May 14, 2021

Weekly Wrap

The Senate was in session this week, starting on Monday, when the Senate Communications and Technology Committee held a public hearing on the expansion of 5G and small cell wireless infrastructure.

Then, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out: S.B. 341 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would modernize regulations relating to landline telephone companies; and S.B. 442 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would direct the Department of General Services to conduct an inventory of all state-owned communication towers, poles, buildings, and facilities. In addition, S.B. 73 (Langerholc, R-Cambria), which would allow schools to apply for a waiver of certain mandates, was reported from the Senate Education Committee.

On the Senate floor, S.B. 147 (Langerholc, R-Cambria) passed finally and will now be considered by the House. The bill would expand the requirements for employer safety committees to include information regarding the risks associated with opioid use.

Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and Senate Local Government Committee held a joint public hearing on S.B. 275 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would prohibit a municipality from placing restrictions on the use of energy sources. Also, the House Finance Committee held an informational meeting on H.B. 1177 (Kaufer, R-Luzerne), which would make the developer, or puller of the building permit, responsible for 20% of the cost of the infrastructure improvement, with the remaining 80% taken care of by PennDOT.

The Senate State Government Committee reported out two bills of note: S.B. 559 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would make information related to wasted vaccines a public record and shall be reported by the Department of Health; and H.B. 854 (Ecker, R-Adams), which would require a state agency or contractor to preserve records related to COVID-19 for 10 years. Furthermore, the Senate Finance Committee reported out S.B. 568 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would include all component parts of a traffic signal, foundation, pole and mast arms in the traffic signal sales tax exemption.

There are three bills to highlight that passed finally and will cross chambers before they can reach the Governor’s desk:

  • S.B. 156 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would establish a new category of Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities;
  • S.B. 251 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would set standards relating to fertilizer; and  
  • S.B. 323 (Ward, R-Blair), which would extend the current PACE/PACENET Social Security COLA moratorium until December 31, 2023.

On Wednesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a joint public hearing with the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee on S.B. 284 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would provide for the bonding of solar and wind installations. The Senate Transportation Committee held a public hearing on PennDOT’s Planning and Environmental Linkages study.

The following bills were approved by the full Senate and will make their way to the House:

  • S.B. 115 (Boscola, D-Northampton), which would authorize the state to join the Nurse Licensure Compact;
  • S.B. 432 (Laughlin, R-Erie), which would convert the Banking Fund into a trust fund;
  • S.B. 445 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would give individuals renewing their vehicle registration or driver’s license an option to donate to the Pennsylvania Breast Cancer Coalition; and
  • S.B. 664 (Corman, R-Centre), which would give parents the option to have their child repeat a grade level during the 2021-2022 school year due to COVID-19.

The Week Ahead

There is no session next week due to Tuesday’s municipal primary election. Take a look at our election preview and stay tuned next week for a summary of the election results.

In Other News

  • Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam announced that the Commonwealth’s mask order will reflect the CDC guidance that masks will no longer be required for fully vaccinated people.
  • The Wolf Administration announced that event and gathering maximum occupancy limits will be increased to 50 percent for indoor events and gatherings and 75 percent for outdoor events and gatherings effective Monday, May 17 at 12:01 AM.
  • The Department of Health encouraged all COVID-19 vaccine providers to start vaccinating anyone age 12 and over with the Pfizer vaccine as recommended by FDA and CDC.
  • The Department of Environmental Resources issued a report that shows the potential that clean energy workforce development opportunities would have in bolstering the economy.