Legislative Update 4-1-2022
Rep. Carol Hill-Evans April 1, 2022 | 11:15 AM
To keep you informed, I am highlighting recently introduced bills that I will be following closely. I broke them down into categories so you can find your specific interests. The short descriptions beside each bill are what the bill's sponsor has claimed.
If you click on the link for the bill number, you can find out more information about the bill. If you would like to advocate for the bill, follow the link, then click on the link for which committee the bill has been assigned to. This will bring up information about the chairs and other members of that committee, who you can contact and advocate for or against the bill.
Business
HB2319 would establish a forgivable loan program to strengthen local businesses in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods throughout Pennsylvania. Forgivable loans, available to local businesses in an eligible commercial corridor, will range from $25,000 to $50,000 and may be used to make systems and building improvements essential to growing and maintaining the business.
Local Government
HB2321 would allow counties, municipalities, and councils of governments to apply for grants to develop and maintain community buildings that are powered by and store green energy. Grants of up to $250,000 would be issued to create emergency systems and centers, sustainably and reliably backed up by renewable energy, that would be there for our communities in their time of need.
HB2329 would create a statewide blight data collection system using property code violations. Managed by DCED, the Property Maintenance Code Violations Registry will be populated with property maintenance code violation reports filed by municipalities.
HB2330 would enable counties to enact a 1% sales tax via voter referendum or ordinance by a board of county commissioners to help counties and municipalities with many tax-exempt properties.
HB2364 would create the Prevailing Wage Co-Enforcement Program. This program will train qualified volunteers to inspect public work project sites and provide reports back to the Bureau for further investigation.
Environment
HB2323 would double the maximum fines for both general and willful violations of the oil and gas development provisions of Title 58 (Oil and Gas) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. Additionally, this legislation would prohibit the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection from waiving fines issued against oil and gas companies.
HB2377 would create a Public Natural Resources Trust Fund, which would receive money from oil and gas developed on the over 385,000 acres of Pennsylvania land leased for such development. The money would be put into a trust fund and used for various conservation projects carried out by the Pennsylvania Departments of Conservation and Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Agriculture. These investments would benefit state parks and forests, county and municipal land, organizations that hold land for public benefit, and nonprofit organizations that work on environmental conservation, restoration, protection, and recreation.
Criminal Justice
HR171 would form a “Justice Reinvestment Initiative III” Working Group in Pennsylvania dedicated to analyzing and recommending concrete policy options to improve pretrial criminal practices to reduce recidivism, lower costs to taxpayers, and enhance public safety.
HB2328 would expressly permit the funding from Pennsylvania gaming law to be applied to combat any violation of our animal fighting law
HB2347 would create a new medical parole process authorizing a court that imposes a sentence to modify a term of imprisonment when any of the following apply: a) The individual has a serious health issue such as a terminal illness, a chronic and debilitating physical or medical condition or disease or deteriorating physical or mental health due to the aging process. Or b) The individual is at least 55 years of age who has served the lesser of 25 years in prison or one half of the minimum term imposed for the offense for which they are currently imprisoned.
Transportation
HB2337 would create an online application and renewal process for persons with disability placards. Upon completion of an online application or renewal, the applicant will be provided a printable temporary placard to display in their vehicle until they receive the physical placard in the mail from the department.
Education
HB2332 would amend the Public School Code to allow school districts to utilize a Public Health Dental Hygiene Practitioner (PHDHP) to fulfill the requirements of Section 1403 of the Public School Code relating to dental screenings and dental hygiene.
HB2363 would create the First in Math initiative within the Department of Education. First in Math is a widely used online program which features hundreds of engaging math games designed to strengthen fact fluency, automaticity, computational thinking and other critical math skills.
HB2371 would require the presence of a third party in the facility of any paratransit service provider that is transporting a minor with a handicap or disability.
HB2384 would repay a portion of student loans for mental health, intellectual disability, and drug and alcohol treatment professionals.
HB2388 would require the Auditor General to conduct a thorough performance audit of the PASSHE schools that were approved for consolidation.
HB2387 would ensure that PASSHE has equal funding to its state-related counterparts, without taking money away from them, to ensure our public institutions of higher education across the state have equal resources.
HB2390 would create the Affordability of College Education Scholarship (ACES) Program. Under this program, PASSHE would receive dedicated funding to provide scholarship awards and emergency grants to low-income students to cover costs of attendance, including tuition, living expenses, supplies, childcare, and disability expenses. This legislation will help make higher education an option for so many individuals across Pennsylvania.
HB2402 would make the Keystone STARS program better serve Pennsylvania in two ways. First, it would require the Department of Human Services to update its Keystone STARS program guidance to provide a pathway for childcare employees and providers to receive “credit” for years of experience. Second, this legislation plans to make childcare providers to educate consumers about the Keystone STARS program by advertising their “STAR Status” on their front doors and websites and at the time of registration.
Families
HB2359 would allocate $500 million of the Commonwealth’s remaining American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP).
Veterans/Military
HB2361 would both recognize and designate June 12 of each year as “Women Veterans Day,” in Pennsylvania.