April 3, 2015

It was a busy one this week, with the Senate wrapping up their budget hearings and the House back for a full-blown voting session. Next week should be a calm one, though, with no session scheduled for either chamber.

Weekly Wrap:

The Senate started their final week of budget hearings with a presentation by the Department of Education, with much discussion about the effects of Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed budget on funding for public schools. Up next, the Department of Labor & Industry appeared before the Appropriations Committee to make their budget request; members asked questions about raising the minimum wage and job training. Finally, the Department of Banking and Securities appeared before the committee and discussed the governor’s proposed changes to the Bank Shares Tax.

Tuesday kicked off with the Department of Revenue before the committee, where members asked about nearly every tax proposal included in the proposed budget. Next, the PA Historical & Museum Commission presented its budget, also talking about Pennsylvania’s rich heritage and tourism opportunities. In the afternoon, the Department of Transportation and the Department of Agriculture also appeared before the committee. Discussion with PennDOT focused largely on public private partnerships and infrastructure projects; discussion with PDA focused  on farming issues and horseracing.

The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and the Fire Commissioner were first out of the gate for Wednesday’s Senate budget hearings. A majority of the discussion involved the Public Safety Answering Points (911 calling system), retention and recruitment of personnel, emergency and fire preparedness, and the concerns of oil train derailments. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources then had their hearing, which focused on state parks, natural gas and drilling. The afternoon began with the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs budget hearing, where members spoke about issues relating to veterans assistance with health care, education and employment, along with the current status of the National Guard. Last but not least, the entire budget hearing season wrapped up with the Insurance Department budget hearing was dedicated to health care matters such as CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), Mcare and the Affordable Care Act’s future impact on the commonwealth.

Meanwhile in the House, there was a flurry of activity, with many of the standing committees holding public hearings, voting meetings and informational meetings. Tuesday was especially busy; the House Consumer Affairs Committee held an informational meeting with representatives from the electric and natural gas industries; the House Commerce Committee held an informational meeting on H.B. 850 (Makenzie-R, Berks), which updates the Money Transmission Business Licensing Law; and finally, the House Urban Affairs Committee holding a voting meeting on several bills, including H.B. 447 (Saylor, R-York), which amends the Landlord-Tenant Act as to what to do on the death of a lease-holding tenant.

For more on H.B. 850, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0850

For more on H.B. 447, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0447

Wednesday was also action-packed. The House Gaming Oversight Committee held a public hearing on “games of skill vs. games of chance.” The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee met to vote on H.B. 753 (Culver, R-Northumberland), expanding the duties of  the Long Term Care Council, and  the House Education Committee held a meeting to vote on H.B. 423 (Simmons, R-Lehigh), providing for the administration of epi-pens by school bus drivers.

For more on H.B., 753, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0753

For more on H.B. 423, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0423

Finally, after much deliberation, the House advanced an amended version of H.B. 182 (Grove, R-York), allowing pharmacists to administer the flu vaccine to children nine and up.

For more on H.B. 182, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0182

A Look Ahead:

Take the week off, everyone! Neither chamber is scheduled for session next week, but there will be a number of public hearings. For a full listing, check out: www.legis.state.pa.us

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