PRINTER'S NO. 710
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
110
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY KLUNK, KINSEY, LONGIETTI, B. MILLER, A. DAVIS,
PICKETT, RAPP, ORTITAY, MOUL, BERNSTINE, SAPPEY, SOLOMON,
FREEMAN, FEE, RYAN, STAATS, SCHLEGEL CULVER, SIMMONS,
SCHLOSSBERG, ECKER, KEEFER, ZIMMERMAN, MILLARD, DRISCOLL,
WARREN, MACKENZIE, BROWN, ROEBUCK, McNEILL, McCLINTON,
HEFFLEY, NEILSON, DeLUCA, MULLINS, HERSHEY, MURT AND STRUZZI,
MARCH 5, 2019
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON FINANCE, MARCH 5, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to pass, and the
President of the United States to sign, legislation that will
make apprenticeships more affordable for individuals seeking
a skills-based education.
WHEREAS, The current PA 529 College Savings Program applies
to qualified college expenses like tuition, books, room and
board and learning technologies; and
WHEREAS, PA 529 College Savings Plans make college more
affordable for middle-class families by allowing families to
finance their education tax free; and
WHEREAS, In 2017 and 2018, more than 21,000 new PA 529
accounts were opened, resulting in more than $568 million in
contributions by residents of this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, In 2017 and 2018, more than 27,000 residents of this
Commonwealth benefited from $104.4 million in earnings from the
PA 529 Guaranteed Savings Plan (GSP) and the PA 529 Investment
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Plan (IP) for college savings plans; and
WHEREAS, While PA 529 College Savings Plans help individuals
seeking a college education, they do not always help those who
have sought careers in the trades; and
WHEREAS, States are limited in how far they can depart from
Federal regulations governing college savings plans; and
WHEREAS, If a state allows students to use PA 529 College
Savings Plan distributions at a nonqualifying institution, as
determined by the Internal Revenue Service, the earnings portion
of the distribution is taxed and subject to a 10% penalty; and
WHEREAS, A qualifying institution includes traditional four-
year universities as well as community colleges, vocational
schools and trade schools but does not include an apprenticeship
established by a group of businesses with no ties to a qualified
institution; and
WHEREAS, Despite the value of an education through
apprenticeship programs, Federal law does not provide enrollees
in apprenticeship programs with the same opportunity to use tax
incentives for tools, textbooks and equipment as provided to
college students; and
WHEREAS, Residents of this Commonwealth need the ability to
save for the education and training necessary for 21st century
jobs, whether they are enrolled in college, attending a short-
term training program or getting a license or credential for a
specific trade or industry; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United
States to pass, and the President of the United States to sign,
legislation that will make apprenticeships more affordable for
individuals seeking a skills-based education; and be it further
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RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
the President of the United States, the presiding officers of
each house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
Pennsylvania.
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