Welcome to "Mike's Memo," an update on what's
happening in the 48th Legislative District, the State Capitol, and the progress
of my legislative priorities. If you haven't done so already, please take a few
moments to visit my website at
www.senatorfolmer.com to learn more about issues that may affect you and
your family.
Week of November 14, 2016
Medical Marijuana Laboratory Temporary Regulation Review and Patient
Survey
The
PA Department of Health posted a draft of temporary regulations for
laboratories online for public comment. You can
view the draft here, and
submit your feedback here, until November 18. The
Department
is also collecting information from PA residents who are potentially eligible
patients with serious medical conditions, or family members interested in
becoming a caregiver for a patient. A short
survey on patient needs is here
(all information collected will be kept confidential).
Lebanon County Relay for Life 2016 Accomplishment
Relay for Life
of Lebanon County, for the 2016 American Cancer Society (ACS)
Relay season, raised $349,226 towards programs and resources for cancer
patients. As a result of the participant’s fundraising efforts, the event ranked
#2 (of 332) in income in the
ACS East Central Division, which includes Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Bills Vetoed by the Governor
Senate Bill 286 –
Veto #5 of 2016 – Delaware River Port
Authority changes;
Senate Bill 562 –
Veto #6 of 2016 – provides additional legislative oversight of the
regulatory review process;
House Bill 245 –
Veto #7 of 2016 – clarifies
Act 32 tax practitioner concerns (which contained portions of my
Senate Bill 356, which was signed into law as Act 150 of 2016);
House Bill 1618 –
Veto #3 of 2016 – creates an Independent Office of Inspector General;
House Bill 1998 –
Veto #4 of 2016 – modernizes structure of the
Philadelphia Parking Authority.
Column: Persistence Pays Off
President Calvin Coolidge once said: “nothing in this world can take
the place of persistence.” I’m pleased one of my constituents demonstrated this
in helping to draft changes that have now been signed into law.
Nearly five years ago, Fred Weaver of Weaver Accounting in Lebanon came to my
office to share some problems with
Act 32 of 2008, which provided for the consolidation of county tax
collection of the local earned income tax.
As is often the case with bills enacted into law, there are sometimes
unintended consequences and/or oversights that need to be addressed with
subsequent legislation. As Fred shared with me, that was the case with
Act 32 – especially as it related to agriculture taxpayers.
Fred convinced me changes were needed to make local tax filing more customer
friendly. While largely technical, each is important to farmers filing their
local earned income tax returns.
These changes included:
- Making farmers’ estimated tax provisions parallel those used by the
Pennsylvania Department of Revenue
- Changing the due date of returns falling on Saturdays, Sundays, or legal
holidays
- Adding safe harbor tax provisions (i.e., last year’s income, this year’s
rates)
- Dropping duplicative income provisions
- Clarifying e-filing for quarterly tax returns
In 2012, I worked with Fred to draft a bill to make these changes, which was
introduced as
Senate Bill 1427.
SB 1427 was referred to a Senate committee, but never considered.
In 2013, I reintroduced these proposed changes as
Senate Bill 491. Fortunately, action was taken and Fred Weaver was
instrumental during every step of the process as the bill was amended, moved
from Committee, re-referred to another Committee, amended again, and unanimously
passed by the full Senate a year after being introduced. Six months later, a
House Committee added extensive but unrelated amendments very late in the
legislative Session and the bill died.
Last year, I reintroduced
SB 491 as previously passed by the Senate as
Senate Bill 356. Again, with Fred’s help,
SB 356 was amended, reported from Committee, re-referred to another
Committee, and again unanimously passed by the full Senate.
In the House,
SB 356 was linked to another local earned income tax bill (HB
245), which complemented our proposed changes and addressed other
Act 32 issues.
SB 356 was amended (with some of its proposed changes being incorporated
into the House bill), reported from Committee, tabled, removed from the table,
re-referred to another Committee, reported to the full House, twice tabled and
twice removed from the table,
SB 356 was overwhelming passed by the full House and returned to the Senate
this October for concurrence in the House amendments.
On the very last day of the 2015–2016 legislative Session of the General
Assembly, the Senate unanimously approved the amended bill and sent it to the
Governor who signed it into law as Act 150 of 2016. However,
HB 245 was vetoed.
It took nearly five years from Fred Weaver’s first visit to my office,
numerous trips to Harrisburg by Fred for meetings on the bills, and many phone
calls and emails with Fred to get some of these needed changes signed into law.
Thanks, Fred! We wouldn’t have made it this far without you! However, it
appears more work will be needed and we’re looking forward to continuing the
discussion with you.
Bills Signed into Law by the Governor
Senate Bill 356 – Act 150 – my bill to amend the Local
Tax Enabling Act;
Senate Bill 385 – Act 151 – updates the
Transit Revitalization Investment District Act;
Senate Bill 486 – Act 152 – allows counties to apply a fee on each deed and
mortgage recorded to be used for a demolition program to help combat blight;
Senate Bill 613 – Act 153 – expands the
Human Services Development Block Grant;
Senate Bill 881 – Act 154 – clarifies the definition of a “public utility”;
Senate Bill 984 – Act 164 – regulates Transportation Network Companies (TNCs),
such as Uber and Lyft, operating in PA;
Senate Bill 1018 – Act 157 – updates the
CPA Law;
Senate Bill 1062 – Act 158 – increased penalties for home invasion
burglaries;
Senate Bill 1202 – Act 124 – requires “pain management” and “prescribing
practices of opioids” to be included in continuing medical education credits;
Senate Bill 1235 – Act 160 – upgrades PA One Call;
Senate Bill 1265 – Act 161 – gives employers the option to pay employees via
debit card;
Senate Bill 1282 – Act 162 – clarifies fees for condominiums, cooperatives
and planned communities;
Senate Bill 1367 – Act 125 – requires all prescribers receive written
consent from a minor’s guardian to prescribe opioids and discuss the risks of
addiction;
Senate Bill 1368 – Act 126 – requires medical schools provide a “Safe Opioid
Prescription Education” and requires the
PA Department
of Health to create non-opioid forms for patients;
House Bill 162 – Act 127 – allows adult adoptees in PA to access their
original birth certificates;
House Bill 319 – Act 144 – amends the Unemployment Compensation Law
providing for seasonal worker benefit eligibility;
House Bill 516 – Act 128 – licenses Naturopathic Doctors under the
State Board of Medicine;
House Bill 850 – Act 129 – updates Pennsylvania’s Money Transmitters Act;
House Bill 1087 – Act 130 – provides the Governor veto power over actions of
PA Commissioners on the Delaware River Port
Authority Board;
House Bill 1118 – Act 131 – reestablishes the Pennsylvania Independent
Counsel Statute;
House Bill 1403 – Act 132 – requires insurance companies compare policies
with the Social
Security Death Master File to ensure beneficiaries are made aware of
unclaimed benefits;
House Bill 1437 – Act 133 – reduces the time for a purchaser to correct
known code violations to better combat blight;
House Bill 1496 – Act 134 – gives judges the flexibility to impose greater
penalties for felons who illegally possess firearms;
House Bill 1600 – Act 135 – provides a fee waiver for veteran and
service-disabled veteran owned businesses (Pennsylvania Start Ups for Soldiers);
House Bill 1699 – Act 122 – prohibits emergency providers from prescribing
long-acting opioid painkillers in ERs and places a limit on discharge
prescriptions;
House Bill 1703 – Act 136 – updates age restrictions for all-terrain
vehicles;
House Bill 1737 – Act 123 – enables waste-to-energy facilities to destroy
pharmaceuticals;
House Bill 1864 – Act 137 – clarifies the
Cosmetology Law for student clinical work in cosmetology schools;
House Bill 1907 – Act 138 – updates the truancy law;
House Bill 2025 – Act 165 – amends the vehicle code relating to temporary
vehicle registration, and certification and sanctions for safety inspection
stations and mechanics;
House Bill 2058 – Act 142 – allows paramedics conduct blood draws at police
stations for alleged driving under the influence cases;
House Bill 2078 – Act 143 – alleviates financial and logistical barriers for
members of the military and their spouses to receive educator certification in
PA;
House Bill 2107 – Act 163 – prohibits the
PA Department of
General Services from contracting with an entity engaging in an economic
boycott against Israel (language from my
Senate Bill 316 was also inserted into this bill
providing for more openness and transparency in the award of state
sole-source/no-bid and emergency contracts);
House Bill 2148 – Act 145 – expands the
Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law to cover other first responders;
House Bill 2241 – Act 146 – amends Title 40 (Insurance) for retroactive
denials of reimbursements;
House Bill 2290 – Act 147 – allows the Navigation Commission for the
Delaware River and its navigable tributaries to increase River Pilots license
fees;
House Bill 2291 – Act 148 – provides a rate increase for River Pilots of the
Delaware River and its navigable tributaries;
House Bill 2338 – Act 149 – ensures students at an accredited institution
remain eligible for state financial assistance and benefits if the
US Department of Education discontinues
recognition of the accrediting agency.
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program Now Open
The PA Department of Human Services
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is
now open through March 31, 2017. Eligibility is set at 150% of the federal
poverty income guidelines. Individuals can apply by paper application at their
local county assistance office, or through the COMPASS website:
www.compass.state.pa.us. For more
information, contact the
LIHEAP
hotline at 1-866-857-7095.
Senior Community Center Grant Now Open
The PA Department
of Aging announced a new grant opportunity for PA Senior Community Centers.
The grants will be awarded for the 2016-17 Fiscal Year and are intended for
enhancements to increase program participation, encourage sustainable and
innovative programs, attract a new generation of older adults, and enable
centers to provide a safe and healthy environment for participants. The grant
applications are due no later than December 12 at 5:00 p.m. For more
information,
click here or e-mail SCCgrants@pa.gov.
Contact Information
Please feel free to contact me at any time on state-related issues that are
of concern to you. I may be reached through my
website or my Lebanon or Harrisburg offices.
When contacting my office by
e-mail, mail, or telephone, please be sure to share your e-mail, telephone
number, and address so that we can follow up with you in a timely manner. Many
inquiries can be handled with a phone call or email.
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Offices
337 Main Capitol
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-5708
Fax: 717-787-3455
TTY: 800-364-1581
101 Municipal Building
400 South 8th Street
Lebanon, PA 17042
Phone: 717-274-6735
Fax: 717-274-7702
Toll Free: 1-877-222-1897 Email:
mfolmer@pasen.gov |