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Susan Balla, Executive Director
(724) 934-9700 ; susanb@thechamberinc.com
Week of Feb. 6, 2012
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
S.B. 1375: Unemployment Compensation
Brief summary: S.B. 1375 would allow Pennsylvanians receiving unemployment compensation (UC) to maintain eligibility for federal extended benefits, which is currently authorized by Congress through March 10, 2012. Extended benefits are available during adverse economic times to individuals after they have exhausted their state benefits (26 weeks) and federal emergency benefits (up to 47 weeks). This legislation would apply to around 17,000 Pennsylvanians and cost the federal goverment $30 million.
Chamber position: The PA Chamber has urged lawmakers to add meaures to this legislation that improve the system, root out abuse and/or slow down growth of the program. We believe it is imprudent to allow tens of millions of additional dollars to enter our UC system without implementing any improvements to help ensure that when these dollars exit the system, they are directed, in a fiscally responsible way, to those who have truly earned the benefits.
Status: The Senate did not amend S.B. 1375 and it passed on 1/23/2012 by a vote of 47-3. The House Labor and Industry Committee is scheduled to consider this bill on 2/6/2012.
Action: You may may wish to contact your local state Rep. to urge support for any effort to improve our broken UC program by amending S.B. 1375.
Supporting documents:
H.B. 2022: Economic Development
Brief summary: H.B. 2022 would establish the Pennsylvania Business Permitting Portal within the Department of Community and Economic Development to provide a website to assist businesses with identifying and securing the permits, licenses, applications, forms and registrations needed to establish and operate a business in Pennsylvania.
Chamber position: Support H.B. 2022
Status: The House Commerce Committe passed H.B. 2022 on 1/23/2012 by a vote of 24-0 and may get final consideration by the House this week.
Action: Consider contacting you your local State Rep. to express support for this bill.
Supporting documents:
H.B. 1976: Legal Reform
Brief summary: The PA Chamber supports legislation to improve and bring fairness to Pennsylvania’s legal system. Among our top priorities is legislation preventing "venue shopping" to ensure that the location in which a personal injury civil lawsuit is filed is based on circumstances of the case rather than a jurisdiction's tendency to favor plaintiffs. For example, the American Tort Reform Association recently ranked Philadelphia as the Nation’s "Number 1 judicial hellhole."
Chamber position: Support H.B. 1976 to prevent venue shopping.
Status: The House Judiciary Committee passed H.B. 1976 on 12/5/12 by a vote of 14-10. This bill may be considered this week by the full House.
Action: You may wish to contact your local State Rep. to express support for this bill.
Supporting documents:
- Issue Brief on Venue Shopping
- Coalition letter
- PA Chamber memo to House
- PA Chamber Setting the Record Straight on legal reform
- American Tort Reform Association report on "Judicial Hellholes"
Prevailing Wage
Brief summary: The PA Prevailing Wage Act mandates that workers on public works construction projects costing more than $25,000 be paid no less than the local "prevailing minimum wage." The problem is that more often than not the set wage is tied to the local union wage and therefore often grossly inflated, burdening local governments and taxpayers with higher costs while providing no real public benefit.
Chamber position: Support reform
Status: The House Labor and Industry Committee passed several prevailing wage reform bills on 10/3/11. The full House has not yet considered any of these bills, despite multiple indications last year that one or more would receive votes before 2012. It is understood that a contingent of House Republicans have not committed to support prevailing wage reform and therefore further consideration of the bills have been postponed until the outcome of votes is more certain.
Action: Consider contacting your local State Rep. to urge support for bills to reform the PA Prevailing Wage Act. If you are unsure of your local state Rep's position on this issue, please contact Alex Halper at the PA Chamber.
Supporting documents:
- PA Chamber memo to House
- PA Chamber letter for Aug. 8th hearing
- PA Chamber letter for Aug. 17th hearing
- PA Chamber Prevailing Wage Policy Statement
- Issue Brief on Prevailing Wage
Alex Halper
Manager, Government Affairs
PA Chamber of Business and Industry
417 Walnut Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Office: 717 720-5471
Mobile: 717 645-8730
Email: ahalper@pachamber.org
