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Governor Tom Corbett

Expanded Castle Doctrine Becomes Law

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State Rep. Scott Perry

State Rep. Scott Perry Addresses a May Gun Rights Rally at the Capitol

Law abiding gun owners’ rights to self defense just got stronger in Pennsylvania.  Governor Tom Corbett signed the expanded “Castle Doctrine” privately on Tuesday.  “It codifies existing law… it codifies the self defense law under common law,” Corbett said in response to questions at an unrelated news conference.  

“If you believe that your home is your castle as I do… then you also believe you have the right to defend it,” said State Rep. Scott Perry (R-York) at a capitol gun rights rally in May.  Perry is the bill’s prime sponsor.  

The expanded Castle Doctrine eliminates one’s “duty to retreat” before using deadly force if they are under attack, virtually anywhere they are legally allowed to be.  Currently, a gun owner’s right to stand their ground ends at their front door.  The new law takes effect in 60-days.  

CeaseFire PA had recently delivered more than 4,000 petitions to Governor Corbett – urging him to veto the expanded Castle Doctrine.  “This expansion we think is a dangerous and unnecessary change to that law, which means that now you can use deadly force in public spaces even if you could have walked away safely,” says CeaseFire PA’s executive director Max Nacheman.  

The news conference, referenced earlier, was held as Governor Tom Corbett publicly signed the “Fair Share Act” into law Tuesday.  It is designed to ensure that defendants in civil lawsuits are only responsible to pay their fair share.  Under the previous system of joint & several liability, defendants with as little as 1% of the fault could be on the hook for 100% of the damages.

Web Based Anti-bullying Program Being Introduced in Time for the new School Year

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A new web-based program aimed at bullying is ready for the new

school year– free of charge.  “The Bullying Academy” was being introduced this week at the International Society for Technology in Education Conference in Philadelphia .

It’s  a project of the Students in the Know Foundation. Executive Director Tommy Walser says the program goes through the major topics of bullying for students in grades 4 through 8, including cyber bullying which many current school programs do not address.  

Walser says cyber bullying can happen through any electronic device. He feels it’s more dangerous than regular bullying because it can happen any time of day, out of the sigh of teachers and parents.  

Walser says the program is all web based, on line and available immediately to students.  It allows them to click on links and view videos.

Schools can register for the program at bullyingacademy.org. Walser says they need to fill out a form with relative information, such as which state they’re in.  Once a school registers and is entered in the database, its students can visit the web site and register individually for the program. 

Walser says the  program requires no additional software or extensive training. It can be implemented during any class period or extracurricular activity.

Walser says they’re trying to teach kids that everyone has civil rights and bullying becomes a legal issue when you violate those civil rights.

 

Firefighter Cancer Presumption Legislation Heads to Governor

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The state Senate has given approval to the Firefighter Cancer Presumption legislation and it’s heading to the Governor for his signature.

House bill 797 won unanimous approval from the state Senate on Monday.  It would cover firefighters who contract cancer on the job under the state’s Workers Compensation Act. 

State Senator John Gordner (R-Columbia), chair of the Labor and Industry Committee, says the House sponsor, Representative Frank Farry, is a firefighter.

Senator Gordner says a lot of work went into the bill and they have municipal groups on board.  But he says most importantly, they’re doing this for the firefighters. He says they never know what type of facility or dwelling or business that they might go in to, and they do not know what harmful chemicals may be in there when they go to fight a fire.

Similar legislation passed in the last session but was vetoed by Governor Rendell. Some small changes have been made this time. Senator Gordner says Governor Corbett enthusiastically supports the legislation.  

Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), Senate Minority Chair, commended the work of Senators Gordner and Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia), saying it’s another example of two committee chairs working very cooperatively together to address significant issues that impact the lives of working men and women in this Commonwealth.

Senator David Argall (R-Schuylkill), who introduced the senate version of the bill, supported the house version, calling it an example of cooperation on a lot of fronts, bipartisan and bicameral.

 

Democrats Take Their Swing

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    Outnumbered in both the House and Senate, Democrats in Harrisburg have just one bullet in their gun, and on Monday they pulled the trigger.

    In both the House and Senate, Democrats blocked passage of several non-preferred spending bills associated with the state-related universities, which include Penn State, Pitt, Temple, Lincoln and the University of Pennsylvania. The schools would have to endure 18-19% cuts to their state funding under the bills, but the negative votes by Democrats could put 100% of the funding at risk.

    The move was possible because non-preferred appropriations bills require passage by a 2-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate.

    Republicans characterized the move as a dangerous game of chicken, and say the negative votes could stall the funding until at least this fall or beyond. Democrats say they rejected the funding to hold out for further restoration of cuts to the schools. The latest proposals had restored hundreds of millions of dollars from Governor Tom Corbett’s original plan to trim the universities’ funding by more than 50%.

    Democrats want to tap into this year’s estimated $600-700 million in additional revenue collections to restore the cuts. Failure to pass funding for the state-supported universities would not stand in the way of passage of the overall General Fund budget plan, which is expected to get its first vote on the Senate floor as early as today.

Cash

Amended Budget Goes to Full Senate

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    Senate Republicans unveiled the latest version of the FY2012 state budget late Monday during a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting in Harrisburg. The measure passed 16-10 along party lines. The $27.148 billion spending plan also has the approval of Governor Tom Corbett and House Republicans, who signed off on it during closed-door budget talks.

    The budget restores hundreds of millions of dollars in education spending cuts, but Democrats say it’s not enough. Democratic members of the Senate Appropriations Committee tried unsuccessfully to restore or increase funding to several line items through amendments that attempted to bolster human services, AIDS funding, the now-defunct AdultBasic health plan, the arts and tourism, among others. Each amendment failed by the same 16-10 party line vote.

    Senate Appropriations Chairman Jake Corman (R-Centre) says this budget proposal spends responsibly while respecting the billions of dollars in debt the Commonwealth is now carrying.

    The budget bill is expected to go to the full Senate today.

Sate Capitol View from Commonwealth Ave.

“Fair Share Act” Goes to Governor Tom Corbett’s Desk

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    The state House of Representatives has given final approval to a Senate bill known as the “Fair Share Act.” The legislation was one of the top priorities of Governor Tom Corbett and it is now on its way to his desk for signature.

    The bill addresses percentages in civil lawsuit awards to ensure that the percentage of damages leveled against a defendant does not exceed the level of their determined responsibility. It would apply to defendants found 60% liable or less in civil cases. Democrats tried unsuccessfully to amend the bill to exempt minors and senior citizens before the legislation passed 116-83 on Monday afternoon.

    Supporters of the bill argued that exempting anyone from the proposed tort reform would defeat its purpose, and that the bill had nothing to do with plaintiffs. They say the current lawsuit climate in Pennsylvania has hindered the state’s ability to attract new business and create jobs.

    The bill will become law 60 days after the governor signs it.

Final Days of the State Budget Process Are Here

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    Both the state House of Representatives and state Senate gaveled in rare Sunday voting sessions over the weekend, as the two chambers brace for the final flurry of legislative activity expected this week before the summer break. Thursday is the deadline for the state budget, and despite some minor delays in the Senate over the weekend, leaders still say the deadline can be met for the first time since 2002.

    In addition to budget-related bills, House lawmakers dealt with a distracted driving measure that would ban all texting while behind the wheel and legislation that limits liability for damages to the percentage of responsibility in civil lawsuits. Those bills could see final House action this week.

    The Senate is expected to begin working through budget amendments on Monday after dealing with non-preferred appropriations bills for state-related universities among its action on Sunday. The debate over funding for higher education, which was a big part of Sunday’s floor activity, is expected to continue this week.

    Off the floor on Sunday, House and Senate Democrats continued their call for a Marcellus Shale extraction tax or state impact fee. Governor Tom Corbett says he won’t even consider such a proposal and he wants any “impact fees” kept local and completely separate from the General Fund budget talks.

Survey Shows Social Media Being Used More Often When Disaster Strikes

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A new survey shows Americans are relying more on social media and texting when disaster strikes.   “Get Ready,  America!, the National Hurricane Survival Initiative, has released a survey that shows social media and texting are becoming the leading ways people will communicate in a disaster. 

The Sachs/Mason-Dixon commissioned poll found 72% of Americans are members of a social network. 45% of them say they’d rely on it to communicate with friends and family in a disaster and another 24% say they might.

There are some demographic differences. Social media is more prevalent among younger Americans, with 91% of those 18 to 34 connected. 63% of those respondents said they would use those platforms to communicate in a disaster.

For people ages 35 to 59, 75% said they use social media and 44% of them would use it to communicate in a disaster.

Ryan Duffy, managing director of Sachs Digital, says they’re recommending everyone have a mobile phone as part of their disaster kit.  

Duffy says cell phone companies look for areas hardest hit by natural disasters and bring in Cell on Wheels units to provide access if there’s a downed cell phone tower.

Duffy says it really can save a life if you have the right information.  He believes it’s worth everyone’s while to follow local emergency service agencies on Facebook or Twitter and to have a greater sense of awareness when disaster strikes.

ReadyPA is currently on Facebook. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is still reviewing Twitter.

Voter ID Bill Clears State House

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    A bill that would require voters to present a photo ID every time they cast a ballot passed the state House of Representatives Thursday after weeks of debate and political wrangling. The measure received a mostly partisan 108-88 vote in the Republican-controlled House.

    Critics say the bill will suppress turnout among the elderly and minorities, but supporters contend that their only goal is to combat voter fraud. During Thursday’s final debate, Luzerne County Democrat Gerald Mullery, who’s also an attorney, argued that a similar law passed in Indiana resulted in valid court challenges and costly legal battles. He predicted the same fate here if Pennsylvania enacts a voter ID law. During debate on the constitutionality of the bill, Lancaster County Republican Bryan Cutler countered that Pennsylvania already has some voter restrictions in place, and requires a photo ID from first-time voters and those voting for the first time at a new polling place.

    Chester County Republican Chris Ross cast the only “no” vote in the Republican caucus. All Democrats present in the chamber voted against the bill, which now heads to the state Senate.

Corbett Administration Comes to Terms with Another State Employee Union

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    It took 10 meetings spread out over weeks of talks, but the Corbett Administration and the Service Employees International Union have reportedly come to a tentative agreement on a new contract for about 10,000 state employees. It’s the 2nd consecutive day that the state has come to terms with a major state employee union. A deal with AFSCME Council 13 was announced Wednesday night.

    Last night’s agreement came just 24 hours after the SEIU Local 668 characterized the ongoing talks as “frustrating” and said the two sides were “miles apart.” The union plans to release details of the agreement today.

    Both the SEIU and AFSCME contracts were set to expire next week.