PA. House sneaks Predatory Payday lending legalization into Philly school rescue bill

[JPZenger]

Last edited Thu Jul 4, 2013, 11:48 PM - Edit history (2)

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/harrisburg_politics/Last-minute-insert-to-spending-bill-clears-way-for-payday-lending.html

"... this evening a new issue erupted over a tiny provision - just six lines on page 55 of a 57-page bill - slipped into the fiscal code bill, which contains a piece of the Philadelphia school rescue plan. Now the question before the Senate is, will the chamber concur on two bills it majority does not find palatable to keep government functioning, or reject them and risk fiscal chaos?

The House it turns out had inserted a one-paragraph provision deep in the bill to force the Senate to approve payday lending in the Commonwealth. Payday lenders were run out of the state in 2010 by a Supreme Court ruling capping interest rates at a level that made it no longer profitable to operate here.

The pay day lending industry hired some of the most closely-connected lobbyists in Harrisburg to get approval to bring back stores. Among them are Andrew Marsico and John O'Connell ,who organized a golf outing to Pebble Beach fundraiser in February for House Speaker Sam Smith (R.), Senate Appropriations Chairman Jake Corman (R.) and other lawmakers in the middle of the budget hearings. O'Connell, once a top aide to Gov. Ridge and House Speaker Perzel, spent 18 months in federal prison for mail fraud for embezzling funds to pay gambling debts."
--
By the way, the Pennsylvania Constitution prohibits an Act of the Legislature from addressing two different matters. Batter up, Madam Attorney General.

----
UPDATE

Wed. afternoon, the grown-ups in the State Senate struck the predatory payday lending provisions from the bill before they adopted it. Now, the House will have to vote again without the insertion. Apparently, many Senators were really pissed at this trick, which had not been part of the negotiations between the House and Senate leadership.

Update 2 = Because of that deceitful trick, the Phila. School Rescue bill has been delayed. The House needs to re-vote on the bill without the predatory lending rule, and they are not scheduled to be back in Harrisburg for months.

[hollysmom]

1. they really do want almost everyone poor.

[enough]

2. There is no end to the perfidy of the PA legislature. (nt)

[meow2u3]

3. The pukes in the house sneaked the payday lending paragraph in the bill

hoping no one would notice. Fortunately for us, and sadly for the predatory rethugs, someone noticed.