[naviga:h3]Senate advances bill to OK car services[/naviga:h3]

HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania Senate is advancing legislation to authorize ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft to operate statewide, even as regulators consider a record $50 million fine against Uber for operating without approval.

Senators approved the bill Tuesday, 48-2, and sent it to the House of Representatives.

Uber and Lyft currently operate in some parts of Pennsylvania under a temporary license granted by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. The bill wouldn’t force the Philadelphia Parking Authority to license Uber and Lyft, even though both services operate there anyway.

The bill would set safety standards and insurance requirements for companies and drivers.

It also would require companies to perform background checks on all driver applicants, and bar drivers with convictions for crimes including sexual offenses, fraud, theft or driving under the influence.

[naviga:h3]Clairton no longer termed ‘distressed’[/naviga:h3]

CLAIRTON — A southwestern Pennsylvania city that spent nearly 28 years in a state program for financially distressed municipalities is finally leaving it.

State officials said Tuesday that Clairton’s budget picture has stabilized and that it now has the ability to pay its vendors and creditors and provide services to city residents. Clairton asked to leave the state program in September, citing increasing tax revenue and an influx of cash from the sale of its sewer system.

The state designated Clairton as distressed in January 1988 amid recurring budget deficits, an erosion of the city’s tax base and a reduction in municipal services. The city had also missed payroll.

The Act 47 program is designed to help municipalities under severe fiscal distress. Only a handful of communities have managed to leave the program.