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House Appropriations Committee refers three bills to the floor; HB643 passes on party-line vote
Summary
At a House Appropriations Committee meeting, members re‑referred House Bills 238 and 543 unanimously and passed House Bill 643 on a party-line vote; committee debate on HB643 included objections that existing law already set multi‑million dollar annual increases.
At a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, members voted to refer three bills to the full House. The committee unanimously re‑referred House Bill 238 and House Bill 543 and, after debate, approved House Bill 643 on a party‑line vote and referred it to the floor as committed.
The committee executive director summarized the three bills for members. The director said House Bill 238 would require PennDOT to accept additional documentation permitted under the Real ID Act of 2005 to verify applicants' Social Security numbers; House Bill 543 would require the inclusion of mechanical installation and energy efficiency and conservation plans; and House Bill 643 would amend Act 2 of 1971 (the Tax Form Code) to increase the fair realty transfer tax limit.
Members debated House Bill 643 before the roll call. A committee member opposed the bill, saying, "Under current law, the fare increases are already set to increase by $10,000,000 a year up until 02/1928. So we really don't see any reason for this legislation." The transcript date for the year cited was unclear; the committee record did not provide a corrected year.
Votes at a glance: House Bill 238 — re‑referred to the floor unanimously; House Bill 543 — re‑referred to the floor unanimously; House Bill 643 — approved by the committee and referred to the floor as committed (democratic members recorded as voting yes; republican members recorded as voting no).
Chairman Harris called the votes and, after the committee tally, announced that House Bill 643 had passed and would be referred to the floor. The committee had no further business and adjourned.
Background: The committee considered the three bills as items on its agenda. The executive director provided the bill summaries at the start of the agenda portion; votes and the discussion on HB643 immediately followed the summaries and were concluded with a roll call.
