limitations under Labor & Industries Appropriation
The Senate Finance Committee met September 26, 2011 and reported out the following bill:
As Committed
Senate Bill 444 (Earll): Amends the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act by increasing the prize limits for games, and making several additional changes.
The Senate Finance Committee met on 6-22-11 and reported out the following:
SB 1091 (Browne): This legislation amends the Fiscal Code to provide for the allocation of money appropriated to the Vocational Rehabilitation Fund. The bill was reported from the committee unanimously.
HB 15 (Christiana): This legislation creates a new act providing for a searchable, online database containing appropriation and expenditure detail. Sen. Browne offered A03365 that requires the Office of Administration to develop, implement and maintain a searchable, public website containing revenue and expenditure information. The amendment and bill were reported unanimously.
SB 634 (Brubaker): This legislation amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971. When approving applications for neighborhood assistance tax credits, the bill would require that the secretary take into special consideration applications which involve charitable food programs. Sen. Brubaker offered A03440 that drops specific percentage allocations and creates a definition for charitable food programs. The amendment was unanimously adopted and the bill was reported 9-1.
The Senate Finance Committee met April 12, 2011 and reported out the following legislation:
As Committed
Senate Bill 158 (Fontana): Amends the New Home Construction Local Tax Abatement Act to extend a deadline
Senate Bill 318 (Tomlinson): Allows a surviving spouse to file a joint personal income tax return for the year in which his or her spouse died
Senate Bill 320 (Tomlinson): Eliminates interest and penalty for udnerspayment of personal income tax for taxpayers who make estimated payments equal to the taxpayer’s liabillity in the previous year.
As Amended
Senate Bill 405 (Browne): Clarifies the conditions under which a local taxing jurisdiction may levy a mercantile or business privilege tax on gross receipts or on the privilege of doing business within a local taxing jurisdiction. A technical amendment was adopted.
Senate Bill 564 (Dinniman) Excludes sales to or use by volunteer firefighters’ relief associations from the sales and use tax. The bill was amended that sales tax exemption will be permanent unless the activities of the organization or association change so that said organization or association does not qualify for sales tax exempt status. If this happens, the department of revenue may revoke the sales tax exempt status of the organization or association
The Senate Finance Committee met April 5, 2011 and reported out the following:
Senate Bill 330 (Scarnati): Extends installment payment provisions for school property taxes to small businesses. Amendment A01146 was added to the bill and was technical in nature
Senate Bill 907 (Browne): Extends the expiration date of a provision governing the authority of the State Workers’ Insurance Board to invest money.
Senate Bill 911 (Brubaker): Eliminates the exceptions to the backend referendum for school district property increases above the index authorized in Act 1.
The Committee also reported out the nomination of Daniel Muser as Secretary of Revenue.
The Senate Finance Committee met February 14, 2011 and reported out the following legislation as amended.
Senate Bill 105 (Browne): An Act providing for the establishment of a searchable budget database-driven Internet website detailing certain information concerning taxpayer expenditures and investments.
Senate Bill 476 (Browne): An Act amending the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, in sales and use tax, further providing for time for filing returns and for time of payment.