(The Center Square) – The Pennsylvania House is back in session. There’s still no budget on the horizon, but here’s a look at some of the legislation that did move this week.
Four gun control bills were taken under consideration. Three of them failed. This is an unusual occurrence, since the majority party rarely puts bills on the calendar for third consideration if they don’t have the votes to pass it. The package, however, allowed for intense debate on the House floor and illuminated legislators’ views on an issue that deeply divides politicians, despite significant alignment within the American public.
The bill that did pass, which would require background checks on long guns in the state, is unlikely to be taken up by the Republican-led Senate, but with a slight fraction of bipartisan support, reflected some promise for what Democrats describe as commonsense measures.
One area the legislature could agree on? The importance of fatherhood. The Dads Matter Act passed with resounding bipartisan support. The bill aims to promote fathers’ involvement during pregnancy and parenting in order to improve outcomes for both mothers and babies. If passed in the Senate, the Department of Health will be directed to create a public education campaign helping men understand the importance of their role in women and children’s health.
A bipartisan effort passed to codify language that “eases the childcare cliff,” which finds many parents at a loss when their income becomes too great for assistance while remaining too low to afford childcare. The program allows parents to continue participating in the childcare subsidy program so long as their income doesn’t exceed 300% the federal poverty guidelines. The bill cements it into the Human Services Code to be implemented when funds are available for the program.
Divorce proceedings can get messy, and child custody isn’t the only issue. A bill to address questions of pet custody passed the House 121-82. It would have judges establish key facts like when the pet was obtained and by whom, who is responsible for care of the pet currently, and who has the capacity to best care for the pet. It would allow parties to enter into “enforceable agreements” about custody.
When someone is arrested for driving under the influence, they may be given the option of Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition, or ARD, a program that allows them to get treatment and provide community service to expunge the offense from their record. The Supreme Court recently ruled that if someone has previously accepted ARD, it can’t be considered as a prior offense in new arrests. The new development means prosecutors are unlikely to pursue ARD at all.
A bipartisan bill creating a Driving Under the Influence Treatment Program would establish in law a new structure allowing for the treatment success to lead to expungements while still allowing the courts to factor such offenses into their consideration of new offenses.
Bipartisan legislation to give consumers rights over their personal data has been reintroduced in the House. The bill would require businesses to limit their collection of user data and oblige them to protect it. Violations would be enforced by the Attorney General.
As it stands, the Attorney General is the only party able to file claims against companies for violating the state’s Breach of Personal Information Notification Act. New legislation from Rep. Jared Solomon, D-Philadelphia, would allow private individuals to do the same. It would also require companies to take reasonable steps to secure consumer data and compensate affected individuals for breaches. The bill passed 112-91.
A new offense may be soon added to the state’s criminal laws. Harassment of a sports official is an ongoing concern, particularly in contentious youth athletic events. A bill passed 137-66 would single harassment out, which is not covered by existing assault protections.
The House passed a measure to create a state-run insurance fund for landslide and sinkhole damage not influenced by human activity.
In other insurance news, representatives unanimously supported a bill that would require homeowners to disclose flood risk and if flood insurance is required in the sales process.
Water cremation may soon be on the horizon for people looking for green alternatives to traditional burial and flame cremation.
Treasurer Stacy Garrity has kept her focus on returning unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians. The House passed a measure that would help move more property out of the state’s coffers by increasing the value of property heirs are allowed to claim from deceased relatives from the current limit of $11,000 to $20,000 with the appropriate affidavit.
The House voted to extend the Rural Jobs Tax Credit program, which required the extension to be able to dole out millions in existing funds toward rural growth investments.
Slowed infrastructure improvements could be served, legislators say, by a new procurement process called Design Build Best Value in lieu of the state’s current practice of opting for the lowest bid. The bipartisan bill passed 191-12.
