Pennsylvania’s Occupational Licensing Reform Law (Act 53 of 2020) was signed into law in 2020 with the goal of opening licensed professions to people with old and unrelated criminal convictions, helping both Pennsylvania families and businesses. This law has potentially been undermined by the state occupational boards’ overbroad proposed lists of what offenses are “directly…
During the height of the pandemic in 2020, the Pennsylvania General Assembly made a priority of approving Act 53, known as the occupational licensing reform bill. The bill was guided to passage by bipartisan lead sponsors and supported by both conservative and liberal advocates, including the PA Chamber. The goal of all concerned was obvious:…
HB 129, a bill which is scheduled for a vote by the Pennsylvania Senate Labor and Industry Committee on February 8, 2022, would require Unemployment Compensation (UC) hearings to be transitioned to “primarily via videoconference.” Video hearings would be the default. In a world of Zoom meetings for many, this might seem on the surface…
Pennsylvania’s wage laws have not been updated in decades. Meanwhile workplace practices have changed, with more subcontracting of work and more misclassification of workers as “independent contractors.” And the wage theft epidemic rages on. The PA Department of Labor and Industry (PALI) can and must issue regulations interpreting our existing laws to address the realities…
On Wednesday, October 21st 2020, the Pennsylvania General Assembly unanimously enacted House Bill 440 (Delozier, R-Cumberland, and McClinton, D-Philadelphia), a bipartisan bill which advances Clean Slate policies in Pennsylvania. This bill builds upon the Clean Slate Law, Act 56 of 2018, to open jobs, housing and other opportunities to Pennsylvanians with criminal cases who deserve…
On June 24 2020, the General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 637 (DiSanto, R-Dauphin/Perry and Schwank, D-Berks), which reforms occupational licensing by getting rid of outdated criminal record restrictions for the professions and occupations which are regulated by boards and commissions within the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA). Prior state law perpetuated racial…
