Author: Tiffany P

Committee approves Phillips-Hill’s measure creating an accountable Constitutional amendment process

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HARRISBURG – Legislation that would increase accountability and transparency was approved by the Senate State Government Committee, according to the measure’s sponsor, Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York).

Senate Bill 408, known as the Constitutional Amendment Accountability Act, was authored in response to the last administration’s failure to advertise a proposed constitutional amendment, as laid out in the state constitution. The measure would require the Secretary of State to post the entire Constitutional amendment process on a publicly accessible website.

“This measure will ensure that every Pennsylvanian can track – from start to finish – a process as consequential as a proposed constitutional amendment,” said Phillips-Hill.

The Department of State would also be required to detail each action by publishing a copy online of the notice of the proposed constitutional amendment, including which newspapers the notice was published in and the deadline required by our state constitution.

The measure now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

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Contact:  Kiersten Laird 

Senate committee approves measure to hold state agencies accountable

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Would make state agencies more responsible, efficient, and transparent

HARRISBURG – The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee passed significant permitting reform legislation that will help retain existing employers and attract new employers to the Commonwealth according to the bill’s sponsors, Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) and Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland/Dauphin/Perry).

Senate Bill 350 would require state agencies to create an accessible website system for applicants to check their application status. In addition, all the permits issued must be publicly accessible and if rejected, it must state the legal authority the agency relies on to reject the permit application. The measure would also build upon Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Executive Order he signed earlier this year to cut down on permitting delays and bureaucratic red tape. The legislation would require that a permit, license, or certification is deemed-approved by the state if the agency reviewing the application misses its statutory deadline.

“Cutting bureaucratic red tape that punishes working professionals, job creators, farmers, non-profits, local governments, and Pennsylvania taxpayers is a long-standing goal to turn our state around,” Phillips-Hill said. “Our residents work too hard to end up against a dead-end within their own state government. We need to show that Pennsylvania is open for business and Senate Bill 350 does just that.”

“Government delays are costing Pennsylvanians good-paying jobs,” Rothman said. “This bill holds government accountable and puts Pennsylvania on the map for growth and economic opportunity.”

This legislation now heads to the full Senate for its consideration.

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Contacts:

Kiersten Laird (Phillips-Hill)

Morgan Wagner (Rothman)

Senators Hughes & Phillips-Hill to Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Mental Health of Minors on Social Media

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HARRISBURG, PA – May 5, 2023:  Today, State Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) and State Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) introduced bipartisan legislation that takes important steps to protect minors and their mental health on social media.

With data showing far too many minors struggling with their mental health – and social media being a big contributing factor – the senators are working across party lines to address the severe effects social media is having on the mental well-being of young people.

“Our current law for teen social media use is outdated and inadequate,” said Senator Hughes, referring to the Federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 (COPPA), which only requires parental consent to establish a social media profile for children under age 13. “We know the impact social media is having on young people and the drastic changes to how young people use social media since COPPA became law. We must act now to protect our children.”

“I am proud to work on this legislation with Sen. Hughes to better safeguard and protect the data of our children and put parents in the driver’s seat over their children’s well-being,” Phillips-Hill said. “The Senate has made protecting our online assets and cybersecurity a priority with bipartisan support, and this legislation continues that important work.”

The proposed legislation is based off bills in other states, including Connecticut and Ohio, as well as the Clean Slate for Kids Online Act introduced in the US Senate.

Senators Hughes and Phillips-Hill’s social media protections bill would do the following:

  • Require consent from a parent or legal guardian for anyone under 16 to open a social media account
  • Notify parents or legal guardians if a child under 16 opens a social media account without proper consent
  • Prohibit data mining for any user under 18
  • Allow individuals to request deletion of information collected or obtained while the individual was under 18
  • Create a cause of action for parents or legal guardians of minors against social media companies for harm to their children.

According to data collected by Pew in 2022, 95% of teens reported using YouTube and 67% of teens have used TikTok.  A 2018 study conducted by Pew found 45% of teens reported feeling overwhelmed by the drama on social media and 26% reported feeling worse about their own lives. 

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report found 16% of high school students reported being electronically bullied in 2021 and, between 2011-2021, nearly 60% of female students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness while 10% of female students reported attempting suicide.

Senators urge FHFA to restore ideals of the American Dream

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HARRISBURG – Sens. Devlin Robinson (R-Allegheny) and Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) are seeking support for a resolution calling on the Biden Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) to rescind a policy that punishes homebuyers with good credit.

The FHFA unilaterally adopted a policy that took effect earlier this week that increases fees on homebuyers with good credit- who place large down payments, while rewarding borrowers with bad credit and small down payments. The state senators said that this federal policy punishes Pennsylvanians who have been responsible with their credit, and rewards those who are higher risk borrowers with poor credit scores.

The senators are seeking support from their colleagues to call on President Biden and the FHFA to immediately rescind the policy that directly taxes middle-class Pennsylvanian families.

“Punishing hard-working Pennsylvanians who have good credit and are smart with their finances is simply wrong,” Sen. Robinson said. “I’m hopeful the Administration and FHFA will quickly realize and rescind this harmful policy, and I’m glad so many of my Senate colleagues and constituents share this sentiment.”

“It is illogical what this policy accomplishes. You play by the rules and do things the right way, but you get penalized for it,” Phillips-Hill said. “Increased home ownership across our state would be ideal. However, this is again, another failed policy that dodges real problems, like how will we reduce inflation and bring down our sky-high interest rates.”

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is also leading an effort at the national level to eliminate these new mortgage fees impacting borrowers with good credit.

 

Contacts: Allison Dutrey (Robinson)

                  Kiersten Laird (Phillips-Hill)
                  717.741.4648

Phillips-Hill elected chair of bipartisan state fiscal oversight committee

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HARRISBURG – Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) was unanimously elected today by her colleagues to serve as the chair of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC) for the 2023-24 session. 

“This committee provides valuable insight into how taxpayer dollars are being utilized and makes recommendations to the General Assembly on reforms,” Phillips-Hill said. “I am honored for the trust of my colleagues to serve in this capacity.”

The LBFC is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative service agency consisting of 12 members of the General Assembly. Committee membership is comprised of six Senators, six Representatives, evenly divided between majority and minority parties in each chamber.

“I am grateful to serve in this position to help advance commonsense policies that ensure the best use of taxpayer dollars and promote our economy,” Phillips-Hill continued.

The committee conducts studies and makes recommendations aimed at eliminating unnecessary expenditures; promotes economy in the government of the Commonwealth; and assures that state funds are being expended in accordance with legislative intent and law.

Phillips-Hill has been a committee member of the LBFC since 2019.

 

Contact:  Kiersten Laird
                  717.741.4648