The House Consumer Affairs Committee voted this morning to amend and report out HB 1747, legislation by Rep. Nick Kotik (D-Allegheny) that would give the PUC regulatory control over all common carrier services in Allegheny County that are not operated by the Port Authority already. In addition the committee also approved a bill that deals with the theft of natural gas propane services and other service provider property, and a resolution related to the state’s dwindling area codes. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
|
|
|||
 |
Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: Allegheny County, natural gas, propane, PUC, taxis, theft | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Consumer Affairs | Leave a comment | Share:
This morning the House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing to discuss draft legislation that would allow for municipal electricity aggregation in Pennsylvania. Chairman Joe Preston (D-Allegheny) explained the idea would be to allow municipalities or groups of municipalities to contract with electricity suppliers on behalf of residents, on an opt-out basis. In principle it would mean lower rates for many more individuals, and a lower cost of customer acquisition for energy providers. PUC Chairman Jim Cawley was among several to express support for municipal aggregation, and various electricity suppliers, the state consumer advocate, and the boroughs association offered suggestions for refining the idea. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: deregulation, electricity, municipal electricity aggregation, public utilities | Category: House Consumer Affairs, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing on HB 221, dealing with the banning of the chemical BPA. Members heard testimony from academics and advocates of BPA-using industries. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Jason Gottesman | Tags: plastic food containers | Category: House Consumer Affairs, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The committees held a joint public hearing on the 2010 Census. Philip Lutz, Assistant Regional Census Manager and Ben Ramos, Partnership Coordinator gave an overview of the census operation and discussed the challenges that they face including overcoming language barriers. Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) said the census is a “critical issue” because Pennsylvania may lose additional congressional seats which would impact the amount of funding the state will receive in the future. Chairman of the State Government Committee, Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia) agreed and encouraged House members to join the Complete Count Caucus to ensure that Pennsylvania gets an accurate count. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. Posted by Matt Hess | Category: House Consumer Affairs, House Democratic Policy, House Professional Licensure, House Republican Policy, House Select, House State Government | Leave a comment | Share:
The committee voted unanimously to report as amended HB 1726 which creates the Collection Bin Public Notice Act. Also unanimously reported as amended was HB 2064 which amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) creating and defining the offense of false caller identification display and providing penalties. Please check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the complete story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Tags: false caller identification, non-profit organizations, organizational collection bins, welfare, whistleblo, whistleblowers | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Commerce, House Consumer Affairs | Leave a comment | Share:
The House Local Government Committee held a public hearing on HB 1726 this morning, which would require clothing collection bins to be clearly marked with information regarding the charitable contributions of the organization, so consumers are aware whether they are contributing to a nonprofit, or for profit. The committee heard from Goodwill and other nonprofits in support of the legislation. During the questions, it was revealed that perhaps the bill should be tweaked to better align with current charity laws. Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later this afternoon. Posted by Kim Collins | Tags: nonprofits, purely charitable organizations, video poker, vital statistics | Category: House Commerce, House Consumer Affairs, PLS Interview, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
The committee voted unanimously to report as amended SB 973 which amends the Home Improvement Consumer Protection Act to provide for the definition of home improvement retailer and specific processes by which they must adhere to the current law; provide for self insurance in certain instances; and establish the Home Improvement Account. The adopted amendment was described as strengthening the self insurance section of the bill. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Commerce, House Consumer Affairs | Leave a comment | Share:
The House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing on Act 129, or HB 2200, of 2008. The committee heard from the PUC, Consumer Advocate, PECO, UGI Gas, Energy Association and American Council for Energy Efficient Economy. For the most part the testifiers agreed implementation of the act is going well, however concerns were raised about the need to step up consumer education and the costs to utilities. Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox this afternoon. Posted by Kim Collins | Tags: disadvantaged businesses, drilling, electricity, energy conservation | Category: House Commerce, House Consumer Affairs, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Comments are closed | Share:
The House Consumer Affairs Committee met to consider two bills. HR 311 was reported as committed and HB 1431 was reported with an amendment to update it to conform with federal law. There was little to no discussion on both bills. Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later this morning. Posted by Kim Collins | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Commerce, House Consumer Affairs | Comments are closed | Share:
The House Democratic Policy Committee met this afternoon to hear from Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler and representatives of the Pennsylvania Turnpike this afternoon, as part of an ongoing discussion on transportation in Pennsylvania. Issues ranged from the possible tolling of I-80 to bridge and road repairs needed across the Commonwealth. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: government expenditures, hardwoods, I-80, Infrastructure, SEIU, transportation funding | Category: House Consumer Affairs, House Democratic Policy, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Comments are closed | Share:
|
 |
|
|
Copyright © 2010 FYI by PLS - All Rights Reserved |
|||
