State Finalizes Regulations to Implement Occupational Licensing Reform

October 18, 2024 – Tomorrow, October 19, 2024, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) will publish the final regulations to implement Act 53 of 2020, commonly known as “the Occupational Licensing Reform Act.” The regulations will go into effect as of that date.  Community Legal Services of Philadelphia (CLS) applauds these regulations,…

Pennsylvania UC System Must Be Rebuilt Strategically After the Pandemic and Benefits Modernization

Traditionally, Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) system was simple and effective. An unemployed worker went to an “unemployment office,” filed a claim, and got about the business of finding a new job. Along with declining administrative funding, that system started to erode at the beginning of this century. First, the local offices were replaced by centralized…

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PA Workers Have the Right to See Their Personnel Files

Under the Pennsylvania Personnel Files Act, 43 P.S. §§ 1321 – 1324, Pennsylvania workers have the right to view files held by their employers that contains information about themselves.   Who is covered by the law? The Personnel Files Act applies to all employers in Pennsylvania, including state, local, and county governments. All workers who…

ID.me presents barriers to unemployment insurance and other government benefits

During the pandemic, ID.me, a company providing digital identity credentials that promised to screen out fraudulent claims but “leave no identity behind,” emerged as a potential savior against rampant unemployment benefit fraud.  Since then, ID.me’s influence has increased, as numerous federal departments and scores of states have signed on for its services, including in the…