My colleagues in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and I will be working through the weekend to ensure a state budget is in place before the Sunday midnight deadline. It would be the third year in a row we have been able to accomplish that goal. The spending plan for fiscal year 2013-14 is expected to total $28.3 billion and hold the line on taxes. It also increases funding for our public schools by $100 million which would be the largest ever state appropriation for basic education.
This week, the House passed three more important child protection bills and sent them over to the Senate for a possible vote in the coming months. Three similar bills were approved last week. This package of legislation would strengthen the reporting system for suspected cases of abuse, lower the threshold to meet the criminal definition of abuse and enhance criminal background checks. The bills were recommended by the Task Force on Child Protection, which was formed in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.
This week, the House also unanimously approved a measure I have co-sponsored to exempt small family businesses from the state inheritance tax. House Bill 48 would eliminate the tax on a family-owned business that is passed down upon death to another family member, allowing the business to stay in operation. Under current law, a transfer tax of up to 15 percent sometimes forces the new owner to sell all or some of the assets. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.