Gov. Wolf Signs 19 New Laws, Impacting Health, Jobs, Schools

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf signed 19 new bills into law Wednesday, including one that removes licensing barriers so workers with criminal records can more easily obtain professional licenses.

Senate Bill 637 amends the Criminal History Record Information Act to require that boards only withhold a license for convictions which are directly related to the practice of the occupation, "and that the boards consider the nature of the offense, the amount of time that has passed since conviction, evidence of the applicant’s fitness to practice the occupation, and other relevant factors prior to withholding a license," a legislative memo states.

The governor has been advocating for such a bill for years. In 2017, he signed an executive order requiring a review of job licensing with a comparison to other states and a created a task force on the issue.

According to state data, one out of every five Pennsylvanians needs an occupational license from a board or commission to do their job.

“Pennsylvania must be a place where hardworking people can put their skills to work,” said Gov. Wolf. “Arbitrarily denying someone a job license because of outdated rules against criminal records is wrong. This new bipartisan law is a commonsense way to allow people to pursue the American dream and build a better life in Pennsylvania. It’s good for skilled workers, their employers and the economy for all of us.”

The bill makes the following improvements to occupational licensing boards:

• Boards and commissions can no longer use a person’s criminal history to deny someone a license unless their criminal history is directly related to the occupation in which they are seeking licensure.
• Directs boards to individually consider applications based on the offense, the amount of time since the conviction and the applicant’s personal progress and training, among other factors, before withholding licensure.
• Requires boards to create a public list of criminal offenses that may prevent licensure.
• Allows individuals to get a preliminary decision if their conviction is likely to disqualify them from licensure so they do not waste time and money on training. Individuals can still apply and present evidence to support their licensure.
• Creates temporary licenses in barbering and cosmetology for reentrants trained in a correctional facility who otherwise would be denied a license because of their criminal record. Licensees can work one to two years and demonstrate competency.

Boards cannot issue a license to someone convicted of a sexual offense to practice as a health care practitioner. Boards may also not consider juvenile convictions or convictions that have been expunged under the Clean Slate law in determining eligibility.

Also Wednesday, the governor signed 18 additional bills into law, including:

• HB 364: Authorizes the use of revolving and flashing yellow lights for school vehicles, which are vehicles smaller than school buses that transport school students, such as vans and mini-vans.
• HB 1003: Increases public safety by strengthening the PA Fish and Boat Commission’s ability to enforce the marking of low head or run-of-the-river dams.
• HB 1185: Amends the Fish and Boat Code (Title 30) to provide consistency across existing law and increase penalties for harmful, reckless behavior. The legislation will clarify the penalties and corrective courses of action for those who: intentionally or recklessly destroy or cause damage to Fish and Boat Commission property; operate motorboats while under the influence of a substance, with a minor on board and/or without the proper safety education certificates; and recklessly or with gross negligence cause serious bodily injury to another
• HB 1188: Amends the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code to remove the current statutory restriction on the use of thermal and night vision equipment for hunting.
• HB 1379: Repeals the Sunday Polo Act of 1935, which makes it unlawful for anyone to play polo before one o’clock on Sunday.
• HB 1405: Repeals the Sunday Tennis Act, which allows for the playing of tennis before one o’clock on Sundays.
• HB 1457: Provides clarity regarding insurance coverage for custom breast prosthetics.
• HB 1510: Designates a four-mile portion of State Rt. 183 in Berks County as the Trooper Wayne C. Ebert Memorial Highway.
• HB 1564: Requires counties to properly assess the value of manufactured homes during a county-wide reassessment.
• HB 1597: Designate the highway interchange of U. S. Route 222 in Berks County as the PVT Mahlon L. Fink Iwo Jima Memorial Highway Interchange.
• HB 1710: Provides for USA semiquincentennial registration plates.
• HB 2018: Authorizes the Department of General Services to grant and convey to the borough of Plymouth a permanent storm water drainage easement in Plymouth Borough, Luzerne County.
• HB 2171: Amends the Public School Code of 1949 in the State System of Higher Education, further providing for definitions.
• SB 351: Adds “health care practitioners” to a protected class in the event of assault, raising the penalty for an assault on a health care practitioner, while in the performance of duty where there is bodily injury, from a misdemeanor of the second degree to a felony of the second degree.
• SB 595: Provides insurance coverage for breast density screenings.
• SB 842: Omits health care workers’ last names from their facility identification badges to help protect privacy.
• SB 905: Provides for the Capital Budget Project Itemization Act of 2019-20. The Capital
  Facilities Debt Enabling Act provides the framework for the capital budget process in Pennsylvania, including the itemization of projects under the Capital Budget Project Itemization Act and setting of annual debt limits under the Capital Budget Act.
• SB 997: Clarifies the language in Act 5 of 2017 regarding the treatment by the State Employees Retirement System (SERS) of military service credit for State Troopers.