Christian Employers Alliance

Lynda Schlegel Culver

This bill increases penalties for property crimes against vital systems and assets of the state and nation, establishing the crimes of trespassing and vandalism of critical infrastructure, such as oil refineries, telecommunications equipment, and water treatment plants.

Strengthening Law and Order by Enhancing Penalties for the Trespass or Damage of Critical Infrastructure Facilities.

This bill prevents courts from granting non-monetary bail for defendants who pose a threat to public safety. Under the bill, this includes repeat violent offenders, fentanyl drug dealers and traffickers, and those who assault law enforcement officers or evade arrest.

Strengthening Public Safety by Restricting Non-Monetary Bail for Violent Offenders.

This bill appropriates over $642 million in taxpayer funds to five "state-related" universities: Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, Temple University, Lincoln University, and the University of Pennsylvania. The funds are for various purposes, such as general support, "rural education outreach," and "veterinary activities."

Fueling Out-of-Control Spending by Providing 5 "State-Related" Universities with Over $642 Million in Taxpayer Funds.

This bill, the "Fair Contracting for Health Care Practitioners Act," prohibits nearly all noncompetition agreements in the state entered into by health care practitioners and employers. However, the bill does allow noncompete agreements of up to 1 year if the employee was not dismissed.

Infringing Private Contracting Rights and Reducing Employment Opportunities in Healthcare by Banning Noncompetition Agreements.

This bill appropriates funds for the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government during FY 2024-25. Most notably, the bill provides an over $1.1 billion increase for school districts, $15 million in additional funding for free pre-kindergarten, and over $3 billion for required contributions for public school employees' retirement (a 3.14% increase). The bill also appropriates $55 million for tourism marketing and $45 million for keystone communities' grants.

Fueling Out-of-Control Spending Through Increased Funding for Crony Economic Development Programs, Medicaid Expansion, and More.

This bill reduces the waiting period for expungement of most juvenile misdemeanors, from 5 years to 2 years. Oppose is the ACI’s position based on the cornerstone of Community.

Threatening Public Safety by Allowing Juvenile Criminal Records to be Expunged After Just 2 Years Instead of 5.

This bill strengthens property rights by making it easier for property owners to remove "squatters" from their property. The bill clarifies that "notice to quit" and other eviction requirements do not apply to landlords "repossessing real property from a person who is not, nor has ever been, a tenant of the real property.

Strengthening Property Rights by Clarifying that Squatters are Not "Tenants" and Not Entitled to Protections in the Legal Eviction Process.

This bill removes the prohibition on Sunday hunting. Additionally, the bill makes it easier for a farmer to remove nuisance animals on their property when they are damaging crops by streamlining the process, permitting farmers to transport wildlife to a processor and self-report the harvest. The bill also increases penalties for trespassing onto private property while hunting and stipulates that repeat offenders may lose their hunting license.

Strengthening Property Rights and Individual Liberties by Allowing Hunting on Sunday and Expanding Protections Against Trespassing.

This bill exempts individuals providing "natural hair brading" from the state's cosmetology license requirements.

Slightly Reducing the State's Overreaching Cosmetology Licensing Mandates and Expanding Competition by Exempting "Natural Hair Braiders" from Licensure.

This bill requires all health insurance policies in the state to offer coverage for habilitative speech therapy treatment and rehabilitative speech therapy treatment for childhood stuttering. Each and every health insurance mandate or price control on co-payments prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need.

Hiking Health Insurance Premiums by Mandating All Policies Cover Speech Therapy for Stuttering.

This bill extends, for an additional 5 years, the maximum length of grants for administrative costs of hiring a "Main Street Manager" under the "Main Street Act". The "Main Street Act" provides grants for infrasture and housing projects in downtown areas, and provides competitive advantages to businesses located in these areas through marketing and promotion of the area.

Bolstering Cronyism and Government Central Planning by Extending Grant Funding to Hire a "Main Street Manager" for an Additional 5 Years.

This bill requires all health insurance policies offered in the state to provide coverage for medically necessary telemedicine services and to reimburse in-network providers for telemedicine services at the same rate as in-person services. Policies are also prohibited from excluding coverage for a health care service solely because the service is provided through telemedicine. Each and every health insurance mandate prevents an individual from selecting a plan with just basic or customized coverages to fit their specific needs. As a result, health insurers are forced to only offer costly plans loaded with coverages that most individuals do not need.

Hiking Health Insurance Premiums by Mandating All Policies Provide Coverage for "Telemedicine" Services.

This bill provides that claimants are ineligible for unemployment insurance benefits if they refuse suitable work by unreasonably discouraging their own hire, either by refusing to attend a job interview or hiring activity or by refusing employment or referral for employment. The bill also requires the Department of Labor and Industry to create or update forms available to employers to report a claimant who discourages their own hire through these actions.

Strengthening the Integrity of the Unemployment Insurance System by Clarifying Work Search Requirements.

This bill requires that Department of Health nursing care field officers conduct an annual meeting with long-term care nursing facilities. This meeting is designed to "promote cooperation and communication" between long-term care nursing facilities and the department.

Growing Government Interference in the Healthcare Industry by Mandating Unnecessary Bureaucratic Meetings for Nursing Facilities.

This bill imposes a series of new regulations on Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). For example, PBMs are required to pass at least 95% of all manufacturer rebates through to the insurance plan, may not reimburse non PBM-affiliated retail pharmacies less than PBM-affiliated ones, and may not require the use of mail-order pharmacies. The nation witnessed first-hand the disastrous consequences and cost of growing government regulatory power in healthcare (i.e. Obamacare).

Growing Government Regulatory Power within the Pharmaceutical Industry by Imposing a Series of New Mandates on Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs).

This bill allows milk haulers to transport milk on highways during a disaster emergency and weather-related travel bans. While the bill does require these vehicles to display a decal issued by the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board, this measure is a step in the right direction.

Slightly Easing Restrictions During a State of Emergency by Exempting Milk Haulers from Travel Restrictions.

This bill establishes the Solar for Schools grant program to provide funds to eligible public school districts, intermediate units, career and technical schools, and community colleges to purchase and install a solar energy project. Under the bill, schools can receive funding to cover up to 50% of the total cost of a solar project, and all solar projects must meet prevailing wage requirements.

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