Home About PMA Bulletin Alliance Members Legislative Issues Resources PMA Perspective Search form Search Legal Reform Replace the current system of electing judges with merit selection. Stop venue shopping in personal injury suits. Enact a statute of repose in product liability cases. Shield innocent sellers from product liability suits. House approves measure protecting PA from predatory pandemic-inspired lawsuits The General Assembly is again poised to deliver a common sense request from Pennsylvania’s businesses, health care providers, and others by passing a limited and specific liability shield against opportunistic trial lawyers looking to exploit the pandemic as a business opportunity. Read more about House approves measure protecting PA from predatory pandemic-inspired lawsuits Lawsuit industry more important to Governor Wolf than COVID-19 recovery, PMA says Submitted by Maura Donley on Mon, 11/30/2020 - 4:19pm Harrisburg, PA (November 30, 2020) – The Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association responds to Governor Tom Wolf’s veto of HB 1737, a targeted, temporary, and necessary response to the threat of frivolous lawsuits by Pennsylvania's litigation industry, which views the COVID-19 pandemic as a business opportunity. The following statement is attributed to PMA’s President & CEO, David N. Taylor: Read more about Lawsuit industry more important to Governor Wolf than COVID-19 recovery, PMA says Liability Protections Necessary for Smart Restart Submitted by Maura Donley on Thu, 05/28/2020 - 11:39am FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Curt Schroder 610.389.4293 curt@pccjr.org Read more about Liability Protections Necessary for Smart Restart Health care access jeopardized by attack on venue reform Pennsylvania’s billboard lawyers are drooling over the potential end to a rule that requires medical malpractice lawsuits to be tried in the county where the harm is alleged to have occurred. The reform was enacted in 2003 to help stop a medical malpractice insurance crisis that was closing hospitals and sending doctors out of state. The crisis was driven by the litigation industry filing lawsuits in the most permissive jurisdictions (usually Philadelphia) rather than the local courthouse. Tags: venue shopping lawsuit abuse Read more about Health care access jeopardized by attack on venue reform PA Supreme Court holds off on repealing limits on Lawsuit Abuse (for now…) Pennsylvania health care providers and the public -- as patients and future patients – received a reprieve when the Supreme Court agreed to delay reverting to a pre-2003 administrative rule allowing venue-shopping. Under current law, a medical malpractice lawsuit must be filed in the county where the harm is alleged to have occurred. If this commonsense reform is eliminated, it may trigger skyrocketing health care costs and an exodus of doctors fleeing crushing liability insurance costs, restarting the crisis Pennsylvania was in at the turn of the century. Tags: venue shopping Read more about PA Supreme Court holds off on repealing limits on Lawsuit Abuse (for now…) Consumers and businesses both lose with veto of price gouging legislation Last week Governor Tom Wolf vetoed SB 1172, saying that the proposed changes to Pennsylvania’s Price Gouging Act would undermine consumer protections during a declared emergency, when the law kicks in automatically. Taking the governor’s veto message in its literal sense would mean that 235 of 253 lawmakers who voted for the bill (including nearly all of his Democratic colleagues) were guilty of one of two egregious governance sins when they sent the bill to his desk: they either didn’t know what was in the bill or didn’t care whether it would unfairly burden consumers. Read more about Consumers and businesses both lose with veto of price gouging legislation Penn State Student Club a Sad Victim of a Much Larger Legal Problem The outing club can no longer go outside. It seems like a punchline to a bad joke, but in this case it’s the sad reality of the world we live in, and of the environment the productive sector faces every day. After a risk assessment, Penn State University (PSU) last week severed itself from a student club, the Outing Club, which had organized hiking, canoeing and other outdoor activities at the university for 100 years. Read more about Penn State Student Club a Sad Victim of a Much Larger Legal Problem New Group Works to Bring Balance to Pennsylvania’s Civil Justice System In another year of flipping the couch cushions for spare change to balance a state budget, efforts to reduce lawsuit abuse are more important than ever. These needed reforms can greatly enhance Pennsylvania’s business competitiveness without costing the commonwealth a single dime. Read more about New Group Works to Bring Balance to Pennsylvania’s Civil Justice System The Fairness Center: A Welcome Counterbalance to Bureaucrat Unions The self-created image of public sector unions as the protector-of-the-little guy is being expertly debunked by a new reform group. A series of legal actions brought by the Harrisburg-based public interest law center, The Fairness Center, reveal an ugly pattern of union bullying and trampling over laws and individual rights. The cases show that unions are really about squashing potential competitive challenges (like charter schools) and forcing workers, who oppose joining a union, to pay dues to support political candidates and activities - a direct violation of state law. Tags: unions Read more about The Fairness Center: A Welcome Counterbalance to Bureaucrat Unions Lawyers, Not Class, Winners in Class Action Settlements The story behind the only override of a Bill Clinton veto is a cautionary one if another Clinton occupies the White House. Read more about Lawyers, Not Class, Winners in Class Action Settlements 1 2 3 4 next last Advocacy Toolkit Help PMA fight for laws, policies and programs that will grow manufacturing. Advocacy Toolkit Home Page Find Your Lawmaker Send a Letter Voting Scorecard PMA Perspective See first hand how policies enacted in Harrisburg and Washington impact manufacturers and job creators. View all videos Election Reform A Conversation with Kevin Brobson A Conversation With Scott Perry A Discussion with Dean Cheng PMA Bulletin A premier in-depth analysis of current issues facing Pennsylvania businesses. Manufacturing tax credit pays off big for NEPA and PA’s natural gas industry Heed the warning from Sen. John Yudichak (I-Luzerne/Carbon): a few extremists threaten PA’s energy leadership State Rep. Craig Williams: Marine, prosecutor, lawmaker, energy expert Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association | (717) 232-0737 | 225 State Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101 © Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association | Design & Development by Freshpage Media