State Rep. Steve Samuelson

PACENET PRESCRIPTIONS: Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed H.B.1260 Oct. 27, legislation co-authored by state Reps. Steve Samuelson, D-Northampton, and Wendi Thomas, R-Bucks, to raise income limits by $6,000 for the PACENET prescription program. The bill now heads to the state Senate for consideration. The bill would increase enrollment for the state’s Prescription Assistance Contract for the Elderly Needs Enhancement Tier, known as PACENET, by about 20,000 individuals and raise the income limits to $33,500 for a single person and $41,500 for a married couple.

House Bill 1260 would provide financial incentives for PACENET enrollees to also sign up for federal Medicare Part D prescription coverage. Additional funds generated by increased participation in the federal prescription program would be utilized to raise the PACENET income limits.

State Rep. Jeanne McNeill

VICTORIA’S LAW: McNeill has co-authored House Bill 1299, a bi-partisan animal cruelty legislation which is currently awaiting consideration. “Victoria’s Law” would end puppy mills in Pennsylvania. She has two rescued/adopted animals, and is a volunteer for the Adopt a Boxer organization. Additionally, she has introduced H.B. 459 that would require all convicted animal abusers to be banned from owning, possessing, controlling or working with animals for at least two years. She is available for additional information pertaining to this issue.

State Sen. Lisa Boscola

STATE FINES: The Pennsylvania Senate Game and Fisheries Committee unanimously approved Boscola’s bill (Senate Bill 337) to increase the state fine from $200 to $2,000 for killing a bald or golden eagle, which has been threatened into near extinction by poaching, hunting, pesticide use, habitat destruction and other dangers.

Aided by the protection laws and the state Game Commission’s re-entry program, the nesting population of bald eagles in Pennsylvania increased from three pairs in 1980 to 270 pairs in 2013 to over 300 today.

The bald eagle was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007. Its status in Pennsylvania was changed to “protected” in 2014. Revenue from the fines would be designated toward replacement costs.

The Federal Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act would continue to apply. Boscola first introduced her legislation in August of 2015.

NEIGHBORHOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Eight community revitalization projects in the 18th Senatorial District have been approved for $1,707,500 in tax credit funding through the Commonwealth’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. The nine projects approved for the tax credits are:

• Community Action Development Corporation of Bethlehem (NPP - $260,000) – Community Programs such as façade replacements, Greenway improvements

• Triple Net Investments XXXV, LP (EZP - $250,000) – Building Expansion in LVIP 7

• Mechanic Street Development Associates (EZP - $250,000) - 404 E. Third Street Redevelopment Project

• Collaboration 3, LLC (EZP - $250,000) – Goodman Building Redevelopment Project

• 601 Broad Development Group, LP (EZP - $250,000) – Former Laros Silk Mill Redevelopment Project

• Bowery Farming, Inc. (EZP - $250,000) – Redevelopment of former brownfield site to Vertical Farm site

• Greater Easton Development Partnership (NPP - $160,000) – West Ward Neighborhood Revitalization Project

• Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley (SPP - $37,500) – COVID-19 Recovery Efforts

Administered through the Pa. Department of Community and Economic Development, the goals of the Neighborhood Assistance Program are to promote community participation and collaborations among nonprofits, businesses and residents while producing outcomes which assist a distressed area or the low-income population in a neighborhood

State Sen. Pat Browne

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: The State Senate gave final approval of legislation aimed at interjecting greater efficiency and transparency into Pennsylvania’s Campaign Finance reporting system, according to Senate Appropriations Chairman Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), who authored the bill. Senate Bill 140 will require all candidates for office and political action committees in Pennsylvania required to file with the Secretary of the Commonwealth to electronically file their campaign finance reports utilizing the Department of State’s online filing system.

Currently, candidates and committees have the option of filing their campaign finance reports through paper submission, which is outdated, costly, and inefficiently necessitates Department of State staff to upload copies to the department’s website, delaying the public’s access to candidate’s reports. If a member of the public wished to view the reports in a timely manner, they currently would have to either travel to Harrisburg or pay for copies to be sent by mail.

The bill also increases penalties for late filings, allows for an exemption for individuals without computer access, establishes a training program for users of the online filing system and requires the Department of State to ensure that all information is available in a publicly searchable database within four days.

At least 32 states already require electronic filing. Senate Bill 140 now moves to the House of Representatives for its consideration.