HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/
—Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell signed the following bills into law:

House Bill 237, sponsored by Rep. Stephen H. Stetler (D-York), amends the Mechanics Lien Law of 1963. This legislation allows contracts filed electronically by a prothonotary to name the contractor as defendant and owner as plaintiff, or vice versa. Under current law, a contract between a contractor and the owner of a property that contains a mechanic's lien waiver is required to be filed by a prothonotary under the contractor as both plaintiff and defendant, and under the owner as both plaintiff and defendant. Filing in both places is not necessary since the files can be retrieved automatically. The bill passed the Senate 48-0 and the House 200-0. The bill takes effect in 60 days.

Senate Bill 1222, sponsored by Sen. Charles D. Lemmond (R-Luzerne), creates a special rule for the 2004 General Election to insure that a uniform standard is utilized in recounts to determine whether a vote was properly cast for a candidate. The standards were developed by the Voting Standards Development Board under the jurisdiction of the Department of State and published in the August 2, 2003 edition of the Pennsylvania Bulletin. These standards were developed in an effort to insure that a voter's intent is used in making determinations during recounts and recanvasses. The bill passed the Senate 49-0 and the House 182-0. This bill takes effect immediately.

CONTACT: Brandi Hunter, Pennsylvania Office of the Governor,
+1-717-783-1116.

Chapter 12 Goes to President for Signature

On October 8, 2004, the House passed S. 2864, a bill extending for eighteen months, retroactive back to January 1, 2004, the period for Chapter 12 of title 11, United States Code. It can now be sent to the President for signature.