The Pennsylvania House of Representatives returned to session the week of Sept. 29, and the House and Senate both were in session last week.
As of this writing, a state budget has not been passed. However, negotiations continue, and all things indicate that the parties are getting closer to passing a complete budget.
In the meantime, the House passed out several consequential bills that will be sent to the Senate for consideration.
One bill concerns landslides on privately owned property.
During my first term. I introduced a bill that would provide insurance for homes prone to landslides. I visited homes in the district that had been devastated by landslides. The homeowners had no recourse through commercial home insurance companies.
Several of my colleagues before me had floated similar bills, as so many of us tried to get something done to assist homeowners. I again tried to get this bill enacted. Unfortunately, over the years, I realized that some members of the House were not aware of some of the problems that are faced by those of us in Western Pennsylvania. If you live in an area that is not “hilly,” the impact of landslides is not fully understood.
I am so pleased that the House came together in a bipartisan way to pass a landslide insurance assistance bill. My colleague, Rep. Emily Kinkead, spearheaded the bill, and it will now go to the Senate for consideration. Such legislation is greatly needed, and it is our hope that the Senate considers and passes this legislation.
In my career as a lawyer, I have worked with many families over the years on estates. Some of our current laws make the process of handling small estates burdensome to the heirs.
House Bill 1176 will ease the burden on heirs attempting to obtain unclaimed property in a decedent’s name. Millions of dollars are currently held in the state treasury as unclaimed. These can be small refunds from utility companies, or larger claims or bank accounts.
Current law states that a proven heir can claim this property without opening an estate through a notarized affidavit. The amount, however, is limited to $11,000 or lower. This new bill would increase this amount to $20,000 or lower.
The bill also provides that if no heir is found under the delineated line of succession, the funds may be transferred by the Commonwealth to an endowed community fund in the following order: the decedent’s municipality, the decedent’s school district, then the decedent’s county.
I am pleased and proud that I had two bills passed out of the House this past week.
HB102 relates to the harassment of sports officials. It does not hinder a person from loudly commenting on an official’s performance. It does seek to deter the growing problem of people making verbal threats to harm an official, and the act of physical violence against an official. The reality is that many officials have quit, due to the increasing abuse. We can see how this impacts even our beloved high school football, as some games have to be played on Thursdays or Saturdays, due to the shortage of officials.
HB 97 will give guidance to our courts in handling pets in divorce cases. Up to now, the courts have no other means of handling pet custody than to treat a beloved family animal like a piece of furniture. This bill seeks to aid courts in determining which party or parties are best fit to take care of the pet. When I handled family law matters, I realized that many couples had fundamental disagreements over their furry friends, and how best to handle these disputes.
I have introduced these two pieces of legislation over the years, and I am glad that they finally were passed by the House. Many people do not understand that having legislation enacted is often a long and arduous process.
It was a very busy week for the House. Other bills passed out of the House included matters such as reforming seller disclosures in realty transactions, transportation issues, personal information issues and consumer date protections.
For more information, contact my office at 412-264-4260 for assistance.
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