Legislation designed to eliminate the inheritance tax for children who have lost their parents has also become the bill that carried the Commonwealth’s Tax Code. Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Bedford, Somerset) said he is proud that his bill will benefit the people in many ways, including rolling back taxes on craft breweries, exempting certain agricultural buildings, and helping volunteer fire companies with fund raising.
The Fiscal Year 2018-19 General Appropriation bill (House Bill 2121) is on its way to the state Senate for consideration after the House of Representatives passed it Thursday by a vote of 188-10. The $32.7 billion spending plan increases growth by 1.7 percent, which is below the rate of inflation (2.13 percent), requires no additional taxes or revenues and officially erases a deficit. The budget also includes a record high $12.3 billion investment in education from pre-k through 12th grade, with additional increases in funding for career and technical education as well as higher education. The budget bill is expected to be sent to the governor prior to June 30, after anticipated Senate passage.
Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar (R-Bedford, Somerset) has announced that he plans to introduce a package of legislation designed to make Pennsylvania prisons safer for inmates and staff. Metzgar said he is crafting the legislation in response to several recent acts of violence at local correctional facilities, including an incident that took the life of a corrections officer.
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