The Senate unanimously passed legislation that would compel the state Department of Community and Economic Development to create standards for construction, installation and inspection of commercial modular buildings.
House Bill 124 instructs the DCED to develop the regulations to be consistent with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act.
The bill now goes back to the House for concurrence in Senate amendments.
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The Senate unanimously passed legislation intended to address a rash of copper pipe and wire thefts across the state.
Senate Bill 688 would establish the criminal offense of theft of secondary metal. The offense would be graded as a third-degree misdemeanor when the value of the property is less than $50; a second degree misdemeanor if the value is $50 or more but less than $200; and a first-degree misdemeanor when value is $200 or more but less than $1,000. The offense would be a third-degree felony when the value is $1,000 or more.
The term “secondary metal” means wire, pipe, or cable commonly used by communications, gas and electrical utilities, railroads and mass transit or commuter rail agencies, or copper, aluminum or other metal, or a combination of metals, that is valuable for recycling or reuse as raw material.
The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 304, which would amend the Associations Code to finish the codification of Nonprofit Corporations law.
The 1988 Business Corporations Law only included a partial codification of Nonprofit Corporation law. This bill would make the language relating to nonprofit corporations consistent with the language relating to corporations.
The bill was referred to the House Commerce Committee.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 835, which would allow stepchildren to share in any recovery obtained through a lawsuit alleging wrongful death.
Because it is common for a stepchild to be dependent on a stepparent for support, when the stepparent dies, the child is often left without sufficient financial support. Under current state law, an action may be brought to recover damages for the death of an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another, but it does not provide for stepchildren.
The bill was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 648, which would amend the Game Code to exempt landowners from code violations committed by hunters who were given permission to hunt on their land.
The current code provides that a person “who causes” another to act in violation of the Game Code is also culpable. Some view this as a legal basis to hold landowners responsible for the actions of those who hunt on their land.
The bill now goes to the House.
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Senate Bill 777 was unanimously passed by the Senate. The measure would amend the Juvenile Act to create a mechanism whereby the county children and youth agency, the juvenile probation department and a court may be provided records about a child that are held by other agencies.
This effort is designed to encourage the multiple agencies that are normally involved in child welfare and delinquency cases to share information and work together to achieve the best possible outcomes for children.
Provided that no child-specific or other confidential information is disclosed, this legislation would also permit the sharing of information between authorized representatives of county and court agencies to help identify and provide services to children who are at risk of child abuse, parental neglect or initial or additional delinquent behavior.
Each inter-agency sharing agreement would be required to provide that the preferred method for obtaining authorization to share confidential information is written, informed consent. This person would be provided with a full understanding of the circumstances under which, and with whom, the information will be shared.
The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 865, which would amend a section of the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the possession or transportation of liquefied ammonia gas, precursors and chemicals for use in the manufacture of controlled substances, specifically methamphetamines.
A person convicted of a violation would be guilty of a felony, and subject to up to seven years in jail and a fine of up to $15,000.
The measure is now in the House.
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