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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 11, 2019 11:00 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Daylin Leach |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Tax Incentives for Employers Who Hire Felons |
| Soon I will reintroduce legislation that would provide tax incentives for employers who provide employment to offenders recently released from correctional facilities. This legislation is influenced by a Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole study that offered staggering statistics on this growing demographic. One in thirty-eight American adults are under some type of correctional supervision. In Pennsylvania we incarcerate about 45,000 inmates. Recidivism rates are extremely high for these individuals due to employment barriers attributable to their incarceration. My bill would provide two years of tax credits per offender. In the first year of employment, the employer could claim a credit equal to 30% of up to the first $6,000 of the wages paid to the qualified offender. In the second year of employment, the employer could claim a credit equal to 20% of up to the first $6,000 of the wages paid to the qualified offender. To qualify, an offender would have to be hired no more than one year from the end of their incarceration and must work an average of at least 20 hours per week during the tax year in question. This bill was known as Senate Bill 215 during the 2017-2018 session. It was cosponsored by Senators Street and Hughes. Please join me in supporting this important legislation. If you have questions about this legislation, please don’t hesitate to contact me. |