PA Gov. Shapiro Signs 5 Bills Into Law: See How They Could Impact You

HARRISBURG, PA — With his signature, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has signed five bipartisan bills into law that make significant structural changes to existing state laws.

The bills make alter laws regulating money from the lottery, a dead person's assets, self-storage rental, tax cuts for touring concerts, breast cancer screenings and body cameras.

A closer look at the new laws:

House Bill 923: Amends the State Lottery Law to correct a potential prescription drug assistance lapse for senior citizens receiving PACE and PACENET benefits.

The new law extends a Social Security cost of living adjustment moratorium scheduled to expire on Dec. 31. The moratorium allows cardholders to remain enrolled in the program despite COLA increases that would have made them ineligible.

House Bill 1176: Amends the Decedents, Estates and Fiduciaries Law to alter what occurs to a decedent's estate when they died with no will or heirs.

The law increases the maximum amount of unclaimed property an heir can claim from the Pennsylvania Treasury using a notarized relationship affidavit from $11,000 to $20,000. It also raises the amount a financial institution can release to a family member of a deceased person who provides a receipt of funeral expenses from $10,000 to $20,000.

An additional provision redirects the estates of decedents with no will or heirs to an endowed community fund near where they lived, rather than going to the State Treasury.

House Bill 1359: Amends the Self-Service Storage Facility Act and the Entertainment Economic Enhancement Program to provide self-storage businesses with more options to evict defaulted customers.

There previously was no guidance for self-storage owners on when an unsigned or unpaid agreement could be enforced. This new law allows owners to send an electronic rental agreement, which is enforceable within 30 days of the document’s delivery, regardless of whether the renter signs the document. After that, a defaulted customer's items can be removed from the unit and discarded.

The law also amends the Entertainment Economic Enhancement Program by establishing guidelines for tax credits for touring concerts at venues in the state.

It allows for a maximum tax credit of 35 percent to 40 percent of rehearsal and tour expenses depending on the class of the venue, and an additional 5 percent tax credit if they hold concerts at two or more class two or class three venues, or a venue leased by or affiliated with a charitable corporation.

Senate Bill 88: Expands the Insurance Company Law of 1921 that requires insurance companies to cover breast cancer screenings for high-risk women. The law mandates that insurance companies must cover screenings and diagnostics with no out-of-pocket costs for not just high-risk women but also average-risk women.

Senate Bill 520: Amends the Wiretap Law that authorizes the use of body cameras by special agents with the stat Attorney General's Office, Department of Conservation and Natural Resource rangers and officers and deputies with the Pennsylvania Game and Fish and Boat commissions.

Those agencies previously were not permitted to use body-worn cameras.