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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2017 - 2018
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | March 23, 2017 03:01 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Keith J. Greiner |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Clarifying the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act |
| In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to amend the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes (SFCP) Act to make technical changes that will assist organizations filing a registrations statement with the Department of State’s Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations (Bureau). Based on the Bureau’s current interpretation of the SFCP Act, all annual registration statements are only considered timely submitted if they are received by the Bureau on or before the renewal date. This interpretation differs from the standard postmarked date used for nearly all other state filings. Recently, the Bureau issued a letter to all registered charitable organizations in the Commonwealth stating that any registration statement postmarked on the due date will not be considered to be timely filed and will accrue late fees. The letter furthermore states that these late filing fees are statutorily mandated and will not be waived under any circumstances. Attempts to have the Bureau revisit their interpretation of the statute have been unsuccessful. Therefore, my legislation will clarify that any registration postmarked on or before the renewal date will be considered timely filed and will not accrue late fees. Additionally, my legislation will provide uniform 15 day review periods for the Bureau. These clarifications will save nonprofit organizations unnecessary fines and penalties while providing a clear standard for filing registration statements that is aligned with other state filing requirements. I hope you will join me in sponsoring this important legislation. If you have any questions, please contact Tierna Tuckey at ttuckey@pahousegop.com or 783-6422. |
Introduced as HB1421