Finance 2019-2020
The Senate Finance Committee met on Tuesday, October 6, 2020, and took action as follows:
Reported as Committed:
HB 296 (Toohil) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to provide for an Adoption and Foster Care Tax Credit. A foster parent will be eligible for a one-time tax credit of $500 and the parent of an adopted child will be eligible or one-time tax credit of $1,000. The bill was reported out by a vote of 10-1.
SB 463 (Argall) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to exempt traffic signal foundations, poles, and mast arms from the Sales & Use Tax. This bill was reported out unanimously.
SB 628 (Scavello) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to provide for an Airport Land Development Zone (ALDZ) tax credit program. Senate Muth offered Amendment A07566 which would have added limitations on employers receiving tax credits through the ALDZ program to utilize energy that is at least 50% renewable during the completion or operation of any construction within the ALDZ. The amendment was defeated by a vote 4-7. The bill, as committed, was reported out by a vote of 8-3.
HB 2497 (Dunbar) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to provide for forgiveness for indebtedness granted under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Senator Blake offered amendment A07552 which would have prevented the deduction of expenses for which PPP Loans received under the CARES Act were already applied to.
The amendment was defeated by a vote 4-7. The bill, as committed, was reported out by a vote of 11-0.
Reported as Amended:
SB 1326 (Blake and Haywood) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to provide for the implementation of recommendations from the 42nd Statewide Investigating Grand Jury Report, specifically in relation to KIZ and R&D tax credits. Sen. Hutchinson offered offered amendment A07530 which made technical corrections to the bill. The amendment was unanimously approved and the bill as amended was reported out unanimously.
HB 1961 (Schmitt) – This bill amends Title 71 to provide for additional investment performance data reporting. Sen. Browne offered amendment A07564 to allow for additional means of payment of the administrative fees, costs, and expenses of the plan. The amendment was unanimously approved and the bill as amended was reported out unanimously.
HB 1962 (Keefer) – This bill amends Title 24 and Title 71 to provide for the performance of an annual stress test by SERS and PSERS. Sen. Hutchinson offered amendment A07556 to set the standard for the stress tests to what would be recognized as industry standards. The amendment was unanimously approved. Sen. Browne then offered amendment A07580 which increases board member continuing education training requirements, audit committee requirements and creates an asset liability contingency committee. The amendment was approved by a vote of 10-1. The bill as amended was reported out unanimously.
The Senate Finance committee met on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 and took the following action:
Reported unanimously as amended:
HB 2484, PN 3880 (White) – This bill would allow nonprofits and charitable trusts to designate up to 10% of the total value of the trust or assets they hold as spendable income, the current limit is 7%. The bill further provides for the investment of trust funds and nonjudicial settlement agreements.
Senator Hutchinson offered amendment A06351 which provides for nonjudicial settlement agreements and will remove sunset provisions in the bill. The amendment also clarifies who can enter into these nonjudicial settlement agreements in order to protect the original donor’s wishes. The amendment was unanimously approved.
Reported as amended by a vote of 8-3:
HB 1437, PN 1775 (Keller) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to make revisions to the Rural Jobs and Investment Tax Credit Program and to increase the tax credit from $30 million to $60 million.
Senator Hutchinson offered amendment A06329 which removes language from the bill to reflect current statute. The amendment lowers the required amount of investment authority for rural jobs from $100 million to $50 million. Lastly, the amendment clarifies growth fund investment restriction language to ensure that no more than 20% of a rural growth funds investment go towards one rural business. The amendment was approved by a vote of 8-3.
Reported unanimously as committed:
SB 875, PN 1233 (Stefano) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to exempt firefighters from the sales and use tax when purchasing protective equipment and accessory communication equipment related to their work.
SB 1180, PN 1737 (Brooks) – This bill creates a new annual tax credit for volunteer firefighters. Firefighters must be residents of Pennsylvania, active members of a volunteer fire company, have responded to at least 20% of the volunteer fire company’s emergency calls during the prior two year period and active during the time of filling to qualify for the tax credit. The individual would be eligible for an annual $500 tax credit.
The Senate Finance committee met on Monday, June 8, 2020 and took the following action:
Reported unanimously as amended:
HB 2418, PN 3580 (O’Neal) – This bill amends the Administrative Code to provide for a COVID-19 debt cost reduction review, required to be conducted by the Treasury Department by June 30, 2020. Senator Hutchison offered amendment A06015 which extends the due date of the report to October 30, 2020 and amends the required information agencies need to submit to Treasury. Senator Hutchinson also offered amendment A06062 which mends the language from SB 1027 PN 1621 into the bill, which would modify the composition of the State Geospatial Coordinating Board and extend the sunset date of the Board to 2024. Both amendments were approved by a unanimous vote.
Reported as committed by a vote of 9-2:
SB 1036, PN 1543 (Mastriano) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to further exempt cervidae (deer, moose, elk, etc.) livestock operations from the Sales and Use Tax, specifically to ensure livestock used for human consumption is not taxed and to exclude cervidae, swine and exotic animals raised for entertainment hunts from taxation.
The Senate Finance Committee met on May 11, 2020 and took the following action:
Reported unanimously as amended:
SB 1041, PN 1546 (K. Ward) – This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to provide a sales tax exemption for multi-purpose agriculture vehicles used for farming. These vehicles are already tax exempt, but this legislation clarifies the applicable uses of these vehicles.
Senator Hutchinson offered amendment A05551 which moves the sales tax exemption language to a more appropriate section of the Tax Reform Code. The amendment and the bill as amended were passed unanimously.
SB 1100, PN 1612 (Schwank) – This bill will amend the Fiscal Code to exempt certain CARES Act payments from the definition of income for programs such as property tax and rent rebate, PACE/PACENET, childcare subsidies, medical assistance and CHIP.
Senator Blake offered amendment A05512 which is a technical amendment to correct a reference to the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The amendment and the bill as amended were passed unanimously.
Reported unanimously as committed:
HB 2408, PN 3676 (Markosek) – This bill amends the Fiscal Code to exempt the payment from the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from an individual’s state and local taxes. In addition, this bill would exempt Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness from state and local taxes and increase endowment spending limits for nonprofit corporations.
The Senate Finance Committee met on Wednesday, April 29, 2020 and took the following action:
Reported unanimously as committed:
HB 1076, PN 3594 (Hennessey) – This bill allows school districts to create a volunteer property tax relief program for residents to receive a partial property tax credit. Residents must be at least 60 years old and would receive the credit in exchange for volunteer services to the school district. This bill would also extend the application deadline for Property Tax Rent Rebates to Dec. 31, 2020.
The Finance Committee met on Tuesday November 19, 2019 to consider the following bills:
HB 1982, PN 2895 (Benninghoff) – This bill amends Title 71 (State Government) to allow SERS to allow eligible employers to pay off their unfunded actuarial liability in advance. The bill was reported as committed (unanimously).
HB1100, PN 1593 (Kaufer) – This bill amends Tax Reform Code to create the Energy and Fertilizer Manufacturing Tax Credit to provide for a credit equal to $0.05 per gallon of qualified product purchased and used in the manufacturing of petrochemicals or fertilizers in Pennsylvania. The bill was reported as committed by a vote of 7-3.
The Senate Finance Committee met Tuesday, January 29, 2019 and reported the following bill out of committee:
As Committed
Senate Bill 113 (DiSanto): Amends the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act, further providing for definitions, for disqualification and forfeiture of benefits and for restitution for monetary loss; and repealing a retroactivity provision. The bill was reported out unanimously.
Senator John Blake
Committee Chair