The PA Legislature recently passed SB 444 which, after already being signed by the Governor, has updated the new SGOC law, Act 2. There are some adjustments that have been made which should benefit VFW Posts.

Among the changes are:
- 50/50s are now legal for licensed organizations and tickets do not have to be purchased from a licensed manufacturer/distributor
- Game operators who bring in less than $2,500 in proceeds do not have to file the annual reporting documents
- Proceeds can be used to pay for license fees and background checks

BILL SUMMARY (pertaining to non-profit service organizations – language referring to major league sports teams has been deleted for this review)

SB 444 defines the following:
• 50/50 drawing – a game of chance in which a participant buys a ticket for a chance to win a prize that is one-half of the proceeds from the game, with the remaining proceeds retained by the eligible organization for distribution in accordance with the Act;
• Adds an affiliated nonprofit organization as an eligible organization;
• Adds 50/50 drawings as defined game of chance;
• In order to receive proceeds from a drawing, a charitable organization must be existence for at least two years prior to the drawing and shall be a 501(c)(3) organization.

The bill also makes the following changes to the Act:
• Permits an eligible organization to use proceeds from games of chance for license fees and background check fees;
• Exempts eligible organizations whose proceeds are less than $2,500 in a calendar year from submitting annual reports;
• Clarifies that an eligible organization may use another eligible organization’s premises for small games of chance, if the eligible organization is unable to conduct games at the location listed on their application and license due to natural disaster, fire or other circumstance that renders the location unusable. The eligible organization must submit a written request and receive approval from the district attorney for a change in premises. If an organization permits another organization to use their premise, the eligible organization will cease its operation of games of chance during the time the other organization is conducting its games;
• Clarifies that 50/50 drawings do not need to be purchased from a licensed manufacturer or licensed distributor;
• Exempts eligible organizations whose proceeds are less than $2,500 in a calendar year from obtaining background checks;
• Clarifies that the chapter created for club licensees only applies to eligible organizations that have a club license.

Effective date: 60 days

Please make sure to pass this info on to persons at your Post responsible for compliance to Act 2.

Posts with small games of chance licenses may also want to check out this site http://www.savepennsylvaniaclubs.com

State HQ received many Post complaints regarding the Membership Divisions in the original 2012-2013 Membership Contest Program noting dissatisfaction with having only ten divisions. Based on your feedback, the Department has realigned its Membership Contest Divisions to allow for twenty (20) divisions. Thank you for sharing your concerns and for your strong interest in growing our membership.

Please keep in mind that this is for the Department’s Membership Contests only. National’s Membership Contests are based on the ten divisions as found on page 36 of the 2012-2013 Membership Program.  Click here for the revised breakdown of Department Divisions as well as Post Level Contests (page eight/8) and the All-State Mandatory Criteria (page twelve/12) that effect this change. Or you can use this link to visit the Post Info section of this site, then scroll down to the Membership Contest Program section to see the entire revised contest book.  http://benspera.com/vfwdept/district-post-tools/forms-facts/post-info/

We need to ”Recruit – Reinstate – Retain” members in order to put the Department of Pennsylvania back in the top tier for membership growth. If every member brings in one new or reinstated member we will reach our goal.

Two videos produced by National VFW Communications clearly document two key facts about tday’s VFW: that no other organization does more for veterans, and that the role of the VFW has never been more important to the futures of veterans, our military and our communities. These productions will help younger members understand why it is critical to support the VFW, and will help to keep current members among your ranks.

These videos, first viewed by VFW leaders from across the nation at the 2012 National Convention, are available on line for individual members to view and for Posts to use during meetings to retain current members and recruit new ones.

All VFW leaders, officers and members are strongly encourage to view these videos:

VFW 2011-12 Year in Review – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QYC4p8UpMI&list=UUMlMhpfzMoW1in7jVY4ou9Q&index=2&feature=plcp

“No One Does More for Veterans” documenting success stories – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDNMi9XcVPg&feature=em-subs_digest

If your computer does not offer a “download now” feature, there are several free online video capture programs that you can load to copy these videos to your computer including at this link http://www.dvdvideosoft.com.