Oct. 26, 2016
HARRISBURG – Legislation authored by state Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York Township) that would accelerate the process veterans, military members and their spouses must follow when attempting to maintain state teaching certification due to frequent moves is headed to the desk of Gov. Tom Wolf following unanimous passage by the state Senate. House Bill 2078 had been passed unanimously by the state House in June.
“I want to thank my Senate colleagues for advancing House Bill 2078, which is the product of a simple conversation I had with a woman who chose to get involved in the legislative process,” said Phillips-Hill. “She was frustrated by the number of hoops she had to jump through in order to return to the classroom and teach after moving home to Pennsylvania after her husband’s retirement from the United States Marine Corps.”
House Bill 2078 would expedite processing of completed applications for permanent teaching certification by the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) for the following individuals:
• Member of the United States Armed Forces, including a reserve component or National Guard.
• Veteran.
• Spouse of a member of the United States Armed Forces.
• Spouse of a veteran.
“My legislation would not have made it this far without the help of members from across the aisle, especially prime co-sponsor and state Rep. Pam DeLissio (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), and across the building, especially state Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster),” Phillips-Hill added. “House Bill 2078 made our Department of Education aware of problems it did not know existed.
“It will reduce fees associated with re-certification, allow qualified teachers to more quickly resume active certification in Pennsylvania and be a tremendous benefit to the students in their classrooms.”
Questions about these or any legislative issues should be directed to Phillips-Hill’s district office at (717) 428-9889 or 1-877-207-2272.
Representative Kristin Phillips-Hill
93rd Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Scott Little
slittle@pahousegop.com
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