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Attorney General Josh Shapiro Announces Consumer Financial Protection Unit
07/21/2017

Attorney General Josh Shapiro has announced that he is creating a Consumer Financial Protection Unit to better protect Pennsylvania consumers from financial scams, and appointing an experienced consumer protection attorney to lead the initiative.

Attorney General Shapiro announced the appointment of Nicholas Smyth, who helped create the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as Assistant Director of the Office of Attorney General’s Bureau of Consumer Protection with a dedicated focus on financial initiatives. The effort will focus on lenders that prey on seniors, families with students, and military service members, including for-profit colleges and mortgage and student loan servicers.

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Health Law PA News - June/July 2017
07/17/2017

Pennsylvania Health Law Project logoThe Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the June/July 2017 edition of Health Law PA News. 

Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org. 

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PUC Seeks Additional Comments on Chapter 56 Revisions; Proposed Changes to Utility Reporting, Medical Certificates, Friday Terminations and Security Deposits Among Highlights
07/13/2017

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is requesting additional comments on proposed revisions to Chapter 56 of the Public Utility Code (Chapter 56).

Revisions to Chapter 56 relate to the standards and billing practices for residential utility service.  Act 155 of 2014, which reauthorized and amended Chapter 14 of the Public Utility Code (Chapter 14) and partially superseded Chapter 56, directed the Commission to revise Chapter 56 and promulgate regulations to administer and enforce Chapter 14 (Responsible Utility Customer Protection).

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American Bar Association launches national Homeless Youth Legal Network
06/27/2017

Homeless youth in the United States remain a largely invisible segment of the homeless population, though researchers estimate that nearly eight percent of youths experience living on the streets. 

In an effort to increase legal services for this vulnerable population, the ABA Commission on Homelessness & Poverty, Commission on Youth at Risk, and Section of Litigation Children’s Rights Litigation Committee has announced the official launch of the ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network. 

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Max Laun Honored as NLADA’S Dinner Highlights Pillars of the Justice Community
06/21/2017

Max Laun, Esquire​The National Legal Aid & Defenders Association held its 2017 Exemplar Award Dinner on June 20, 2017 honoring several leaders from the justice, legal and policy community. The annual dinner is a premier event drawing a diverse crowd from the legal, corporate, policy and public interest communities to support NLADA's longstanding commitment to providing equal justice to every American.

Max Laun, the Vice President and General Counsel at Arconic, was the 2017 Exemplar Honoree, which honors a member of the corporate counsel or private law firm community who has demonstrated outstanding leadership, vision, dedication, and achievement in promoting and supporting equal justice.

Attorney Laun currently serves on the Board of Directors of Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network, Inc. and is the Immediate Past President of the Board of Directors of Neighborhood Legal Services Association in Pittsburgh.

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New National Report, “The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans” Finds Widening Justice Gap
06/14/2017

Today, the Legal Services Corporation (LSC) presented its new report: "The Justice Gap: Measuring the Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-Income Americans” during a congressional briefing at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C. The report updates and expands LSC's 2009 study of the "justice gap" in the United States.

The newly updated study reports in the past year, a staggering 71 percent of low-income households experienced at least one civil legal problem, such as an eviction notice, wrongly denied benefits, or a family court suit resulting from domestic violence. Of the Americans facing such problems, 86 percent received inadequate or no legal help because they couldn’t afford it.

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Health Law PA News - May 2017
06/02/2017

Pennsylvania Health Law Project logoThe Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published the May 2017 edition of Health Law PA News.

Health Law PA News is a free newsletter containing the latest news relating to Health Law in Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to receive the PHLP eNews, which links to the Health Law PA News on the PHLP website at www.phlp.org. 

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Webinar: Community HealthChoices (CHC): What Consumers, Advocates, and Providers Need to Know
06/01/2017

Pennsylvania Health Law Project logoThe Pennsylvania Health Law Project will be holding a free webinar entitled Community HealthChoices (CHC): What Consumers, Advocates, and Providers Need to Know, on June 14, 2017 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Community HealthChoices is the State’s New Managed Care Program that will impact 450,000 Pennsylvanians.

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Wolf Administration Announces Medicaid Policy Change for Individuals Suffering from Hepatitis C Virus
05/17/2017

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced changes to the state’s Medicaid (MA) policy to expand coverage of life-saving drugs to treat Hepatitis C (HCV) virus. Beginning on July 1, the Department will begin phasing in coverage for individuals who have liver function test scores of “F1” or “F0”.

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IRS Accepting Applications for 2018 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Grants
05/12/2017

The Internal Revenue Service has announced that the application period for Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) grants for calendar year 2018 will run from May 1 to June 20, 2017.

The LITC program is a federal grant program administered by the Office of the Taxpayer Advocate at the IRS, led by the National Taxpayer Advocate, Nina E. Olson. The LITC program awards matching grants of up to $100,000 per year to qualifying organizations to develop, expand or maintain an LITC.  An LITC must provide services for free or for no more than a nominal fee.

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