The House and Senate Finance Committees held a joint public hearing regarding the Independent Fiscal Office as proposed in Act 50 of 2009. Mary Soderberg, Secretary of the Office of the Budget, testified and said that the Independent Fiscal Office would be duplicating a variety of functions and is unnecessary. Robert Powell, Senior Advisor of Government Policy for Cansler Fuquay Solutions, Inc. discussed how South Carolina started its Fiscal Office and made several recommendations for how Pennsylvania can successfully implement the proposed Office. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
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The committee held a public hearing on HB 1905; the legislation would prohibit the use of “swaps” by “local government units.” The negative consequences of swaps was highlighted in an audit done the Department of Auditor General. Auditor General Jack Wagner testified at the hearing in support of the bill. “Most Pennsylvanians would be upset if members of their school board or municipal government gambled away their hard-earned tax dollars at the local slots casino,” he stated. “They should be just as upset if their school district or council has tied up local funds in interest-rate swaps, because these exotic financial instruments are tantamount to gambling with public money.” The Pennsylvania School Board Association, the Pennsylvania Association of School Board Officials discussed the use of swaps by school districts and spoke about how prohibiting the practice could have a negative impact on the districts. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story. The House Finance Committee held a public hearing today concerning the implementation of Act 32 of 2008 concerning the consolidation of wage tax collectors. Testifying was a panel from the Department of Community and Economic Development, a panel of local government organizational stakeholders, and the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. The DCED said they are not fully funded and, therefore, cannot fully help with the start-up costs while many of the local stakeholders complained about voting disparities and a lack of available grants. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for all of the details. Posted by Jason Gottesman | Tags: DCED, taxes, unfunded ma | Category: House Finance, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The committees held a joint hearing on the establishment of the Independent Fiscal Office. Chairman Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) said the Office would give members of the Legislature the “tools and powers to meet their Constitutional mandate.” He stressed that the Office would provide transparent and unbiased information and provide for fiscal stability, accountability and informed public debate. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story. The committee conducted a public hearing on HB 10 which amends The Fourth to Eighth Class and Selective County Assessment Law by adding language specifying that “rights held pursuant to a lease or other agreement” under Act 60 of 1979 relative to the extraction, removal or recovery of gas, oil, or coal bed methane are subject to taxation. The legislation was introduced by Rep. William DeWeese (D-Greene) in response to a 2002 state Supreme Court decision concluding there was no specific authority in statute to levy real estate taxes on oil and gas interests. The County Commissioners Association, the School Boards Association, the Boroughs Association and the Township Supervisors Association all testified in favor of bill while opposition was expressed by the Independent Oil & Gas Association of PA. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Tags: boroughs, Counties, mineral extraction, property reassessment, property taxes, school boards, townships | Category: House Finance, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The committee reported out HB 2161 which will allow all 722 licensing agents to sell the special, reduced-fee hunting licenses to resident members of the military who are on active duty and to service members returning home from deployment. Also reported out was HB 460 removing the requirement for hunters to display their license while hunting. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the complete story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Tags: hunting licenses, Wegman's | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Finance, House Game & Fisheries | Leave a comment | Share:
The committee conducted a public hearing on the process now in place to distribute anterless dear permits. The members heard testimony from representatives from the Game Commission, the State Treasurers Association, the Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and others. Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Category: House Finance, House Game & Fisheries, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The House Game & Fisheries Committee held an informational meeting with the Game Commission to discuss the state’s regulation of exotic animals (which includes bears, tigers, lion, coyotes, and other such animals). The members discussed the issue quite broadly and offered several suggestions for refining the law. Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later this evening. Posted by Kim Collins | Tags: bears, coyotes, exotic animals, lion, tigers, tobacco tax, Todd Eachus, Tolling I-80, Total Quality Management, Tourism | Category: House Finance, House Game & Fisheries, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
House Finance met this morning and voted four bills out of committee. A fifth – HB 368 by Rep. Siptroth, was passed over due to his absence. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Env. Resources and Energy, House Finance | Comments are closed | Share:
The House Game and Fisheries committee met today to perform some house keeping and vote on one bill, House Bill 1859. The committee unanimously voted to reconsider the final vote from 07/09/09 to HB 97 as amended. The committee then voted unanimously to reconsider the vote that sent HB 97 as amended from the committee to the House floor. Next the committee moved on to consider HB 1859, which is identical to HB 97 as amended. The committee voted to suspend the rules in order to vote on HB 1859 with one negative vote from Representative Bryan Cutler (R-Lancaster). Finally the committee unanimously voted to report HB 1859 as committed. Check the Capitol Tool Box later for more information. Posted by PLS Intern | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Finance, House Game & Fisheries | Comments are closed | Share:
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