Check That New Car for Signs of Hurricane Damage

September 22, 2017

Check That New Car for Signs of Hurricane Damage

With hundreds of thousands of vehicles damaged recently by hurricanes along the Gulf Coast, consumers should take caution when purchasing a new or used vehicle.

After major flood events, some flood-damaged vehicles are cleaned and taken out of state to be sold to unsuspecting customers as new or used, but not identified as flood damaged.

These damaged vehicles can legally be sold as long as they are titled as such, but owners of these vehicles will likely get lower payments on insurance claims than for non-flood damaged vehicles.

As always, if something sounds too good to be true, research the vehicle further. For tips on finding out if the car you’re interested in purchasing has been damaged, click here and click on “Auto” under “Insurance Coverage Resources.”

Senate Rejects House No-Tax-Increase Plan to Balance Budget

The state Senate this week by a vote of 43-7 rejected the revenue plan advanced by the state House that would have balanced the state budget without raising taxes.

The House plan would have transferred money out of existing accounts with excessive and unspent balances in an effort to reallocate the funds to areas where they could be useful. The House plan relied on existing revenues instead of implementing new or increased taxes.

The Senate previously approved its own revenue plan that would have raised taxes on Pennsylvanians. The Senate’s decision to reject the House revenue plan suggests its members would prefer some form of an unnecessary tax increase.

The state House will convene on Monday at 1 p.m.

Stopping Welfare Checks to the Deceased

Recently introduced legislation in the state House aims to save taxpayer money by preventing welfare checks from going to individuals who have passed away.

About a year ago, an audit found the Department of Human Services (DHS) provided nearly $700,000 in welfare benefits to more than 2,300 individuals who had been dead for at least 60 days.

House Bill 1614 would require DHS to regularly cross-reference its list of welfare recipients with the death records maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and the Social Security Administration. Funds that would have gone to deceased individuals would then be redirected to help those truly in need or reverted back to the General Fund.

The bill has been referred to the House Health Committee.

September is Suicide Awareness Month

With September designated as Suicide Prevention Month in Pennsylvania, House Resolution 401 seeks to raise awareness that suicide is preventable, improve education about suicide, spread information about suicide awareness and decrease stigmatization regarding suicide.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1,800 Pennsylvania lives are taken by suicide annually. For every person who dies of suicide, 20 or more may attempt to end their lives.

Suicide is a serious public health problem that affects people of all ages, and is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans.

For more information, visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call the national suicide prevention hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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