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State Government Committee reports campaign expense, retiree COLA bills to full House

HARRISBURG, May 1-- The House State Government Committee recently reported out legislation related to campaign expenses and a cost-of-living adjustment for retired public school teachers and state workers, among others.

State Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., chairwoman of the committee, said the movement of these bills will position them for a vote by the full House.

"The State Government Committee's agenda has been a busy one this legislative session, and Tuesday's meeting was no exception," Josephs said. "This week was designated committee week in the House and we were able to take action on five pieces of legislation."

According to Josephs, the committee unanimously reported out H.B. 2084, which would provide a COLA to public school teachers and state workers who retired July 1, 2007, or earlier. The amount of the supplemental annuity would be a percentage of the retiree's current monthly payment based on his or her retirement date, with those retiring earlier receiving a higher payment. That bill is sponsored by Rep. Jaret Gibbons.

The committee also approved legislation (H.B. 2065) that would require General Assembly candidates and political committees to file a second campaign expense report prior to the election. Currently those individuals only need to file a pre-election campaign expense report on the second Friday before the election. The bill would add an earlier pre-election campaign expense report, which would be due six weeks before the election. This bill is sponsored by Rep. Robert Freeman.

Other legislation moved out includes a bill by Rep. Robert Belfanti that would require state agencies to notify local officials of a political subdivision before beginning a project within that subdivision. This would allow those officials ample time to ensure safety or ease any hardship that the construction, demolition or repair work may cause. This bill is H.B. 146.

House Bill 771 would name the Hazelton soil series as the official soil of the Commonwealth, while H.R. 600, sponsored by Rep. Neal Goodman, would ask the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to study the fiscal impact of electing the state's Insurance Commissioner. Currently the commission is appointed by the governor.

The legislation now goes to the full House for consideration.

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