October 22, 2021
Weekly Wrap
It was a short week in Harrisburg for the Senate, as the upper chamber held two session days before recessing until next week.
Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out S.B. 731 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would allow the use of a de-risking annuity contract to satisfy the financial requirements for a qualified gift annuity and qualified charity.
Also, the Senate Education Committee reported out H.B. 1332 (Lewis, R-Dauphin), which would require a school entity to post information on course syllabuses, state academic standards, and textbooks used by the school.
On Tuesday, the Senate Local Government Committee reported out S.B. 275 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would place decisions regarding restrictions on the use of any energy source in housing and commercial energy applications solely within the purview of the state. The companion bill, H.B. 1947 (O’Neal, R-Washington), will be considered by the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday.
Three bills of note passed finally in the Senate and will now be considered by the House of Representatives:
- S.B. 157 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would establish the first-time home buyer savings account program;
- S.B. 777 (Langerholc, R-Cambria), which would exempt the five newest model year vehicles from emissions testing; and
- S.B. 786 (Aument, R-Lancaster), which would expand the Open Campus Initiative to charter schools, intermediate units, and career and technical schools.
The Week Ahead
Both chambers are in session next week.
Monday, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold a public hearing on revisions to the biosolids management permit. The Committee will then consider H.R. 148 (White, R-Philadelphia), which urges the Environmental Protection Agency to implement reforms to the Renewable Fuel Standard.
The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss S.B. 251 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would make comprehensive changes to the state’s fertilizer law. The Committee will hold a voting meeting on the bill on Wednesday.
Tuesday, the House Urban Affairs Committee will consider H.B. 1935 (White, R-Philadelphia), which would renew the authorization of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority Act for the City of Philadelphia.
The House Human Services Committee will consider:
- H.B. 1308 (Schlossberg, D-Lehigh), which would allow local communities and agencies to establish overdose fatality review teams;
- H.B. 1561 (Farry, R-Bucks), which amend the Mental Health Procedures Act, and H.B. 1563 (Cutler, R-Lancaster), which would amend the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control Act, in order to align Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) standards in order to permit providers, facilities and health plans to more easily share patient mental health and substance use disorder-related information; and
- H.B. 1995 (DelRosso, R-Allegheny), which would require the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to develop or adapt state-specific criteria governing placement of people seeking treatment in licensed addiction treatment programs.
The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold a public hearing on the guardianship system in place for older adults, including H.B. 1356 (Day, R-Lehigh), which would increase the reimbursement rate for guardians of older adults from $100 to $300, and H.B. 1890 (Gillen, R-Berks), which would require background checks for prospective guardians and prohibit convicted felons from serving as guardians.
Furthermore, the Senate Appropriations Committee and Senate Education Committee will hold a joint public hearing on the latest PA State System of Higher Education report. The corresponding House committees will hold a similar hearing on Wednesday.
Lastly, the House State Government Committee will hold a public hearing on procurement.
A full list of committee meetings can be found here:
In Other News
- Governor Wolf unveiled a four-bill package that will further strengthen protections for students and combat sexual assaults on campuses.
- The Wolf Administration announced enhancements to subsidized child care program to lower costs for families and incentivize participation by providers.
- The Governor announced the investment of $186 million for 33 drinking water, wastewater and non-point source projects across 20 counties through the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST).
- Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid reminded Pennsylvanians that the deadline to apply for a mail in ballot for the November election is October 26.
- PennDOT and Pennsylvania Department of Education joined the Pennsylvania School Bus Association to encourage interested individuals to obtain Commercial Driver’s License to address bus driver shortage.
Governor Wolf unveiled his agenda for workers that will create safer workplaces, guarantee paid leave and increase worker pay, among other worker-centered improvements.