HEARD ON THE HILL / IN CITY HALL: House Passes AVI Relief ...

The State House passed two bills which should give Philadelphia more authority to provide targeted tax relief to homeowners and allow the city to get tougher on tax deadbeats.

HB 388 targets tax delinquents by allowing the city to put a lien against all the properties owned by the tax delinquent within the Commonwealth. HB 391 allows Philadelphia to accept periodic payments of property taxes. This is in response to concerns of those people who may not be able to pay such a large bill all at once.

The legislation was sponsored by State Reps. Cherelle L. Parker (D-Northwest) and Mike McGeehan (D-Northeast). It aims to address the City?s Actual Value Initiative.

Parker, who is chairwoman of the Philadelphia Delegation, said the bills represent months of collaboration among members of the House and Senate delegations, City Council and the Mayor?s office. ?These bills help get us closer to providing fairness to city residents as they transition to the new rates under AVI,? she said.

The bills now move to the Senate for consideration.

Another bill in the package, HB 390, introduced by State Rep. Mike O?Brien (D-Kensington), would require the City to use age and financial need when considering relief for long-term owner-occupants. State Rep. Ed Neilson (D-Northeast), noted, ?I am calling on the Senate to pass these bills and send them to the Governor without delay, because homeowners deserve this property tax relief.?

CITY COUNCIL EXTENDS TAX-RELIEF DEADLINE

City Council has voted to extend the deadline to apply for residential property-tax relief, commonly known as the Homestead Exemption, from Jul. 31, 2013 to Sep. 13, 2013.

Owner-occupants are eligible to receive the Homestead Exemption, which could deliver hundreds of dollars in tax savings per household under the Actual Value Initiative in Tax Year 2014. Council also voted to allow persons who purchase homes within 30 days before the Sep. 13 deadline or shortly after to apply for the Homestead Exemption within 30 days of the date of transfer. The cut-off for such applications is Dec. 1, 2013.

According to the Nutter Administration, little over 50% of eligible homeowners have been approved for the Homestead Exemption. Council offices are reaching out to eligible households to inform them of the Homestead Exemption and to assist with the application process.

Cosponsors of the deadline extension ordinance, introduced on Council President Darrell Clarke?s behalf by Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr. (4th Dist.) on Apr. 18, include Councilwoman Cindy Bass (8th Dist.), Councilman at Large Bill Greenlee, Councilman Bobby Henon (6th Dist.), Councilman Kenyatta Johnson (2nd Dist.), Councilman at Large Jim Kenney, Councilman at Large Dennis O?Brien, Councilman Brian O?Neill (10th Dist.), Councilwoman Maria Qui?ones S?nchez (7th Dist.), Councilman Mark Squilla (1st Dist.) and Councilwoman Marian Tasco (9th Dist.). Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell (3rd Dist.) and Councilwoman at Large Blondell Reynolds Brown cosponsored the ordinance allowing new home purchases to be Homestead-eligible.

With full participation in the Homestead Exemption program, as many as 72% of Philadelphia homeowners could get a property-tax cut next year.

That ?cut? will still leave most homeowners actually paying more in taxes, however, since AVI will cause most residential property taxes to increase. They will simply go up less with a Homestead Exemption.

REP. THOMAS HOSTS SMALL-BIZ SEMINAR

If you?re looking for resources for your small business or thinking about going into business, you might want to attend State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas? (D-N. Phila.) Small Business Opportunity & Resource Seminar.

Hosted by Temple University?s Fox School of Business, the free event is being held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, May 30 at Fox?s Alter Hall located at 1801 Liacouras Walk (Park Avenue at Montgomery).

?This seminar is part of the celebration of Small Business Month in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,? explained Thomas, Democratic Chair of the House Commerce Committee. ?There?s a wealth of resources available to help businesses that people aren?t aware of. This seminar will provide information on city, state and federal agencies and organizations that can help folks get on track and take advantage of these opportunities.?

HOUSING ADVOCATES HONOR TAYLOR

State Rep. John Taylor (R-Kensington) has been honored by Regional Legal Housing Services with its Advancing the Field Award for his work passing land bank legislation in Harrisburg.

?I am proud, honored and humbled by this honor,? Taylor said. ?Land banking is a critical component to helping the city find new uses for abandoned properties that are blighting our community.?

Also honored with the Advancing the Field Award were Councilwoman Maria Qui??ones S?nchez, the Housing Alliance of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corps.

Act 153 of 2012 allows Pennsylvania?s municipalities to create public land bank authorities in order to efficiently acquire, manage, and develop tax-foreclosed properties. Land banks are a creative way for communities to fight blight. The legislation, which has received support across the state, enables any county, city or borough with a population of 10,000 or more to form a land bank to acquire and manage tax-foreclosed and abandoned properties for the purpose of preparing them for reuse. A grouping of two municipalities with populations less than 10,000 would also be permitted to establish and maintain a land bank under the bill.

?I want to thank everyone at RLHS for their support,? Taylor said. ?We are only able to craft these reforms because of the support from those equally committed to rescuing our city from abandoned properties and those who fail to pay their property taxes.?

YOUNGBLOOD SAYS CITY CAN USE CASINO $$ BETTER

State Rep. Rosita C. Youngblood?s (D-Northwest) resolution requiring the Commonwealth to study the allocation of gaming revenue provided to Philadelphia from licensed casino gaming will focus on how city officials can maximize its impact for communities across the city. ?The residents of Philadelphia are still facing difficult economic times, and the City itself is still trying to figure out how to close significant budget deficits and deal with poor economic outcomes,? Youngblood said.

?Legalized casino gaming has provided nearly $7.5 billion in tax revenue to Pennsylvania, with close to $600 million flowing into the city of Philadelphia since 2006. And that doesn?t include the $880 million earmarked for the Pennsylvania Convention Center that is being paid over a 10-year period. It?s time we take a step back and look at how this revenue is used and see if it can be used more effectively.?

WASHINGTON BLASTS LAG IN U.C.B.

State Sen. LeAnna M. Washington (D-Northwest) is blasting the Pennsylvania Dept. of Labor & Industry?s failure to issue first-time unemployment benefits within the required window of time.

?I am deeply troubled by the recent reports the Department has not been issuing first-time unemployment payments in a timely fashion,? Washington said. Citing a letter to the US Dept. of Labor report that recently found Pennsylvania?s unemployment compensation displayed ?continued failure? to provide its claimants with their benefits in a reasonable amount of time, Washington said this is indicative of a wider trend of the Corbett Administration ignoring the middle class and working poor.

Recent reports show under the Corbett Administration, Pennsylvania has fallen from 7th to 49th place in the US in job creation, even as the economy recovers and national unemployment continues to drop. ?Instead of creating jobs, the Corbett Administration continues to create poverty by making it harder for folks to get benefits like unemployment, food stamps, and emergency cash assistance. This is unacceptable,? Washington continued.

FARNESE SEEKS TO CURB FRIVOLOUS LAWSUITS

State Sen. Larry Farnese (D-S. Phila.) has introduced legislation that will protect groups who are the subject of SLAPPs, or Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation.

SLAPPs are lawsuits filed against a person or group for positions they take in connection with a matter of public interest. Despite the legal theories supporting a lawsuit, the true purpose of a SLAPP is to deter critics by burdening them with the costs of a legal defense. Farnese?s legislation will allow those who are wrongfully sued to more-easily dismiss a case or recover attorneys? fees if they win the lawsuit.

?The legal system should protect free speech and not act as a hammer to silence people who speak their mind on important issues and neighborhood development,? said Farnese. ?The work that is done by our civic groups is essential to every neighborhood and the possibility that we might start losing these important forums is bad for everyone.?

Farnese is proposing the legislation after spiraling insurance costs recently forced the Old City Civic Association to stop weighing in on zoning and liquor-licensing matters and disband after 40 years of existence.

Farnese added that he hopes his proposed restrictions on lawsuits will lead to more affordable insurance rates and was especially troubled because Old City had a thorough process for vetting issues before they weighed in publicly like many other groups in the district.

Twenty-seven states and the Territory of Guam have already passed anti-SLAPP legislation. In 2000, Pennsylvania passed limited anti-SLAPP legislation that applies only to environmental law and regulatory processes.

KENNEY WANTS FUNDS PULLED FROM WELLS-FARGO

Councilman at Large Jim Kenney wants to prohibit the City of Philadelphia from depositing any funds in Wells Fargo Bank.

?As the School District of Philadelphia faces an estimated $300 million deficit, and the City of Philadelphia may be forced to raise taxes to make the District?s ends meet, it is disturbing that both the City and School District have lost an estimated $331 million from highly speculative and risky qualified-rate management agreements, commonly referred to as ?swaps?,? Kenney said. ?These interest-rate swaps were supposed to protect the City from rising interest rates, but instead ended up costing the both the City and School District millions,? he said.

Besides the swap agreements Wells Fargo entered into with the City and School District, Kenney said, ?Wells Fargo is a major funder of the payday-loan industry, providing credit to six of the seven largest publicly traded payday lenders in the country which finance nearly a third of the payday-lending industry. In the last year before the subprime bubble burst, the bank originated or co-issued $74.2 billion worth of subprime loans. And as of last Jun. 30, Wells Fargo held an estimated $220,000,000 of Philadelphia taxpayers? money from multiple City funds.? He concluded, ?As difficult as it is to swallow the significant financial losses from swaps, it is equally difficult to accept that the financial institutions we trust and continue to do business with are not being held accountable for raking municipalities like Philadelphia over the coals. I believe Wells Fargo must be held accountable, and that is what this legislation will do,? Kenney said.

SEN. WILLIAMS, KEYSTONE GIVE MOMS MAKEOVERS

With the help of Empire Beauty School and Keystone Mercy Health Plan, State Sen. Anthony Williams (D-W. Phila.) and his wife Shari treated 30 women from area Philadelphia Housing Authority residences to a day. Williams? second ?Glam-Mom Makeover Day? attracted cross-generational women who live in PHA homes throughout his district.

TAYLOR REPORTS HOUSE TARGETS CYBER-BULLIES

The House Judiciary Committee has just taken a strong stand against cyber bullying by passing HB 1163, reports State Rep. John Taylor (R-Kensington). The legislation would make it a third-degree misdemeanor to use electronic communications to harass or threaten a child. ?Cyber harassment is a particularly heinous offense that can have long-lasting consequences. I urge the whole House to move quickly on this bill,? he said.

WASHINGTON WELCOMES A.K.A.S TO CAPITOL

State Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-Northwest) welcomed members of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority to the Capitol for AKA Day. ?As a proud member of the Epsilon Nu Chapter of Lincoln University, I am so honored to welcome my fellow AKAs to the Capitol,? Washington said.

Alpha Kappa?Alpha was founded in 1908 at Howard University, and marked its 105th year in 2013. The sorority boasts more than 260,000 sorors across the U.S., Caribbean, Europe, and Africa. Pennsylvania is home to 23 AKA chapters, including eight graduate chapters and 15 undergraduate chapters across the state.

AKA?s initiatives extend beyond sisterhood. Their international theme of ?Global Leadership Through Timeless Services? serves as a charge to AKAs to improve their community and their world for generations to come.

?The wonderful thing about being an AKA is that no matter where I go, I can find a sister,? Washington said. ?The bonds we share are forever strong and I am so excited to host them in Harrisburg each year!?

Source: http://www.phillyrecord.com/2013/05/heard-on-the-hill-in-city-hall-house-passes-avi-relief/

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