Signed by Governor Ed Rendell

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with House amendments and pass a bill that modifies fiscal regulations and adjusts the budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011

Highlights:

-Authorizes the Board of Finance and Revenue to designate banking institutions that are subject to federal or state supervision as depositories for the state moneys (Sec. 2). -Specifies that the interest rate for all state deposits are to be fixed by the Board of Finance and Revenue every 6 months (Sec. 2). -Requires the Board of Finance and Revenue to designate at least eight banks as "active depositories,'' in which shall be deposited a sufficient amount of the daily receipts of the state treasury to transact the current business of the state of Pennsylvania (Sec. 2). -Authorizes any transit entity to issue bonds to refund obligations issued prior to June 30, 2007 and to pay and secure such refunding bonds with all or part of the sources of payment and security for the obligations that are being refunded, including money from the fund (Sec. 2.5). -Allocates $60 million in tax credit to the Department of Education for the fiscal year 2010-2011 (Sec. 2.5). -Specifies that the expiration date of an approval granted by a government agency for a building or construction permit will be automatically suspended during the extension period of December 31, 2008 through July 2, 2013 (Sec. 2.5). -Specifies that the holder of an approval for a building or construction permit may seek written verification from the issuing government agency for the existence of a valid approval or the expiration date of the approval; the agency may not charge more than $100 for verification of a residential approval and $500 for verification of a commercial approval (Sec. 2.5). -Authorizes government agencies that issue approvals to charge a fee to extend the approvals that may be no more than 25 percent of the original application fee; in no event may the fee be more than $5,000 (Sec. 2.5) -Establishes the Special Juvenile Victim Compensation Fund that shall be used solely to provide compensation to victims of juvenile crime in a county of the third class (Sec. 2.6). -Specifies that a victim's ability to receive a written determination for a compensation award from the Special Juvenile Victim Compensation Fund shall expire on June 30, 2011 or once there are no available funds (Sec. 2.6). -Prohibits the state supreme court and the court administrator from increasing the amount appropriated to the Judicial Computer System Augmentation Account (Sec. 2.8). -Specifies that, beginning in fiscal year 2010-2011, all funds for the operation of the state police, the Department of Revenue and the Attorney General shall be appropriated solely from an assessment on gross terminal revenue from accounts relating to slot machine licensee deposits (Sec. 2.9). -Requires the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to establish a schedule governing the repayment by licensed gaming entities of loans provided to the state Gaming Control Board (Sec. 2.9). -Requires any vacancy for a position in any eligible school entity to be given to those qualifying teachers that have, at any point within the current year or the previous two years, received formal notice of suspension of employment from a public school (Sec. 3). -Establishes that funds appropriated for women's service programs grants to nonprofits agencies regarding alternatives to abortion shall be expended to provide services to women until childbirth and for up to 12 months thereafter (Sec. 3). -Specifies that for the fiscal years 2010-2012, up to $4.3 million shall be appropriated to the Department of Revenue to fund costs associated with increased tax collection enforcement and reduction in tax refunds errors; and beginning June 15, 2011, the money left in the fund shall be transferred to the general fund or any other appropriate fund (Sec. 3). -Requires the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency to use funds appropriated for matching payments for student aid funds in order to maximize the receipt of federal funds to the fullest extent possible (Sec. 3). -Allocates $15 million from the Tobacco Settlement Act to the Tobacco Settlement Fund (Sec. 3). -Transfers $121 million remaining in the Tobacco Endowment Account for Long-Term Hope that shall be used to augment the appropriation for payment of required contribution for the public school employees' retirement (Sec. 3). -States that it is the intent of the House and Senate majority leadership to pass legislation raising revenue from the extraction of Marcellus shale natural gas and to establish the Independent Fiscal office by October 1, 2010, with an effective date for implementation no later than January 1, 2011 (Sec. 4).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that modifies fiscal regulations and adjusts the budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011.

Highlights:

-Authorizes the Board of Finance and Revenue to designate banking institutions that are subject to federal or state supervision as depositories for the state moneys (Sec. 2). -Specifies that the interest rate for all state deposits are to be fixed by the Board of Finance and Revenue every 6 months (Sec. 2). -Requires the Board of Finance and Revenue to designate at least eight banks as "active depositories,'' in which shall be deposited a sufficient amount of the daily receipts of the state treasury to transact the current business of the state of Pennsylvania (Sec. 2). -Authorizes any transit entity to issue bonds to refund obligations issued prior to June 30, 2007 and to pay and secure such refunding bonds with all or part of the sources of payment and security for the obligations that are being refunded, including money from the fund (Sec. 2.5). -Allocates $60 million in tax credit to the Department of Education for the fiscal year 2010-2011 (Sec. 2.5). -Specifies that the expiration date of an approval granted by a government agency for a building or construction permit will be automatically suspended during the extension period of December 31, 2008 through July 2, 2013 (Sec. 2.5). -Specifies that the holder of an approval for a building or construction permit may seek written verification from the issuing government agency for the existence of a valid approval or the expiration date of the approval; the agency may not charge more than $100 for verification of a residential approval and $500 for verification of a commercial approval (Sec. 2.5). -Authorizes government agencies that issue approvals to charge a fee to extend the approvals that may be no more than 25 percent of the original application fee; in no event may the fee be more than $5,000 (Sec. 2.5) -Establishes the Special Juvenile Victim Compensation Fund that shall be used solely to provide compensation to victims of juvenile crime in a county of the third class (Sec. 2.6). -Specifies that a victim's ability to receive a written determination for a compensation award from the Special Juvenile Victim Compensation Fund shall expire on June 30, 2011 or once there are no available funds (Sec. 2.6). -Prohibits the state supreme court and the court administrator from increasing the amount appropriated to the Judicial Computer System Augmentation Account (Sec. 2.8). -Specifies that, beginning in fiscal year 2010-2011, all funds for the operation of the state police, the Department of Revenue and the Attorney General shall be appropriated solely from an assessment on gross terminal revenue from accounts relating to slot machine licensee deposits (Sec. 2.9). -Requires the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to establish a schedule governing the repayment by licensed gaming entities of loans provided to the state Gaming Control Board (Sec. 2.9). -Requires any vacancy for a position in any eligible school entity to be given to those qualifying teachers that have, at any point within the current year or the previous two years, received formal notice of suspension of employment from a public school (Sec. 3). -Establishes that funds appropriated for women's service programs grants to nonprofits agencies regarding alternatives to abortion shall be expended to provide services to women until childbirth and for up to 12 months thereafter (Sec. 3). -Specifies that for the fiscal years 2010-2012, up to $4.3 million shall be appropriated to the Department of Revenue to fund costs associated with increased tax collection enforcement and reduction in tax refunds errors; and beginning June 15, 2011, the money left in the fund shall be transferred to the general fund or any other appropriate fund (Sec. 3). -Requires the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency to use funds appropriated for matching payments for student aid funds in order to maximize the receipt of federal funds to the fullest extent possible (Sec. 3). -Allocates $15 million from the Tobacco Settlement Act to the Tobacco Settlement Fund (Sec. 3). -Transfers $121 million remaining in the Tobacco Endowment Account for Long-Term Hope that shall be used to augment the appropriation for payment of required contribution for the public school employees' retirement (Sec. 3). -States that it is the intent of the House and Senate majority leadership to pass legislation raising revenue from the extraction of Marcellus shale natural gas and to establish the Independent Fiscal office by October 1, 2010, with an effective date for implementation no later than January 1, 2011 (Sec. 4).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to concur with House amendments and pass a bill that modifies fiscal regulations and adjusts the budget for the fiscal year 2010-2011