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RESOLUTIONS AND PLATFORM REVISION
The following policy resolutions were adopted by the CCAP membership at its business meeting on August 7 during the Association's 2012 Annual Conference. An explanatory note follows each. The resolutions amend the Pennsylvania County Platform, the Association's cumulative policy statement. The business meeting also included revision and reaffirmation of the full Platform. The full set of resolutions, along with the Platform, is available on the CCAP website, www.pacounties.org.
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RESOLUTION NO. 1
(Submitted by the CCAP Assessment and Taxation Committee) - The Association supports developing informational resources for counties interested in utilizing technical assessment methodologies as a means of reducing assessment costs as well as improving the currency of assessment data.
There have been technological advances in county assessment practices in some states that utilize an annual reassessment process using a technical base, and a period reassessment using pictography and other advanced means to assure better equity in assessment. Counties are looking for alternatives for assessment that are more cost effective,and would benefit from a knowledge based association resource. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 2
(Submitted by the CCAP Assessment and Taxation Committee) - The Association supports Department of Revenue efforts to collect sales tax from PA residents who purchase taxable goods over the internet.
In 2012, the Department of Revenue conducted a campaign to step up efforts to collect sales tax due on internet purchases. At the federal level, a comparable project is underway with the intent of bringing better consistency among states on collection practices, a precursor to removal of a Congressional moratorium that has hindered states in collection of state sales taxes. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 3
(Submitted by the CCAP Assessment and Taxation Committee) - The Association supports legislation that creates equity among the counties with regard to the maximum rate of the hotel tax regardless of county class.
The resolution seeks to create an equitable standard for the maximum locally imposed hotel tax regardless of the class of county. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 4
(Submitted by the CCAP County Governance Committee) - The Association supports an amendment to the County Pension Law giving counties the option to set vesting at ten years.
Currently the County Pension Law sets vesting at five years. The resolution would permit the commissioners to set vesting at ten years, which could result in reduced plan costs. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 5
(Submitted by the CCAP County Governance Committee) - The Association supports an amendment to the County Pension Law to clarify the ability of counties to establish tiered plans, which provide for lower benefit levels for new hires after a certain date.
Under the Pennsylvania constitution and related law, pension benefits cannot be reduced for public employees once earned. While the Association has a legal opinion that concludes counties have the ability to establish tiered plans, which give the opportunity to lower pension benefits (and costs) by establishing the structure for new hires, the County Pension Law is not specific on the point. The resolution proposes legislative clarification. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 6
(Submitted by the CCAP Energy, Environment and Land Use Committee) - The Association strongly encourages the General Assembly and administration to recognize the importance of county land use planning in creating an appropriate balance among environmental, infrastructure, public health and safety, and economic development needs.
Several items in the Platform have previously addressed county land use planning for specific situations (i.e., construction of state properties and siting of electric transmission lines), and this resolution would instead provide overarching guidance regarding land use that can then be applied to more specific legislation and policies as needed. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 7
(Submitted by the CCAP Courts and Corrections Committee) - The Association supports changes to appropriate statutes or regulations to prevent private health insurers from cancelling eligibility for health care reimbursements to prisoners and detainees in county jails or, if benefits remain in effect during incarceration, to prohibit insurers from refusing to pay claims that accrue during the period of incarceration as long as the policy remains in effect.
When an inmate who is employed at the time of his or her detention has private insurance resources, claims are denied by the insurance company on the basis of the individual's incarceration. The resolution proposes to prevent insurers from cancelling benefits for inmates who are incarcerated for short periods, or from refusing to pay claims if policies remain in effect buteliminate benefit eligibility due to incarceration. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 8
(Submitted by the CCAP Courts and Corrections Committee) - The Association supports the identification of financial resources to cover the Commonwealth obligation to fund county victim witness assistance office expenses imposed on counties by the Victim Witness Protection Act, where the reduction and elimination of state funding has made this cost an unfunded mandate on counties.
As a result of funding cuts, counties must fund victim witness coordinators from county general fund resources, making this expenditure an unfunded mandate. The position is required in each county. The resolution supports the identification of a funding source to assure that state dollars are available to pay for this mandate, recognizing the strained budget resources of both the state and counties. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 9
(Submitted by the CCAP Courts and Corrections Committee) - The Association supports a change in policy to permit the elected or appointed county sheriff to enroll in the Deputy Sheriffs Education and Training certification program, with costs covered by current Commonwealth resources.
Currently, only deputy sheriffs are permitted to participate in the Deputy Sheriff Education and Training certification program. The program is funded by the state through fines and fees. The Sheriffs Association has requested CCAP's support for a policy change which will improve the qualifications and skills of elected and appointed sheriffs at no additional cost to counties, and will lead to more professionally operated sheriff offices.
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RESOLUTION NO. 10
(Submitted by the CCAP Community and Economic Development Committee) - The Association supports short and long term strategic planning by the commonwealth, counties, and the business community to responsibly develop Pennsylvania's natural gas resources, to promote industries that support the gas industry, and to promote industries that use the gas for industrial processes or end product.
While exploration and development of shale gas has been an economic boon for many areas of the state, Pennsylvania's historic experience with energy development shows that the long term health of local economies is dependent on creating and sustaining industries that both assist in its production, and are end-users of the gas either for industrial processes or for creation of products from the gas itself. The resolution calls for development of long term strategies to achieve these objectives. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 11
(Submitted by the CCAP Community and Economic Development Committee) - The Association supports, in recognition of the critical role of transportation for our communities, our industries, and our quality of life, prompt legislative action on a comprehensive set of durable funding and administrative solutions to Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit needs, building on the 2011 work of the Transportation Funding Advisory Committee, and including options for local revenue generation as long as it is in tandem with, and not a substitute for, generation of state resources that augment those local resources.
The 2011 report of the Transportation Funding Advisory Committee recommends a number of funding sources and administrative efficiencies intended to address Pennsylvania's critical needs for infrastructure and transit funding, and the resolution supports legislative action on the report's findings. The report also suggests authorization of local options for funding and, while not endorsing any specific local alternative, the resolution supports consideration of those options, conditioned that they are not substitutes for state resources that support local systems. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 12
(Submitted by the CCAP Military and Veterans Affairs Task Force) - The Association supports an amendment to the Vehicle Code to permit inclusion of a Veteran designation on Pennsylvania driver's licenses and PennDOT-issued photo IDs for honorably discharged veterans, noting that it can serve to assist diversion and assistance at human services and other services intake, and may substitute for ID cards being issued by some counties which, for example, some vendors honor for discounts.
The resolution would require PennDOT to include a veteran designation on driver's licenses and photo IDs. While it is not an indication of qualification for veterans' benefits nor does it substitute for military ID when that is required, it does provide a means for a veteran to indicate that status which can help in situations like a traffic stop or services intake, or in more benign circumstances like vendor veterans' discounts. |
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RESOLUTION NO. 13
(Submitted by the CCAP Military and Veterans Affairs Task Force) - The Association supports creation of a Pennsylvania Veteran's Trust Fund to make various grants and awards to support veterans and veteran's organizations, as well as innovative county programming, to be supported by dedicated funding, general fund appropriations, and grants.
The resolution supports creation of a Veteran's Trust Fund to support a variety of programs on veterans' behalf. Under legislation now pending (SB 1531), it would be funded by specialty license plates as well as driver's license and vehicle registration check-offs, along with the possibility of general fund appropriations, grants, and other funding. |
In an effort to continue to providing the most up-to-date and efficient legislative news reports, county officials and other interested parties are now receiving the CCAP Legislative Bulletin in their email as well as the traditional hard copy. Anyone who receives the Bulletin by email but would prefer not to continue to receive the electronic version can unsubscribe by clicking on the "SafeUnsubscribe" link at the bottom of this email message. Questions or comments regarding the new format, requests to subscribe to the electronic newsletter and requests to discontinue receiving the hard copy of the Bulletin can be directed to Brenda Hill at bhill@pacounties.org. |
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