Welcome to Capitol Notes, a weekly, online-only, easy-to-swallow capsule of Harrisburg-related tidbits that didn't make it into newsprint.

SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM. Unless you got 'em over the Internet. Pennsylvanians who purchased cigarettes from two online tobacco vendors, www.cigoutlet.com and www.affordablecigs.com, are going to have to pony up and pay the sales taxes they owe to the state, if they haven't done so yet.

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The Department of Revenue is sending letters 63 state residents, including three from Allegheny County and three more from Westmoreland County, who bought cigarettes from the two vendors.

"Many Web sites falsely advertise that cigarettes can be purchased tax-free," said Secretary of Revenue Gregory C. Fajt, in a press release. "But in Pennsylvania and most other states, people who purchase cigarettes from another state are required to pay the tax to their home state."

If you're one of the unlucky smokers who got nabbed, or if you're going to buy smokes online in the future, you can remit the taxes you owe by filling out the Consumer Cigarette Excise Tax Return, form No. REV-791.

ON SECOND THOUGHT, DON'T SMOKE 'EM. Instead of buying cigarettes over the Internet, why not quit smoking altogether?

The Department of Health funds the Pennsylvania Free Quitline (1-877-724-1090), which counsels folks who are trying to kick the smoking habit. The hotline has taken about 20,000 calls in three years of operation.

But the hotline only works as long as people know about it. So the health department is looking for a company that will help market the hotline. Bids for the three-year marketing and outreach contract are being accepted through March 9.

It also helps if the hotline actually works when you call it. So the health department is also accepting bids from companies that want to run the hotline. The operation bids are being accepted through March 16.

SQUEAKY CLEAN. Joseph "Chip" Marshall, the chairman of the Temple University Health System and the first appointee to the state's Gaming Control Board, has no criminal record. Marshall, like the other men and women appointed to the seven-member board, was subject to a State Police background check.

Marshall, according to the Associated Press, had no criminal history and a clean credit report. He even had a clean driving record - no speeding tickets or accidents were on record with PennDOT.

The seven-member board will oversee the creation of the state's gambling industry, and will award licenses to the companies competing to build slot machine casinos in the state.

MUM'S THE WORD. Nobody's offering details - for the record, anyway - on the departure of Mary Achilles, the head of the state's Office of the Victim Advocate. That's the office responsible for guiding crime victims through the legal process. Depending on the source, Achilles either left on her own accord, or was forced out by the governor's office.

The advocate's office isn't saying one way or another, and claims not to know the circumstances of her departure, but did confirm that Achilles, formerly of the Philadelphia District Attorney's office, is on "indefinite leave," for a period of several months.

Achilles has been the state's victim advocate since 1996, when she was appointed by former Gov. Tom Ridge.

BUT IT'S A DRY HEAT. State Rep. Greg Vitali wants the state's businesses and manufacturers to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases absorb the sun's infrared radiation and trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere, which in theory causes global warming, overheating the planet and melting the polar ice caps and whatnot.

Vitali, a Democrat from Delaware County, has a plan: first, take inventory of the state's greenhouse gas emissions, then create an advisory group to research global warming issues, then publish a global warming impact statement, then develop an action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the state, according to Vitali's press release.

"In order to address climate change in Pennsylvania, we have to change the political climate in Harrisburg," Vitali said.

THE CHECK ISN'T IN THE MAIL. A York County Republican, state Rep. Stan Saylor, wants to propose a law that would allow businesses to require employees to use "direct deposit," a method of payment that deposits money into your bank account electronically. If you didn't select a bank account, the company could pick one for you, under the proposal.

Saylor is still seeking co-sponsors for his legislation, meaning no bill has been formally introduced.

CHILDREN'S TRUST FUND. The trust fund is a state-run grant program that gives money to community-based agencies, which in turn use the money to prevent child abuse and teach young parents how to handle their children.

The fund, administered through the Department of Public Welfare, will disperse $1.8 million this year to 13 organizations. One of them is in Washington County, the Community Action Southwest's Parent Empowerment Program, which will receive $150,000 to offer support to single parents living in poverty.

In Armstrong and Indiana counties, the ARIN Intermediate Unit gets $112,954 to build the "Family Focus Program," which will counsel parents with toddlers.

PIP PIP, HOORAY. State Sen. John Pippy, a Moon Republican, is now serving as the co-chairman of Pennsylvania's delegation to the American Legislative Exchange Council, which is the largest nonpartisan organization of state lawmakers in the nation. The group gets together every once in a while "to compare notes [on] common issues and exchange ideas to enact substantive legislative reforms," Pippy said in a press release.

HOUSE RESOLUTION OF THE WEEK. Mark your calendars: House resolution No. 95 says April 4 should be known as "Thaddeus Stevens Day." Stevens was a 19th century teacher and lawyer who eventually served in the state Legislature and U.S. Congress. This year, the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology is celebrating its 100th anniversary.

SENATE RESOLUTION OF THE WEEK. February is now "AMBUCS Visibility Month." AMBUCS stands for American Business Clubs, a national civic organization dedicated to helping people with physical disabilities and motor impairment get around. Through AMBUCS, children get "AmTryke" therapeutic tricycles, which help kids develop motor skills.