Click here to subscribe today or Login.
State Rep. Gerald Mullery, D-Newport Township, has introduced legislation that would help ease the reporting and fundraising burdens on club licensees under the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act.
Mullery said current state law requires clubs with proceeds exceeding $20,000 in a year to submit annual reports. These reports provide information on proceeds from each game of chance and the amount of prizes awarded, itemized weekly.
Mullery said his legislation would change that requirement from weekly to quarterly.
“House Bill 1807 does not change the information provided to the state — it simply eases the reporting timeline,” Mullery said. “Filling out this necessary paperwork would not be as burdensome for our veteran and fraternal organizations and other nonprofit clubs.”
Mullery’s bill also would increase the fundraising limit from $40,000 annually to $60,000 annually.
Performance audit of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections begins
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale announced the start of a special performance audit of the Department of Corrections to assess whether staff at state correctional institutions properly report and track incidents of inmate violence.
“Safeguarding corrections staff, the general public, and 50,000 inmates in the commonwealth’s correctional system is a critical function of the state corrections system,” DePasquale said. “Properly reporting and tracking incidents of inmate violence – whether against institution staff or other inmates — ensures that corrections leadership has the information needed to prevent future incidents.”
The audit will consist of reviewing applicable policies, obtaining and examining data and documentation, and interviewing staff. The audit is expected to be completed this fall.
The Department of Corrections is responsible for the overall management and operation of the entire adult corrections system, including 26 state correctional institutions, 14 community corrections centers, nearly 40 contract facilities, a training academy and one motivational boot camp.
State correctional institutions are located in Allegheny, Centre, Chester, Clearfield, Crawford, Cumberland, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Lycoming, Luzerne, Mercer, Montgomery, Northumberland, Schuylkill, Somerset and Wayne counties.
SAFER fire/emergency grants available
U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, announced that local fire departments and emergency response companies can now apply for federal grants to help with staffing and providing around-the-clock emergency services to their communities.
The grant application period has opened for grants for local fire departments under the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) program from the Department of Homeland Security. The application period runs from now until 6 p.m. March 25.
Barletta said $340 million is available for the SAFER Grant Program to assist fire departments and volunteer interest organizations increase or maintain the number of trained “front line” firefighters available in their communities.
The SAFER Grant Program seeks to assist local fire departments with staffing and deployment capabilities in order to respond to emergencies, assuring communities have adequate protection from fire and fire-related hazards. The grants are available to volunteer, professional, or combination fire departments.
For more information, visit http://www.fema.gov/staffing-adequate-fire-emergency-response-grants, or contact Mike Shay at Barletta’s Hazleton office at 570-751-0050 or by email at [email protected].
Gov. Wolf signs two bills into law
Gov. Tom Wolf last week signed two bills into law:
Act 6 – House Bill 941, sponsored by Rep. Mike Regan, dissolves the two separate Horse and Harness Racing Commissions and establishes regulatory oversight of the racing industry with the creation of a single entity — State Horse Racing Commission — under the Department of Agriculture (PDA), which shall have exclusive jurisdiction and regulatory authority over pari-mutuel wagering and other horse racing activities.
Act 7 – House Bill 561, sponsored by Rep. Rob Kauffman, amends the Local Tax Enabling Act by exempting all active duty military pay, regardless of where it is earned, from the Earned Income Tax.
