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WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, along with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Delaware, are renewing their bipartisan push to strengthen gun safety laws.
The NICS Denial Notification Act provides states with critical information to help them enforce existing laws against individuals who attempt to purchase firearms but have no legal right to do so. Under this measure, federal authorities would now be required to alert state law enforcement within 24 hours when individuals “lie and try” to purchase firearms, which can be a warning sign of additional criminal behavior.
“When a convicted felon lies about his conviction in an attempt to purchase a gun, he is committing a new felony. This happens regularly in America,” Toomey said. “Unfortunately, these crimes largely go unprosecuted. We can make progress on gun safety while respecting the Second Amendment rights of American citizens. This bipartisan bill will help to make our communities safer from criminals by better enforcing existing gun laws and responding to warning signs of criminal behavior.”
Federal officials are notified when individuals who are legally prohibited from purchasing a firearm (such as convicted felons, fugitives, and domestic abusers) try to buy a gun but fail a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) background check. These attempted purchases often violate federal and state laws. Unfortunately, the federal government rarely prosecutes any of these individuals.
“We have seen too many tragic instances when an individual who should not have been able to obtain a gun used one to commit horrible crimes,” Coons said. “The American people have called on Congress to act, and the NICS Denial Notification Act is one commonsense step we should take. By ensuring that federal and state law enforcement can work together to prevent those who shouldn’t be able to buy a gun from getting one, we can make our communities safer. This is exactly the sort of bipartisan step Congress should be able to support.”
In the 13 states that run their own background checks using the FBI’s NICS system, state authorities are aware when prohibited persons fail background checks and can have state law enforcement investigate these cases.
However, in the 37 states and the District of Columbia that rely on the FBI to run some or all of their background checks, state authorities generally are not aware when prohibited persons fail background checks run by the FBI. Individuals who are willing to “lie and try” to buy a gun may be dangerous and willing to obtain guns through other means.
As a result, these states and D.C. lack critical law enforcement intelligence that they could use to try to keep their communities safe.
Here’s more about the NICS Denial Notification Act:
• Requires federal authorities to alert state law enforcement of background checks denials, so that state authorities can decide whether to investigate, prosecute, and/or keep an eye on these denied individuals for signs of future criminal activity.
• Requires DOJ to publish an annual report with statistics about its prosecution of background check denial cases, so Congress and voters can hold federal officials accountable.
Toohil joins effort to hike
minimum educator salary
State Rep. Tarah Toohil, R-Butler Township, this week joined Rep. Kyle Mullins, D-Lackawanna, and state Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, to support a bicameral and bipartisan effort to raise the minimum educator salary in Pennsylvania as proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf in his annual budget address.
“We face an alarming teacher shortage in Pennsylvania, and low wages are a major contributing factor,” Mullins said. “If we don’t attract and retain quality educators, we are jeopardizing critical and foundational experiences for our schoolchildren. We can’t risk that, and we can’t wait any longer to take action. The state must take action.”
The current minimum salary for educators is $18,500 and was set more than 30 years ago in 1988. The proposal would increase the minimum starting salary to $45,000 and would benefit 3,100 educators in 216 school districts, intermediate units and career and technical centers across the state.
The legislators said the initiative would be fully funded through the state budget and would not necessitate an increase in local property taxes. Wolf’s proposed budget would provide an estimated $13.8 million in basic educational funding to cover the salary increases as well as pension, Social Security and Medicare costs.
Shapiro warns consumers
of ‘We Buy Homes’ scam
Attorney General Josh Shapiro this week warned Pennsylvanians to be aware of deceptive advertising by businesses posting “We Buy Homes” signs on street corners.
The signs are often a scam — looking to take advantage of Pennsylvanians suffering from debt, job loss, or other significant life changes and looking to make some fast money.
Businesses behind the “We Buy Homes” signs typically offer to purchase a consumer’s home for less than actual value, and the scams can take two different forms. One targets those who are trying to avoid foreclosure. The buyer may promise relief from foreclosure, but will then take the deed without paying off the mortgage balance, leaving the home-seller ultimately responsible for the monthly payments and subject to foreclosure.
Another scam is when the buyer lures sellers with promises to take the house “as is,” allowing the seller to avoid having to make repairs. However, the buyer will sometimes back away from that promise and demand certain repairs to their satisfaction before accepting a deed, leaving the seller footing the bill of the repairs after all.
“Pennsylvanians must be aware of scammers looking to take advantage of consumers looking to make money quickly to pay off debts or other expenses,” Shapiro said. “Signs offering to buy homes for cash are multiplying weekly on busy street corners, but these kinds of transactions are often scams that leave homeowners in even worse financial shape than they were before. These scammers are attempting to exploit Pennsylvanians in vulnerable financial situations, and my Bureau of Consumer Protection isn’t buying it.”
Shapiro’s Bureau of Consumer Protection enforces the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law against unscrupulous buyers taking advantage of Pennsylvanians.
The Bureau encourages real estate consumers selling their homes to consider:
• Home appraisal — Obtain an appraisal to know the market value of your home.
• Independent professional advice — Seek legal advice to evaluate key terms of a real estate contract.
If you believe you’ve been a victim of a “We Buy Homes” scam, you are encouraged to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection by visiting www.attorneygeneral.gov or by calling 800-441-2555 or sending an e-mail to [email protected].
Wolf touts ‘Restore Pennsylvania,’
Farm Bill benefits for ag industry
Gov. Tom Wolf this week spoke at the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau State Legislative Conference about his Farm Bill and the Restore Pennsylvania initiative.
“Pennsylvania proudly hails agriculture as one of its biggest industries, and both the PA Farm Bill and Restore Pennsylvania will help the agriculture industry realize an even greater potential,” Wolf said.
The Farm Bill is modeled after Wolf’s six-point plan to cultivate future generations of Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry. It provides for business development and succession planning, creates accommodations for a growing animal agriculture sector, removes regulatory burdens, strengthens the agriculture workforce, protects infrastructure and makes Pennsylvania the nation’s leading organic state.
Restore Pennsylvania, Wolf’s aggressive infrastructure plan, complements the Farm Bill by making critical infrastructure investments.
Wolf’s proposed Restore Pennsylvania plan would raise $4.5 billion for infrastructure investments through a severance tax. It includes an important provision that will protect landowner royalty payments from natural gas companies, ensuring farmers continue to receive their royalties while benefiting from this program.
