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Senator Scott Hutchinson

Dear Friend,

I am pleased to send you my Session Wrap Up e-newsletter. This e-newsletter features events and legislative activities from the session week of February 8, 2016.

If you find this e-newsletter useful, I invite you to visit my website www.senatorscotthutchinson.com for more information about your state government. If you do not wish to receive these e-newsletters, please click the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the page. If you would like to contact my office, please go to my web page and click the "contact" button. Please do not "reply" directly to this e-mail.

Sincerely,

Scott


Wolf Budget Again Calls for Massive Tax Hikes, Spending Increase

It was déjà vu all over again on Tuesday as for the second straight year, Governor Wolf unveiled a state budget with massive tax increases, unsustainable spending and no reform of major cost-drivers.

Instead of making a case for his proposal, the Governor used his budget address before a joint session of the General Assembly as a bully pulpit to chide and lecture the Legislature for not passing the bloated spending plan and the excessive tax increases he proposed last year.  Senate Republican leaders responded to the Governor’s comments during a news conference immediately following the budget address.

It is truly disappointing that the Governor has decided once again that his priority is to massively raise taxes on the people of Pennsylvania rather than focusing upon cost containment measures and living within our means.  In the past year, since Governor Wolf’s last budget address, the taxpayers have spoken loud and clear that enough is enough.  Harrisburg bureaucracies do not need more money. 

We passed a no tax increase budget, which the Governor promptly vetoed, a responsible budget that raised spending on education by hundreds of millions of dollars and addressed the number one cost driver for schools and state government—the broken pension systems.  We need to again face our budget situation with realistic solutions, not again tee-up the largest tax increases in state history—one that will hurt every working family in this state and stifle our economy. This year the Governor proposes $3.6 billion in tax hikes to support a $33.28 billion spending plan for 2016-2017. The tax hikes include a 10.7 percent increase in the state Personal Income Tax, from a rate of 3.07 percent to 3.4 percent, an expansion of the state Sales Tax to include cable bills and other items, and a new tax on fire, property and casualty insurance.

Under the Governor’s plan, the PIT increase would be retroactive to January 1, 2016, meaning taxpayers will owe an extra six months in back tax payments if the budget is enacted June 30.

The Governor’s budget increases Basic Education Funding, but abandons efforts to reform the number-one cause of school cutbacks and school property tax increases: the public pension system.

Governor Wolf again threatened draconian cuts if the General Assembly does not approve his massive tax increases. If he continues to insist that his tax increases are the only way to address the financial problems facing our Commonwealth, it raises serious questions about his understanding of the budget process and his willingness to consider any ideas other than his own.

The Senate Appropriations Committee will hold three weeks of public hearings on the Governor’s budget proposal beginning February 22.

Click for audio and video of my response to the Governor’s budget request.

Charts by Senate Republican Appropriations Committee Staff

Senate Vote to Remove Attorney General Falls Short

While a majority of Senators (29-19) voted Wednesday in favor of a Resolution removing Attorney General Kathleen Kane from office due to the suspension of her license to practice law in Pennsylvania, the measure failed to meet the two-thirds majority specified by the Pennsylvania Constitution in order to directly remove an elected official from office.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives approved House Resolution 659, which authorizes the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the conduct of Attorney General Kathleen Kane and to determine whether she should be subject to impeachment.

Adoption of HR 659 is the first step in the impeachment process under the Pennsylvania Constitution. Depending on the subcommittee's findings, another House resolution would be needed to formally file one or more counts of impeachment, which then would have to be approved by the House. If adopted, the Senate would conduct the trial, and requires a two-thirds vote for conviction and removal.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court unanimously voted on September 21 to suspend Kane’s license based on accusations of perjury and other charges stemming from a leak of grand jury information. The newly elected, Democrat-majority state Supreme Court unanimously reaffirmed that decision last week.

Joint Hearing Focuses on Line Item Veto and Distribution of Funds

The Senate Appropriations and Finance Committees held a joint public hearing Monday to discuss the expenditure of funds during the recent budget impasse.

The hearing focused on the State Treasurer’s role in approving warrants (requests for payment) from state executive agencies during the time period when no legal authority existed for payments to be made.

This has raised serious questions and concerns for how services critical to the safety, health and welfare of Pennsylvania’s residents will receive funding during a budget impasse or when funding is cut or reduced following a Governor’s line item veto.

Click to watch video of the hearing. For testimony and other information from the hearing, visit either the Senate Appropriations Committee page or the Senate Finance Committee page.

Options for Schools to Meet 180-Day Requirement Sent to Governor

A measure giving schools greater flexibility to meet the state’s 180-day requirements for classroom instruction after emergency and weather-related closings was sent to the Governor this week for his signature and enactment into law.

House Bill 158 would provide potential scheduling options for school entities facing extended closings that include a school year with a minimum number of hours of instruction, in lieu of the 180-day requirement, and approving additional instruction days on not more than one Saturday a month. 

Also sent to the Governor was Senate Bill 166, which would allow expungement of some misdemeanors.

On Wednesday the Senate approved and sent to the Governor House Bill 561, which provides an Earned Income Tax (EIT) exemption for active duty military pay and House Bill 941, which amends the Administrative Code to:

  • provide additional duties and powers related to advisory boards and commissions;
  • require a report by the Pennsylvania Gaming Board to report on the potential of fantasy sports gambling;
  • make changes to the Citizens Advisory Council within the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP);
  • reduce the licensing fee for distilleries of historical significance; and,
  • repeal the current Race Horse Industry Reform Act to provide a new article for the regulatory oversight of horse and harness racing.

Ag Committee Holds Hearing on Fireworks Bill

The Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday on a bill that would legalize the sale of fireworks in Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 1055 would lift the ban on the sale of “consumer” fireworks, known as “Class C” fireworks, and allow businesses legally operating in the state to sell consumer fireworks -- such as bottle rockets, roman candles and mortars -- to Pennsylvania residents without the need for a permit. 

Senate Bill 1055 would generate additional revenue for the Commonwealth by requiring fireworks outlets to pay a $5,000 annual license fee. In addition to paying the state’s 6 percent sales tax, fireworks purchases would be subject to an excise tax with that money benefiting fire and emergency medical personnel.

Written testimony from the public hearing is available at http://agriculture.pasenategop.com/.

Click for video of the hearing.

Senate Sends Four Bills to the House

The Senate approved four bills this week and sent the measures to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 489 reduces the maximum fee that a check casher may charge for cashing government checks.

Senate Bill 568 makes changes for guardianship in Pennsylvania.

House Bill 1296 expands the financial products that municipalities, school districts, and municipal authorities may invest their general fund moneys.  The bill returns to the House of Representatives for concurrence on Senate amendments.

Senate Bill 889 extends benefits to enforcement officers and investigators of the Game Commission and the Fish and Boat Commission.


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