For Immediate Release
July 9, 2008
Contact:  Lisa Landis
Legislative Director
717-787-6709
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A Conversation with Senator Brubaker

Mortgage reform package signed into law

I was very pleased to see Governor Rendell sign a package of bills into law recently that will target predatory lending and other questionable mortgage lending practices in Pennsylvania.

Here in the 36^th District, the nationwide mortgage crisis situation was brought into sharp focus last fall when more than 800 families were impacted by the bankruptcy filings of OPFM, Inc., and Image Masters.

I strongly supported the mortgage reform package, including:

• Senate Bill 483, which will increase the monetary cap in the Loan Interest and Protection Law from $50,000 to $217,873, and eliminate pre-payment penalties for loans of $217,873 or less.
• Senate Bill 484, which will permit the Department of Banking to publicly release information on pending enforcement actions and fines levied against non-depository licensees.
• Senate Bill 485, regarding board membership disciplinary measures and penalties for real estate appraisers.
• Senate Bill 486, which will allow for monitoring of mortgage foreclosures on a statewide basis.

I have been actively working with families impacted by the OPFM situation to help them get the information and resources they need to work through a very difficult situation, and I am happy the General Assembly has taken this significant step to address such a critical issue and prevent these situations from happening again in the future.

Legislation ensures insurance coverage for autism

In the last few weeks, the General Assembly approved landmark legislation requiring Pennsylvania insurance companies, for the first time, to cover treatment for autism spectrum disorders.

House Bill 1150 will provide $36,000 annually for applied behavior analysis and other medically necessary treatments up to age 21, with no lifetime cap. It also creates an expedited appeals procedure for denied claims for autism services.

In addition, House Bill 1150 will provide for state regulatory oversight of proposed mergers involving non-profit health insurance companies, such as that proposed by Highmark and Independence Blue Cross. The legislation also requires insurance companies to provide coverage for colorectal cancer screening.

As a member of the Joint House & Senate Autism Caucus, I supported House Bill 1150 because it will benefit many families with autistic children in Pennsylvania, and because it will provide safeguards to protect the accessibility and affordability of health care.

Emergency Unemployment Compensation available

A new federal law will provide up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits in all states.

The extended benefits will be provided to individuals who have exhausted regular unemployment compensation and whose benefit year ended no earlier than May 1, 2007. Eligibility will also be extended to individuals who have exhausted all rights to regular state compensation and have worked 20 weeks in full-time employment or earned the equivalent in covered wages. No payments of federal emergency benefits would be made for any week beginning after June 30, 2009.

Potentially eligible claimants will be contacted by the state Department of Labor and Industry by mail with information and instructions on filing for emergency benefits. Individuals can begin filing for these benefits, either by telephone or Internet, the week of July 20, 2008; the first payable week is July 12, 2008. Complete information and instructions are available at www.dli.state.pa.us, or you can contact the 36^th District office at 301 E. Main Street in Lititz (717-627-0036) for assistance.