Wolf Administration’s Threatening Letter Reprehensible, House Labor and Industry Committee Chair says

Jun. 11, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – Rep. Mauree Gingrich (R-Lebanon), chairman of the House Labor and Industry Committee and outspoken advocate for children, the elderly and people with disabilities, responded to a letter by the Wolf administration today that threatened funding for the Pennsylvania Association for the Blind (PAB) and other associations receiving funds for vocational rehabilitation services if a budget is not passed by July 1. The administration’s letter further threatens that expenses will not be reimbursed or paid retroactively if passage is delayed.

House Passes Amendment That Would Waive Volunteers’ Background Check Fees, Heffley Says

Jun. 11, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – Rep. Doyle Heffley (R-Carbon) released the following statement after the House unanimously voted to endorse an amendment, introduced by Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams), that would waive the fees that volunteers must pay for background checks. The two fees are associated with Act 153, the child protection laws that were signed into law last year. The amendment waiving the fees was added to House Bill 1276, which the House is expected to consider on final passage next week.

House Amends Child Protection Legislation to Waive Fee for Background Checks, Says Gabler

Jun. 10, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – The $10 fee that volunteers must pay for background checks associated with child protection laws enacted last year would be waived under legislation which moved unanimously today in the state House, according to Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk). The move was made as an amendment to House Bill 1276, which is expected to be voted on final passage next week.

House Passes the Matt Adler Suicide Prevention Continuing Education Act

Jun. 10, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – Today the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously passed House Bill 64, also known as the Matt Adler Suicide Prevention Continuing Education Act. This legislation seeks to ensure health care professionals receive training in identifying those at risk for suicide. Rep. Bill Adolph (R-Springfield) sponsored this legislation after meeting with local residents Gary and Phyllis Adler. The Adlers lost their son, Matt, in 2011 to suicide and want to make sure that other families don’t have to go through the pain that they endured.

Maher Bill Strengthens Environmental Quality Board

Jun. 10, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – The House has advanced legislation, sponsored by Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny/Washington), majority chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, which would help to ensure the integrity of the rules and regulations governing Pennsylvania environmental law.

Kaufer Introduces Bill to Establish Residency Requirements for Public Assistance

Jun. 09, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – In an effort to prevent individuals from receiving public assistance from multiple states, Rep. Aaron Kaufer (R-Luzerne) introduced crucial legislation in the state House on Tuesday to provide Pennsylvania’s surrounding states with the capability to share information about public assistance applications.

Municipal, State Officials Support Advancement of Greiner-Grove Municipal Pension Reform Bill

Jun. 09, 2015 /

HARRISBURG – Following the House State Government Committee’s vote to send legislation that would address Pennsylvania’s nearly $8 billion municipal pension liability to the full House for consideration, municipal leaders from across the Commonwealth joined the bill’s prime sponsors, Reps. Keith J. Greiner (R-Lancaster) and Seth Grove (R-York), as well as Rep. Daryl Metcalfe (R-Butler), chairman of the House State Government Committee, and state Sen. John H. Eichelberger Jr. (R-Blair), at a press conference in support of the legislation.