Governor signs Teen Driver bill
Governor Corbett signed into law on Tuesday a measure intended to increase safety among Pennsylvania's most inexperienced drivers. Act 81 of 2011 limits the number of passengers who may ride in a vehicle operated by a junior driver.
The Senate approved the legislation on September 26.
The new law prohibits junior drivers from having more than one passenger under the age of 18 who is not a member of the junior driver's immediate family unless the junior driver is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
That provision applies for the first six months after the issuance of a junior driver's license. After the six-month period expires, a junior driver is limited to no more than three passengers under the age of 18 who are not members of the driver's immediate family unless the driver is accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
The new law also requires minors with a learner's permit to complete 65 hours of practical driving, including no less than ten hours of nighttime driving and five hours of inclement weather driving before testing for a junior driver's license.
Abandoned tenant property measure sent to House
Currently, there is no statewide standard as to what to do with personal property that is left behind by a tenant when they relinquish possession of a rental property. The lack of such guidelines creates confusion with regard to a landlord's obligation on how to treat such property and for what length of time and on the other side, tenants have no clear procedure or confidence that such property will be properly maintained and can be retrieved.
Senate Bill 887 specifically defines the respective rights and duties of tenants and landlords when a tenant leaves behind personal property following the termination of the tenant's occupation of the premises. SB 887 is now before the House Urban Affairs Committee for consideration.
The Senate approved legislation on Tuesday that will set statewide timeframes for the disposition of personal property abandoned when a tenant leaves a rental unit.
The legislation requires the landlord to notify the tenant of abandoned personal property. Within 10 days of receiving notification, the tenant must contact the landlord and declare his or her intentions to retrieve the property. If the tenant does not respond to the notification, the landlord may dispose of the property at the end of 10 days.
If the tenant does make contact with the landlord within the 10 days, the landlord must hold the property for 30 days, but the tenant will be responsible for any storage fees incurred during that time period.