February 2, 2009

Pennsylvania Senate Republican News Brief

"I am still hearing from families who were victimized in Lancaster County as they struggle to make payments on mortgages they thought they had paid in full. We need to take every necessary step to make certain this does not happen again."

-- Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster), on reintroducing two bills to protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by unscrupulous mortgage brokers.
 

Preview

SENATE GOP TO URGE ACTION TO BOOST COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE, CUT COSTS 

Senate Republicans will hold a news conference on Monday at the Capitol calling for action on a comprehensive plan to boost community health care, cut costs and expand access.  

Senators will announce a renewed effort to expand access to health care and medicine to 507,000 uninsured and low-income working Pennsylvanians through the comprehensive HealthNET PA package.

SENATE TO RECEIVE PROPOSED STATE BUDGET WEDNESDAY

The General Assembly will receive the Rendell administration's proposed 2009-10 state budget on Wednesday, February 4 at 10:30 a.m.

The Senate Appropriations Committee, chaired by Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre), will begin two weeks of public hearings to review the spending plan on February 23. Senate Republicans are committed to controlling expenditures in the face of declining revenues and a looming deficit.  

The Senate Republican Web Site will be updated with reactions from the members soon after the address.

For a list of Senate hearings on the proposed budget, please see Fast Facts, below.

COMMITTEE TO HOLD HEARING ON PROBLEM GAMBLING 

Problem gambling will the topic of a meeting and public hearing Tuesday of the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee, chaired by Sen. Jane Earll (R-Erie).  

The committee will be updated on the status of various problem gambling initiatives and issues.  Testimony will be provided to the committee by representatives of the state Department of Health, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania.  The purpose of the public discussion is to ensure that Pennsylvania citizens are informed about the serious issue of problem gambling and the programs and resources that are available to help individuals and their families. 

The committee will also consider Senate Resolution 10, sponsored by Senator Earll, which would designate the month of March 2009 as "Problem Gambling Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania and observe the week of March 1 through 7, 2009 as "National Problem Gambling Awareness Week."   

FEB. 11 EDUCATION HEARING FOCUSES ON IMPROVING SCHOOL SAFETY 

The Senate Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin), will hold a public hearing February 11 on improving safety in Pennsylvania schools. The hearing was previously postponed due to inclement weather.  

The hearing will be used to gather information on Senate Bill 55, strengthening and expanding criminal background checks for public school employees, and Senate Bill 56, expanding the duties of the Office for Safe Schools.  The committee will also discuss Auditor General Jack Wagner's recent performance audit, as well as one school district's partnership with their law enforcement community. 

In addition to the Auditor General, the committee will receive testimony from the state Education Secretary, law enforcement, the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the Pennsylvania State Education Association.  

DRUG AND ALCOHOL TREATMENT FUNDING, SERVICE DELIVERY, FOCUS OF HEARING

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware), will hold a public hearing February 11 to provide an overview of the drug and alcohol prevention, intervention and treatment funding and service delivery system in Pennsylvania.  

The committee will hear from the departments of Public Welfare, Health, Corrections, and Education, as well as the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and others, as part of the effort to better understand the coordination needed to improve on the current drug and alcohol funding and service delivery system.  

 In Pennsylvania, program responsibilities rest with different departments, often as a result of the myriad of federal and state laws and the various federal, state, and other funding streams.

Review

SEN. BRUBAKER REINTRODUCES BILLS TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM MORTGAGE FRAUD 

Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) has reintroduced two bills to protect consumers from fraud perpetrated by unscrupulous mortgage brokers. 

Senate Bill 170 would prohibit a mortgage broker or originator from being the exclusive recipient of communications to a consumer. The legislation would prevent brokers from withholding information about interest rates, fees or monthly payments, and it would ensure that consumers are informed of the terms of their mortgage.

Senate Bill 171 would help prevent fraud by protecting mortgage company employees who report illegal activities or take part in an investigation, hearing or inquiry. The legislation would prevent an employer from taking actions such as reducing an employee's salary or benefits, changing the terms of employment, or firing an employee.

Senator Brubaker introduced the bills in response to the OPFM mortgage scandal that swindled more than $26 million from Pennsylvania homeowners. Brubaker said that hundreds of Lancaster County homeowners lost millions of dollars due to the mortgage and investment fraud scheme.

Both bills were drafted with input from the Department of Banking to ensure they offered consumers adequate protection from fraud.

SEN. ALLOWAY INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO PHASE OUT 'DEATH TAX'

Sen. Richard Alloway (R-Franklin) introduced legislation that would completely phase out Pennsylvania's inheritance tax by 2017. 

Senate Bill 80 would phase out the inheritance tax for direct descendants by 2012, for siblings by 2015, and for other heirs by 2017. Under current law, an estate is subject to a tax of 4.5 percent for direct descendants, 12 percent for siblings and 15 percent for other heirs. 

Senator Alloway said: "If someone pays taxes on their earnings and makes sacrifices to provide for their family's future, it is unconscionable for the state to take another bite out of that hard-earned money they intended for their family when they pass away." 

For more on Senator Alloway's legislation, please see In the Spotlight, below.
 

PANEL EXAMINES TIMELY TRANSPORTATION PROJECT DELIVERY, FEDERAL STIMULUS 

The Senate Transportation Committee, chaired by Sen. Rob Wonderling (R-Montgomery), on Tuesday held the first of several public hearings and meetings designed to ensure that transportation improvement projects are delivered in less time and with less disruption to the traveling public. 

Participants discussed the federal stimulus package and its time-sensitive restrictions to determine if the commonwealth will be effective in achieving the two-pronged goal of the funding: to improve infrastructure and to increase job creation through economic activity. 

Those testifying included state Department of Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler and Robert Latham, executive vice president of Associated Pennsylvania Constructors. 

Senator Wonderling said: "The old adage is 'time is money,' and in many instances throughout our economy in the consumer space and manufacturing space, organizations both private and public have become very creative in finding ways to get more work done in less time. There is a clamoring of folks across this commonwealth who are suggesting: Why not in the transportation space?"
 - Hearing (1 hour, 29 minutes) 

COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON PAROLE AND VIOLENT OFFENDERS

The Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), held a public hearing Tuesday to discuss a report issued in the wake of several incidents in which state parolees committed violent crimes – including at least four murders. 

Professor John Goldkamp of Temple University, who prepared a report for the governor with recommendations, presented his findings. Catherine McVey, Chair of the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, and Jeffrey Beard, Secretary of Corrections, discussed how their agencies are implementing Professor Goldkamp's recommendations. 

Senator Greenleaf said: "Recent violent crimes committed by parolees have raised serious concerns over how Pennsylvania determines parole eligibility and how well we monitor those released on parole. Though no institution or length of sentence may guarantee the successful reformation of a released inmate, we must ensure that our state parole process is highly effective in protecting society from dangerous offenders."
 - Hearing  Part 1 (1 hour, 8 minutes)
 - Hearing Part 2 (10 minutes)

In the Spotlight

Under Senator Alloway's legislation, Pennsylvania's "death tax" would drop from 4.5 percent to 2.5 percent in 2010, .5 percent in 2011 and be eliminated in 2012 for direct descendants.  For siblings, the rate would drop 2 percent per year before being eliminated in 2015. 

The tax for other heirs would be reduced to 13 percent in 2010, 11 percent in 2011, 9 percent in 2012, 7 percent in 2013, 5 percent in 2014, 3 percent in 2015 and 1 percent in 2016 before being completely phased out in 2017. 

There is no state inheritance tax charged for a transfer of property between spouses. 

Senator Alloway said: "The vast majority of states do not impose an inheritance tax, and I hope that Pennsylvania will soon join these states in refusing to profit from someone's death."

Fast Facts

Questions or Comments?

Contact the Senate Republican Communications Office or call 717-787-6725.

Prior Issues
 

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