Pennsylvania SB 646: An Act prohibiting certain gifts to members of the General Assembly.

Bill Text

PRINTER'S NO. 658
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 646
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY HUGHES, SAVAL, SANTARSIERO, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA,
HAYWOOD, COMITTA, COSTA, CAPPELLETTI AND STREET,
APRIL 21, 2025
REFERRED TO URBAN AFFAIRS AND HOUSING, APRIL 21, 2025
AN ACT
Amending the act of April 9, 1929 (P.L.343, No.176), entitled
"An act relating to the finances of the State government;
providing for cancer control, prevention and research, for
ambulatory surgical center data collection, for the Joint
Underwriting Association, for entertainment business
financial management firms, for private dam financial
assurance and for reinstatement of item vetoes; providing for
the settlement, assessment, collection, and lien of taxes,
bonus, and all other accounts due the Commonwealth, the
collection and recovery of fees and other money or property
due or belonging to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
including escheated property and the proceeds of its sale,
the custody and disbursement or other disposition of funds
and securities belonging to or in the possession of the
Commonwealth, and the settlement of claims against the
Commonwealth, the resettlement of accounts and appeals to the
courts, refunds of moneys erroneously paid to the
Commonwealth, auditing the accounts of the Commonwealth and
all agencies thereof, of all public officers collecting
moneys payable to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
and all receipts of appropriations from the Commonwealth,
authorizing the Commonwealth to issue tax anticipation notes
to defray current expenses, implementing the provisions of
section 7(a) of Article VIII of the Constitution of
Pennsylvania authorizing and restricting the incurring of
certain debt and imposing penalties; affecting every
department, board, commission, and officer of the State
government, every political subdivision of the State, and
certain officers of such subdivisions, every person,
association, and corporation required to pay, assess, or
collect taxes, or to make returns or reports under the laws
imposing taxes for State purposes, or to pay license fees or
other moneys to the Commonwealth, or any agency thereof,
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every State depository and every debtor or creditor of the
Commonwealth," in additional special funds and restricted
accounts, establishing the Survivor-Centered, Accessible,
Fair and Empowering Housing Trust Fund; and making an
interfund transfer.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Article XVII-A.1 of the act of April 9, 1929
(P.L.343, No.176), known as The Fiscal Code, is amended by
adding a subarticle to read:
SUBARTICLE K
SURVIVOR-CENTERED, ACCESSIBLE, FAIR AND
EMPOWERING HOUSING TRUST FUND
Section 1795-A.1. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this subarticle
shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Agency." The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
"Department." The Department of Transportation of the
Commonwealth.
"Domestic violence program." As defined in 23 Pa.C.S. § 6102
(relating to definitions). The term includes a culturally
specific organization that has a substantive partnership with a
domestic violence program.
"Fund." The Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair and
Empowering Housing Trust Fund established under section 1796-
A.1.
"Housing program." A project designed to provide emergency,
transitional and permanent housing, along with related support
services to facilitate movement toward living as independently
as possible.
"Immediate family member." An adoptive child, biological
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child, stepchild, grandchild, parent, brother, sister,
stepbrother, stepsister, half brother or half sister currently
living with a victim or survivor of domestic violence, sexual
assault, dating violence, human trafficking or stalking.
"Rape crisis program." A nonprofit organization or program
which has a primary purpose to provide confidential services to
sexual violence victims, which include the following:
(1) Survivor services, such as crisis intervention,
crisis hotlines, counseling and therapy, legal and medical
advocacy.
(2) Community services, such as information and
referrals, prevention education, community awareness,
professional training and outreach and institutional advocacy
in legal, medical, educational, housing and employment areas.
"Target population." Victims and survivors of domestic
violence, sexual assault, dating violence, human trafficking and
stalking and their immediate family members.
Section 1796-A.1. Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair and
Empowering Housing Trust Fund.
(a) Establishment.--The Survivor-Centered, Accessible, Fair
and Empowering Housing Trust Fund is established as a separate
fund in the State Tre