Weekly Wrap

As the end of the 2021-2022 legislative session nears, the Senate was back in Harrisburg this week for two voting session days.

Tuesday started off with the Senate Education Committee and Senate Communications and Technology Committee holding a joint public hearing on student data privacy. Next, the Senate Aging and Youth Committee reported out H.B. 2425 (Flood, R-Northampton), which would require that an abuse allegation concerning a resident of a long-term care facility to be communicated to the appropriate entity responsible for investigation.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee had a long agenda to get through, reporting out ten bills and one resolution:

  • H.B. 293 (Oberlander, R-Clarion), which would allow anti-obesity drugs to be considered a compensable item under the Medical Assistance (MA) program;
  • H.B. 1443 (Hershey, R-Juniata), which would provide that a clinical laboratory may advertise or solicit business for diagnostic laboratory testing if they meet certain criteria;
  • H.B. 1630 (Fritz, R-Susquehanna) , which would give the Auditor General the authority to conduct audits and reviews of pharmacy benefits managers that subcontract with MA Managed Care Organizations;
  • H.B. 2293 (Bonner, R-Mercer), which would provide for registration and oversight of temporary health care services agencies;
  • H.B. 2357 (Pennycuick, R-Montgomery), which would prohibit the sales of kratom to individuals less than 18 years of age;
  • H.B. 2530 (Silvis, R-Indiana), which would end the practice of prudent pay in the Office of Developmental Programs;
  • S.B. 359 (Schwank, D-Berks), which would expand Medicaid for postpartum women;  
  • S.B. 917 (Aument, R-Lancaster), which would allow for an audit of subcontracts with pharmacy benefit managers in Medicaid;
  • S.B. 1136 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would allow legislative agencies to have access to research under the Vital Statistics Law;
  • S.B. 1358 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would prohibit the enforcement of a noncompete covenant entered into by a health care practitioner; and
  • S.R. 352 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would direct the Joint State Government Commission to study and issue a report on the specific data, calculations and mechanisms that the Department of Human Services utilizes to determine the amount of MA capitation funding that is ultimately paid to drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers.

The Senate Transportation Committee reported out: H.B. 2398 (Oberlander, R-Clarion), which would provide for the regulation and operation of highly automated vehicles; and H.B. 2632 (Delozier, R-Cumberland), which would require PennDOT to contract with a private vendor to market, sell and manufacture vendor-designed registration plates.

Three bills of note were reported from the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee:

  • H.B. 2458 (White, R-Philadelphia), which would establish the Philadelphia LNG Export Task Force;
  • H.B. 2528 (Struzzi, R-Indiana), which would require the Department of Environmental Protection to prioritize awarding well plugging contracts to Pennsylvania companies before considering out-of-state companies; and
  • S.B. 1331 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would prohibit counties that ban natural gas development under county-owned land from receiving their county share of Impact Fee drilling funds or being eligible applicants for Marcellus Legacy Fund grants.

Last but not least for Tuesday’s committee meetings, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out: H.B. 1958 (Hennessey, R-Bucks), which would allow an individual to complete a driver improvement school or a special examination upon the accumulation of six points on a driving record; S.B. 1317 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which would establish an Indigent Defense Advisory Committee that proposes minimum standards for the delivery of an effective indigent defense and establish a grant program; and S.B. 1321 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which would give the grantor of an irrevocable trust the choice to remain legally obligated to pay state income on the trust’s income.

Wednesday’s committee meeting schedule was light, highlighted by the Senate Appropriations Committee reporting out H.B. 220 (Rader, R-Monroe), which would require the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to establish standards for approving drug and alcohol treatment and rehabilitative facilities, and prohibits facilities from denying treatment to an individual based solely on a negative result on a drug test.

On the Senate floor, H.B. 2667 (Mercuri, R-Allegheny) passed finally and will become law once signed by the Governor. The bill would provide for the regulation of remote mortgage brokers.

A handful of other bills passed finally and will now be considered by the House of Representatives:

  • S.B. 1225 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would provide coverage of mammographic examinations and diagnostic breast imaging;
  • S.B. 1243 (Gebhard, R-Lebanon), which would require a student to complete a course in economics and personal finance to graduate from high school;
  • S.B. 1282 (Pittman, R-Indiana), which would extend environmental liability protections to land banks; and
  • S.B. 1330 (Ward, R-Westmoreland), which would require insurance coverage for genetic counseling and testing for certain gene mutations if a person is diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer or has a family history of breast or ovarian cancer.

The Week Ahead

Both chambers are in session next week for the last time before the November 8 General Election.

Monday’s schedule is highlighted by the following public hearings:

  • The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold a public hearing on fossil fuels;
  • The House Education Committee will hold a public hearing on student data protection, retention, and safety procedures; and
  • The House Labor and Industry Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss H.B. 2860 (Nelson, R-Westmoreland), which would enable the Commonwealth to be able to compare and analyze worker injury and illness data in the public sector with those in the private sector.

Additionally, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will consider S.B. 806 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would make changes to the information provided by oil and natural gas producers to royalty owners and provide for penalties for untimeliness of royalty payments.  

Tuesday, the House Children and Youth Committee will hold a public hearing on the Office of Child Development and Early Learning’s child care certification regulation rewrite project.

On Wednesday, the House State Government Committee will hold a public hearing on improper payments and government waste. Additionally, the House Commerce Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss H.B. 2799 (Diamond, R-Lebanon), which would prohibit a business or corporation from using environmental, social, and governance (EGS) scores as a sole condition of financing or providing services.

Then, on Thursday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold a public hearing to examine the role of LNG in strengthening American energy security on the world stage.

A full list of committee meetings can be found here:

House

Senate

In Other News

  • Governor Wolf announced the investment of $236 million for 23 drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and non-point source projects across 15 counties through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST).
  • The Governor announced more than $6.9 million to support economic development projects for improved opportunities in coal communities.
  • The Department of Human Services announced that the Pennsylvania Patient and Provider Network (P3N), the commonwealth’s statewide federated health information exchange (HIE), successfully transitioned to a modern, efficient, cloud-based solution.
  • Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman reminded Pennsylvanians that they have until October 24 to register to vote in the November general election and until November 1 to apply for a mail in ballot.

Last, but certainly not least, our former colleague Steve DeFrank was sworn-in as a member of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday. Steve was nominated to serve as a Commissioner by Governor Wolf on September 20, and subsequently confirmed by the Senate on October 19. His term will expire on April 1, 2025.