Pennsylvania House Advances Bills to Provide for Economic Recovery, Protect Families, Reform Government

HARRISBURG – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives was in voting session from June 14-16, and the Republican Caucus continued advancing its priorities of providing for an economic recovery, protecting families and reforming government for the benefit of Pennsylvanians, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) said Wednesday.

Action on economic recovery:

• Passed House Bill 1006 to allow Pennsylvania farmers to defer income received from disaster-related crop insurance payments for one year, mirroring existing federal law.
• Passed House Bill 1182 to allow barber programs to offer up to 50% of the program through online or remote instruction.
• Passed House Bill 1183 to allow cosmetology programs to offer up to 50% of the program through online or remote instruction.
• Passed House Bill 1387 to require that a claimant receiving benefits from the Uninsured Employers’ Guaranty Fund (UEGF) demonstrate proof of wages in order to receive a wage loss benefit.
• Passed Senate Bill 434 to change the “sell by” date on milk to “best by.”

“This week the General Assembly continued to respond legislatively to a regulatory framework upended in response to COVID-19. We will continue the task of reviewing the nearly 500 regulatory and statutory waivers and suspensions from the last 16 months and provide a legislative solution that keeps government’s role constrained to allow small business job creators and Pennsylvania employers to do what is needed to grow and rebuild,” Benninghoff said.

Action on protecting families:

• Advanced House Bill 293 to allow U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved (FDA) anti-obesity drugs to be considered a compensable service under our state Medicaid Program.
• Passed House Bill 975 to extend the protections of the institutional sexual assault statute to cover elders and other care-dependent persons who are assaulted by those who have the responsibility of providing care.
• Passed House Bill 1082 to provide for an education program to assist in the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder.
• Passed House Bill 1428 to provide protections against elder abuse.
• Passed House Bill 1429 to provide for greater protections against elder abuse.
• Advanced House Bill 1430 to provide for greater tools to combat elder exploitation.
• Passed House Bill 1431 to protect the privacy of care-dependent individuals.
• Advanced Senate Bill 156 to allow individuals with disabilities to increase earnings under a new category of MAWD, called Workers with Job Success (WJS).
• Passed Senate Bill 445 to give individuals renewing either their vehicle registration or driver’s license an option to donate to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition.

“June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month and this week we prioritized the safety and well-being of elderly Pennsylvanians by making it more difficult to perpetrate the horrible crime of elder abuse and exploit vulnerable Pennsylvania seniors,” Benninghoff said. “We will continue protecting Pennsylvania families and Pennsylvanians at all stages of life.

Action on government reform:

• Advanced House Bill 1300 to protect voting rights through accessibility, modernization, and security.
• Passed House Bill 993 to provide a waiver of fees charged by the Department of Labor & Industry for school districts.
• Advanced Senate Bill 618 to disallow vaccine passports and clarify the powers of the secretary of Health under the Disease Control and Prevention Law.
• Advanced House Bill 822 to amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow for the recall of certain elected officials in the City and the County of the First Class.

“Making Pennsylvania’s election laws a national model that protect voting rights through accessibility, modernization, and security has been a monumental undertaking. This week, with the advancement of the Pennsylvania Voting Rights Protection Act, members started the process of responding to the needs of local elections officials and constituents from across Pennsylvania though a comprehensive reform bill that is an accurate reflection of the comprehensive election hearings held by the House State Government Committee over the first half of this year,” Benninghoff said.

“While the COVID-19 emergency disaster declaration has ended, it remains imperative we continue implementing the lessons learned and clarifying ambiguities in our law that can be taken advantage of to lessen the freedom of Pennsylvanians.”