Supreme Court Decision Throwing Out the Congressional Maps Is a Good Start
Op-ed by State Senator Lisa Boscola
Since my first experience with map drawing back in 2001, it was apparent that partisanship plays too large a role in our redistricting effort. The recent decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court discarding the congressional maps merely serves to reaffirm this position.
The General Assembly has long had the tools to fix the issue once and for all by taking the politics out of map drawing. It is why I am a proud prime sponsor of SB 22. This legislation provides for the creation of an independent commission to draw our lines every 10 years. This has never been a partisan issue for me, but a practical one.
Boscola Lauds Opening of Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Bethlehem
Bethlehem, January 17, 2018 – State Sen. Lisa Boscola today provided the following comment about the opening of Pennsylvania’s first medical marijuana dispensary, located in Bethlehem: “I’m pleased by what Keystone Canna Remedies in Bethlehem will mean to our...Boscola Calls for Allowing Property Tax Write-offs on State Income Tax Returns
HARRISBURG, Dec. 22, 2017 – State Sen. Lisa M. Boscola (D-Northampton/Lehigh) today said she is introducing legislation that would allow homeowners to write off their paid property taxes on their state income tax returns. Pointing to the federal tax reform law that...Senators Urge Yes Vote on Property Tax Ballot Referendum
Op-ed by State Senators Lisa Boscola and Pat Browne
Citizens of Pennsylvania will have an opportunity to cast their vote for an important ballot question which could lead to real property tax reform. We are urging citizens to vote yes.
Due to its legal language and structure, ballot questions are often written in confusing and hard-to-understand and this one is no different. However, the underlying issue is pretty straight forward. By voting yes, voters will approve a constitutional amendment to expand the homestead exclusion from one-half of the median assessed value of all homestead properties in a taxing district to up to 100 percent of the assessed value of each homestead property.