January 30, 2015
Weekly Recap:
Due to the threat of impending Winter Storm Juno, members were scarce in the capitol on Monday. The predicted severity of the storm prompted Gov. Wolf to issue a disaster proclamation for the Commonwealth so that state and local authorities could respond to any damage expected as a result of the snowfall.
To read Wolf’s proclamation, see: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012669.PDF
While Juno may have been a bust, other storms brewing kept things interesting in the state capitol. On Thursday, January 22, Gov. Wolf recalled several of Gov. Corbett’s “eleventh hour” nominations to various boards and commissions and removed Eric Arneson from his new position as Director of the Office of Open Records. By Monday, both Arneson, a former Senate Republican staffer, and the Caucus had filed suit against Wolf, challenging his authority to remove Arneson.
To read Wolf’s press release, see: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012248.HTM
To read briefs filed by Arneson and the Senate Republican Caucus, see: http://www.pasenategop.com/blog/2015/01/26/senate-republicans-file-suit-to-protect-independence-of-office-of-open-records/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Additionally, State Treasurer Rob McCord made some waves of his own this week; on Thursday morning, McCord abruptly announced his resignation, effective February 12. McCord stated he planned to return to the private sector and appointed Chris Craig, Esq. as acting treasurer until Gov. Wolf can appoint his successor. By late in the day Thursday, news media outlets reported that McCord is the subject of an FBI investigation.
To read his resignation letter, go to http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012978.PDF
For more about the investigation, see: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150130_McCord_step_downs_amid_signs_of_fed_probe.html
While it wasn’t one of the busiest weeks on record, it’s clear the legislature is gaining momentum for the 2015-2016 session. As we previewed in our January 23 blog, on Tuesday, the House Education Committee met to report out bills, including H.B. 158, sponsored by Rep. Peifer. This bill would allow the Secretary of Education to issue emergency declarations, allowing school districts some flexibility in implementing the 180-day requirement. Additionally, the House Health Committee met to consider H.B. 59 (hepatitis C screening) and H.B. 60 (oral anti-cancer medications), both introduced by the chairman of that committee, Rep. Baker.
On the Senate side, the Senate Appropriations Committee met to consider a number of bills; among them were two constitutional amendments. The first, S.B. 4 (Sen. Aument and Sen. Scarnati) would allow the legislature, not the courts, to determine the criteria for institutions of purely public charities. Purely public charities are allowed special tax treatment under the Pennsylvania Constitution. (Senate Finance Committee will also be holding a public hearing on this bill this week, as noted below.)Sen. Pileggi’s S.B. 283 was also reported from that committee; this proposed constitutional amendment would eliminate the Philadelphia Traffic Court. Proposed constitutional amendments must be passed by the legislature in two consecutive sessions before being put to the voters as a referendum at the next election. This is the second session for both of these bills, so the questions could be on the ballot in relatively short order.
For more about S.B. 4, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0004
For more about S.B. 283, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0283
The Senate sent two bills protecting the rights of natural gas leaseholders to the House for consideration. Sponsored by Sen.Yaw, S.B. 147 would allow a royalty interest owner to inspect a gas company’s records to verify proper payment, while S.B. 148 would prohibit a gas company from retaliating against a royalty interest owner for questioning the accuracy of payments. Both bills passed the Senate unanimously and are likely to be referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee next week.
For more about S.B. 147, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0147
For more about S.B. 148, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0148
Finally, the Basic Education Funding Commission met on Thursday in Greenville. The Commission, charged with developing a formula for distributing basic education funding to Pennsylvania schools, will meet next on February 5 in Montgomery County.
To read about the Commission, check out: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2013&sind=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1738
A Look Ahead:
Monday is Groundhog Day, and Pennsylvania will be front and center as our own Punxatawney (PA) Phil will emerge from his hole to let us know if we should expect six more weeks of winter.
For more about Phil and this history of Groundhog Day, see: http://www.groundhog.org/
Either way, we can expect three more days of session next week. A number of bills were reported from committee this week and placed on either the House or Senate calendar, which means they could be considered on the floor next week.
For the House calendar, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SessionCalendars/index.cfm?Chamber=H
For the Senate calendar, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SessionCalendars/index.cfm?Chamber=S
Expect some action in the committees next week, too. On Monday, the Legislative Audit Advisory Commission will hold its annual meeting. The Commission, which is comprised of both elected officials and public members, is chaired by Rep. Mark Keller. It meets every year to review the audit of the Commonwealth’s spending.
For more about the Legislative Audit Advisory Commission, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/laac.cfm
On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will meet to consider several bills. Among them is yet another propsosed constitutional amendment. Sponsored by Rep. Harper, H.B. 90 would raise the constitutionally mandated judicial retirement age from 70 to 75.
For more about H.B. 90, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0090
Also on Tuesday, the House Education Committee will meet on Tuesday to consider Rep. Grove’s H.B. 210, which would overhaul the school construction process in Pennsylvania.
For more about H.B. 210, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0210
Wednesday’s notable meetings include two informational hearings. The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold an informational hearing about the PA Long Term Care Commission’s final report, issued in December of 2014. Also, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a public hearing regarding S.B. 4 (regarding institutions of purely public charity, above).
For more on the Long Term Care Commission, go to: http://www.dhs.state.pa.us/cs/groups/webcontent/documents/report/c_134443.pdf
Additional committee meetings are likely to be held; check out the schedule later today at: www.legis.state.pa.us
In other news:
Gov.Wolf signed a moratorium on leasing land at state parks and forests for drilling. For more information, see: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012976.HTM
Starting next week, we’ll be able to see what the guv. is up to day to day, when he starts making his schedule publicly available. No website has been posted yet, but check out: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012982.HTM for more.
The Turnpike Commission appointed former State Sen. Sean Logan as its Chairman; the Commission also signed onto Governor Wolf’s employee gift ban.
More information can be found at: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012870.HTM
Getting around Harrisburg will soon get easier; ridesharing company Uber was granted an experimental license to operate for two years in Pennsylvania. Check out: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012975.HTM
The House posted its schedule of budget hearings. To review the schedule, go to: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015012950.PDF
The Senate shuffled some committee chairmanships. For a new listing, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/CteeInfo/StandingCommittees.cfm?CteeBody=S
And that’s what we know so far. Check back to this blog or follow us on Twitter @BuchananGov for updates.