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For Immediate
Release
10/18/12
Senator Pileggi: 2011-12 Legislative
Session Produced Dramatic and Far-Reaching Changes
Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-9) said the 2011-12 session of the
General Assembly resulted in the enactment of major new laws to improve
Pennsylvania's job climate, implement significant education reforms, increase
governmental accountability and transparency, and make our state a safer place –
among many other accomplishments.
"This session's accomplishments include many dramatic and far-reaching
changes which will have positive impacts on Pennsylvania residents for decades
to come," said Senator Pileggi. "I'm especially proud of the members of the
Senate Republican Caucus, all of whom led the charge on seeing that important
issues made it to the Governor's desk."
The state budgets for FY 2011-12 and FY 2012-13 held the line on state
spending and continued the phase-out of the job-crushing Capital Stock and
Franchise Tax, in addition to eliminating the death tax on family farms,
updating Pennsylvania's successful film tax credit program and creating a new
tax credit to encourage the renovation of historic buildings. In addition, the
Fair Share Act reformed Pennsylvania's "joint and several liability" law.
The Keystone Opportunity Zone program, which encourages job growth, was
expanded earlier this year, and Pennsylvania's $3.5 billion unemployment
compensation fund debt was resolved. A new law encourages public-private
partnerships in transportation projects.
The Educational Improvement Tax Credit program – which has provided
scholarships for thousands of students and funding for innovative programs in
traditional public schools – was expanded, and the new Educational Improvement
Scholarship Credit is giving fresh opportunities to students trapped in failing
schools. Other new laws empower taxpayers to better control school tax
increases, impose new accountability standards on school superintendent
contracts, and require school districts to make additional disclosures related
to Title IX compliance.
In December, the PennWATCH online budget database will be unveiled, giving
taxpayers unprecedented ability to review state government spending. "If it's
implemented properly, the PennWATCH website will be another major step forward
in making government more transparent," said Senator Pileggi, who authored the
widely praised 2008 rewrite of Pennsylvania's Open Records Law.
Other government reforms completed in the current session include
strengthening penalties for violating the Sunshine Law, increasing public access
to the logs for state-owned planes, and requiring that verifiable data is used
in the process of developing new regulations.
In the fight against crime, bills to crack down on straw gun purchasers and
make it a crime to recruit members into street gangs are on Governor Corbett's
desk, awaiting his signature. "Both of these bills won broad bipartisan support,
and for good reason," said Senator Pileggi. "Gang violence and illegal gun sales
have devastating consequences, and we have given prosecutors the tools they need
to prosecute the perpetrators more effectively."
New laws also prohibit texting while driving, ban the sale of so-called "bath
salts" and other synthetic drugs, and make substantial reforms to Pennsylvania's
juvenile justice system in response to the Luzerne County "kids for cash"
judicial scandal. The General Assembly also created the Task Force on Child
Protection to conduct a comprehensive review of Pennsylvania law and make
recommendations, which are due at the end of November.
A series of groundbreaking prison reforms were also approved, with the
savings generated by those changes being used for the Justice Reinvestment
Initiative, which will help reduce criminal recidivism rates across the state.
And a new law increased state oversight and regulation of abortion clinics in
light of the horrors revealed by the Gosnell grand jury report.
Senator Pileggi also hailed the passage of laws to better diagnose and treat
student-athletes who suffer concussions and protect Good Samaritans who render
aid in emergency situations.
Last year, a new law was enacted to regulate the Marcellus Shale natural gas
industry to improve gas well safety standards, and an impact fee was imposed on
drillers. To date, that fee has generated more than $200 million for
conservation districts, the state's Environmental Stewardship Fund, water and
sewer projects, local open space projects, and more.
Senator Pileggi also pointed to laws enacted to fight the problem of human
trafficking and prohibit inhumane methods of animal euthanasia, and the creation
of a new source of funding for the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance
Program, in addition to the streamlining of state government by merging
standalone boards and commissions with existing executive branch departments.
"Despite the many accomplishments of this productive legislative session,
we're fully aware that the Commonwealth faces many difficult challenges which
will require legislative solutions," said Senator Pileggi.
He said substantial work has been done this year to develop legislation
related to much-needed public employee pension reforms, comprehensive
transportation funding, charter school reforms, special education funding,
improvements to the Open Records Law, and expanding access to public health
clinics – all issues the General Assembly and the Governor should tackle in
2013.
"In the New Year, we must continue working to make Pennsylvania an even more
competitive environment for job creators, and to improve our communities," said
Senator Pileggi.
CONTACT:
Erik Arneson
Sen. Pileggi
(717) 787-4712
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