Public Policy
Pension Reform Finally Passes
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry In a whirlwind of activity last week, the General Assembly passed and sent to Gov. Tom Wolf an important public pension reform bill that will help to rein in the what has been unsustainable growth of the state pension systems, shift a significant portion of the risk from…
Read MoreChamberChoice Offers Free Three-Part Webinar on Health Insurance Cost Reduction Strategies
ChamberChoice will offer a special three-part webinar series titled “Health Insurance Cost Reduction Strategies” on the second Thursday of July-September. This service is available free-of-charge to all Chamber members as a benefit of membership through the Chamber’s affinity programs through ChamberChoice. The schedule and topics of the webinar series are listed below. For more information or to…
Read MoreIRS Announces HSA/HDHP Limits
From ChamberChoice Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) have become one of the more popular spending accounts for both employees and employers. HSAs are tax-favored IRA-type trust or custodial accounts that can be contributed to by, or on behalf of, “eligible individuals” who are covered by certain High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHPs). The HSA can be used to…
Read MoreBudget Discussions Enter Final Month
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry With the last month of the fiscal year officially underway, House and Senate lawmakers return to session for what are sure to be several busy weeks with a focus on the budget and related policy items. The House has even extended its week by scheduling Thursday, June 8…
Read MoreAddressing Flood Insurance Affordability
SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) has begun an education and training process that helps municipalities and residents in the region find solutions to flood-related issues. SEDA-COG received funding for the completion of a planning process to develop a Self-Help Assessment Tool for several central Pennsylvania riverine communities. The assessment is aimed at assisting the municipality and…
Read MoreLegislation to Pay Down Pension Debt Earns Support from IFO
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry It’s been relatively quiet over the last several weeks on lawmakers’ plans to address Pennsylvania’s bloated and unsustainable public pension systems. However, earlier this month the state’s Independent Fiscal Office filed an actuarial note to a bill (H.B. 778) that would tackle the pension crisis in part by…
Read MorePA Department of Labor & Industry to Conduct Series of Free Safety Webinars
The Bureau of Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Division of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry will conduct a series of free safety webinars during the month of June. Titled PATHS (PA Training for Health and Safety), the series will cover a wide range of topics including emergency action plans, social media safety, workplace…
Read MoreMontour County Readdressing to Begin in June
Residences and businesses that will be impacted by Montour County’s readdressing will begin receiving information in the mail this month. The first of three mailings will be a checklist which will include updating driver’s license and vehicle registration information. Pending final approval by the Postal Service, address change information will be mailed and are scheduled…
Read MorePA Chamber Supports UC Reform Bill
From PA Chamber of Business & Industry PA Chamber Government Affairs Director Alex Halper advocated in favor of legislation that would clarify and strengthen language within the state’s Unemployment Compensation law last week at a public hearing of the House Labor and Industry Committee. House Bill 1014 defines “willful misconduct” (i.e. the circumstances under which…
Read MoreWork to be Done on State Budget
House and Senate lawmakers return to Harrisburg for session this week. With less than two months until the end of the Fiscal Year, they will have to take into account the state’s $1.2 billion revenue shortfall and incorporate that reality into their plans for spending in 2017-18. The law requires that the budget must be…
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