PRINTER'S NO. 2950
No. 2241 Session of 2000
INTRODUCED BY PIPPY, GEIST, ADOLPH, ALLEN, ARMSTRONG, BARD,
BELFANTI, BROWNE, BUNT, L. I. COHEN, COSTA, COY, DALEY,
DALLY, DeWEESE, FEESE, FICHTER, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GRUITZA,
HARHAI, HARHART, HENNESSEY, LAUGHLIN, LESCOVITZ, LEVDANSKY,
LUCYK, MARKOSEK, McCALL, MICOZZIE, MUNDY, NAILOR, ORIE,
PESCI, PISTELLA, RAMOS, READSHAW, ROSS, RUBLEY, SATHER,
SAYLOR, SCRIMENTI, SEYFERT, SHANER, B. SMITH, SOLOBAY,
STABACK, STEELMAN, SURRA, E. Z. TAYLOR, TIGUE, TRAVAGLIO,
TRELLO, TRUE, WATERS, WILLIAMS, WILT, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD,
YUDICHAK AND ZUG, FEBRUARY 9, 2000
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, FEBRUARY 9, 2000
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of March 11, 1971 (P.L.104, No.3), entitled, as
2 amended, "An act providing property tax or rent rebate and
3 inflation dividends to certain senior citizens, widows,
4 widowers and permanently disabled persons with limited
5 incomes; establishing uniform standards and qualifications
6 for eligibility to receive rebates and dividends; providing
7 for transportation assistance grants and grants to area
8 agencies on aging for services to older persons; and imposing
9 duties upon the Department of Revenue," providing for heating
10 assistance; imposing duties upon the Department of Public
11 Welfare; further providing for claims; and making an
12 appropriation.
13 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
14 hereby enacts as follows:
15 Section 1. The title of the act of March 11, 1971 (P.L.104,
16 No.3), known as the Senior Citizens Rebate and Assistance Act,
17 reenacted and amended December 21, 1979 (P.L.570, No.131) and
18 amended March 10, 1982 (P.L.177, No.56), is amended to read:
19 AN ACT
1 Providing property tax or rent rebate and inflation dividends to
2 certain senior citizens, widows, widowers and permanently
3 disabled persons with limited incomes; establishing uniform
4 standards and qualifications for eligibility to receive
5 rebates and dividends; providing for [transportation
6 assistance grants and grants to area agencies on aging for
7 services to older persons] heating assistance grants to
8 senior citizens and permanently disabled persons with limited
9 incomes; and imposing duties upon the Department of Revenue
10 and the Department of Public Welfare.
11 Section 2. The act is amended by adding a section to read:
12 Section 4.1. Heating Assistance.--(a) The Department of
13 Public Welfare shall make annual heating assistance grants to
14 persons who are sixty-five years of age or older or who have a
15 disability and who have an income between one hundred ten per
16 cent and one hundred fifty per cent of the Federal poverty
17 level. If the person is a member of a household, the income of
18 the household shall determine eligibility for a heating
19 assistance grant. Only one grant shall be paid to a household.
20 (b) The amount of a grant shall be two hundred dollars
21 ($200).
22 Section 3. Section 5 of the act is amended to read:
23 Section 5. Filing of Claim.--A claim for property tax [or],
24 rent rebate and inflation dividend shall be filed with the
25 [department] Department of Revenue and a claim for a heating
26 assistance grant shall be filed with the Department of Public
27 Welfare on or before the thirtieth day of June of the year next
28 succeeding the end of the calendar year in which real property
29 taxes or rent were due and payable or heating costs were
30 incurred: Provided, That claims filed after the June 30 deadline
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1 until December 31 of such calendar year shall be accepted [by
2 the Secretary of Revenue] as long as funds are available to pay
3 the benefits to the late filing claimants. No reimbursement on a
4 claim shall be made from the [State Lottery] General Fund
5 earlier than the day following the thirtieth day of June
6 provided in this act on which that claim may be filed [with the
7 department]. Rebate claims for taxes or rent paid during
8 calendar year 1977 shall be accepted [by the Secretary of
9 Revenue if filed with the department] if filed on or before the
10 thirtieth day of April 1979. Only one claimant from a homestead
11 each year shall be entitled to the property tax or rent rebate
12 and inflation dividend. If two or more persons are able to meet
13 the qualifications for a claimant, they may determine who the
14 claimant shall be. If they are unable to agree, the [department]
15 Department of Revenue shall determine to whom the rebate and
16 dividend is to be paid.
17 Section 4. The sum of $11,000,000 is hereby appropriated to
18 the Department of Public Welfare for heating assistance grants
19 under section 4.1 of the act for fiscal year 1999-2000.
20 Section 5. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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