News from PALawHelp.org
Consumer Advisory: Opportunity to cancel student loan debt ends soon
Many student loan borrowers have an opportunity to have their entire student loans cancelled or receive more credit towards cancellation, but they must act before April 30, 2024.
Free Property Tax/Rent Rebate Filing Assistance Available At Community Centers Across PA
Representatives from the Department of Revenue (DOR) will visit senior and community centers all across the Commonwealth over the next several weeks to help Pennsylvanians who need help filing their Property Tax/Rent Rebate (PTRR) program applications.
Public Hearings Scheduled on Proposed Peoples Gas $156 Million Rate Increases
Peoples Gas has proposed to raise rates for its customers by approximately $156 million. The proposal could increase consumer bills by as much as 21%. The Public Utility Commission (PUC) is hosting six public input hearings to hear from communities about the impact this rate increase will have on Peoples’ customers. If you or your community will be affected by the rate proposal, you are strongly encouraged to participate in the public input hearings.
Clean Slate 3.0 Enacted into Law - Allows Sealing of Some Old Felony Criminal Records
Clean Slate 3.0 was signed into law on December 14, 2023 by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Under Clean Slate 3.0, less serious drug felonies will be eligible to be sealed by automation after 10 years without a subsequent misdemeanor or felony conviction. Other property-related felonies, such as thefts, will be eligible for sealing after 10 years upon granting of a court petition. It will also shorten waiting periods for sealing convictions of misdemeanor to 7 years and summary convictions to five years.
FTC Adds Support for Consumers in Multiple Languages for Fraud and ID Theft Reporting; Offers Multi-lingual Resources on How to Spot, Avoid, and Report Fraud
As part of its ongoing efforts to combat scammers and protect consumers in every community, the Federal Trade Commission is now providing the ability to report fraud, scams and deceptive practices in multiple languages in addition to English and Spanish. These new language access enhancements will allow people to file reports with the FTC in their preferred language when calling the FTC.
PUC and PA Department of Human Services Kick Off Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Season
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) joined with the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) to mark the start of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for the 2023-24 winter heating season. This year’s LIHEAP season opened today, Nov. 1, 2023.
National Test of Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to be held on Oct. 4, 2023
A National Test of the Federal Communications Commission's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) will to be held on Oct. 4, 2023 at 2:20 PM. Alerts will be directed to all cell phones and electronic devices during the test.
HIGH SCHOOL GRADS: Protect Yourself from Scams
The Federal Trade Commission's Financial Adulting 101 webinars and materials offer advice to help recent graduate from scams.
USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on Self-Selecting a Gender Marker on Forms and Documents
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is updating policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify that, effective immediately, USCIS will accept the self-identified gender marker for individuals requesting immigration benefits.
Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Extended to May 12
The Pennsylvania Utility Law Project (PULP) reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has announced that it will extend the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) season by two weeks. LIHEAP will remain open until Friday, May 12, 2023.
IRS 2023 Dirty Dozen List of Tax Scams
The Internal Revenue Service wrapped up the annual Dirty Dozen list of tax scams for 2023 with a reminder for taxpayers, businesses and tax professionals to watch out for these schemes throughout the year, not just during tax season.
PUC Offers Spring Storm Utility Safety Tips
Residents are Reminded to Report Outages, Use Caution During Severe Weather and Give Utility Crews Room to Work
New Statewide Tool Available to Apply for Civil Legal Assistance in Pennsylvania
A new statewide, online tool to request civil legal assistance for low-income individuals and families has been launched and is now available. Individuals can complete this online application to receive legal information and submit an application for legal assistance to the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network program serving their county.
FTC Offers Information About Consumer Scams in 12 Languages
The FTC has information in a dozen languages to help you spot and avoid scams at ftc.gov/languages. You’ll find info in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, Hmong, Korean, Russian, Somali, Tagalog, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian.
Department Of Human Services Alerts Pennsylvanians About The End Of Emergency Allotment And Other SNAP Changes, Urges Support Of Charitable Food Network
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Val Arkoosh advised Pennsylvanians of upcoming changes to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Due to federal legislation, this February will be the last month Emergency Allotments (created due to the COVID-19 Emergency) are sent; and starting in March, SNAP recipients will only receive one regular SNAP payment. Additionally, SSI Recipients will experience a decrease in their base SNAP benefits due to a cost-of-living increase in SSI benefits, with some households being disenrolled from SNAP due to the SSI increase.
PUC Offers Winter Storm Utility Safety Tips
Residents Reminded to Report Outages, Use Caution During Severe Weather, and Give Utility Crews Room to Work Safely