Tax Code, Fiscal Code Bills Following Budget Contain Surprises, Like Always

Before adjourning for the summer on July 1, House Republicans amended and sent back to the Senate bills that amend the Tax Code, Fiscal Code, Welfare Code and Education Code with provisions implementing parts of the General Fund budget or other provisions Senate and House Republicans agreed to include.

The Tax Code and Fiscal Code bills typically contain a number of provisions on environmental issues and this year was no exception.

Normally these bills are agreed-to by the majority parties in the Senate and House and the Governor’s Office, but this year there was some “miscommunication” on the Fiscal Code bill that will require the House to come back and vote again to finish out the related budget bills.

The “miscommunication” involved language in the Fiscal Code bill related to payday lending Senate Republicans said they never agreed to.

The House has set July 8 as a non-voting session day, but it is unknown at this time whether they will take up the Fiscal Code bill before they return in September.  Gov. Corbett  Wednesday publicly urged them to take final action on the bill so the budget package is complete.

Here are the environmental provisions in the Tax and Fiscal Code bills--

Tax Code: House Bill 465 MacKenzie (R-Berks) amends the Tax Code was amended with a dozen new provisions, including: extending the Wild Resource Conservation Tax Checkoff until 2018, repeals the never used Coal Waste and Ultraclean Fuels Tax Credit.  A summary and House Fiscal Note are available.  The House amended the bill and returned it to the Senate which concurred in House amendments.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Fiscal Code: Senate Bill 591 (Vulakovich-D-Allegheny) budget-related amendments to the Fiscal Code was amended and reported out of the House Appropriations Committee and was passed by the House.  The bill includes provisions related to eliminating General Fund appropriations to DEP for the Consumer Energy Program for FY 2012-13 and FY 2013-14, appropriates $150,000 for independent research regarding natural gas drilling to DEP, gives priorities to municipalities in counties of the sixth, seventh and eighth class with approved applications for Sewage Facilities Planning Grants, extends the payback of the Storage Tank Fund to July 2029, $3 million was appropriated to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for water and sewer projects costing between $50,000 and $150,000, directing DCNR to enter into an agreement to manage Washington Crossing Historic Park with the PA Historical and Museum Commission. 

The bill was amended by the Senate to remove provisions related to payday lending and now must return to the House for a concurrence vote.

NewsClips:

Corbett Tells House, Senate To Send Him Fiscal Code Bill

Senate Takes Out Payday Lending Language  From Fiscal Code


7/8/2013

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