February 6, 2015
Weekly Recap:
Gov. Wolf continued to make headlines this week, this time with his activities in and around the judiciary. On Wednesday, the governor and newly-appointed–then-promptly-removed Open Records Director Eric Arneson had their day in court; Arneson, appointed at the end of Gov. Corbett’s term argues that Wolf had no authority to remove him from his post. And while we don’t have resolution on that issue yet, a ceasefire of sorts has been reached: a request to reinstate Arneson has been withdrawn, and the Commonwealth Court decided to take up the case on March 11.
For more about the decision, see:
Also on Wednesday, Gov. Wolf announced his nominees to fill two vacancies on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The nominees, who Wolf described as “extremely qualified and distinguished individuals” are Ken Gromley, Dean of Duquesne University School of Law, and Centre County President Judge Thomas Kistler. The nominees—who fill vacancies due to the retirement of Chief Justice Ron Castille and Justice Seamus McCaffery—will serve on the Commonwealth’s highest court until 2016.
For bios on the nominees, go to: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020439.HTM
Finally, ex-Treasurer Rob McCord had his fair share of media attention this week. McCord, who resigned abruptly late last week, was charged with extortion on Monday afternoon. Though McCord pled guilty, it’s unclear what the severity of his sentence will be.
For more, check out:
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/02/feds_charge_former_state_treas.html
http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020397.HTM
Meanwhile, it was business as usual in the General Assembly. As we mentioned last week, the Senate Finance Committee held a public hearing on S.B. 4 (Aument, R-36 and Scarnati, R-25), related to purely public charities. The committee heard testimony from Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, as well as several law professors and a representative of the National Council on Nonprofits.
To view the hearing, go to:
The House Judiciary Committee also met to consider several bills, one of which was H.B. 229 (Marsico, R-105). In order to keep the law moving as quickly as technology, the bill addresses the offense of “cyber-bullying.” Despite a debate surrounding free-speech and other constitutional concerns, the bill passed the committee unanimously. Also, H.B. 210 (Grove, R-196), which would revise the school construction reimbursement process, was reported from the House Education Committee with a unanimous vote.
A Look Ahead:
The Senate has adjourned until Tuesday, February 17, but the House will continue its business next week, convening on Monday at 1:00 p.m.
To view the House calendar, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SessionCalendars/index.cfm?Chamber=H
While the calendar may still seem a little light, the committees continue to keep busy. On Tuesday, the House Consumer Affairs Committee will meet to hear the legislative priorities of agencies and offices that regularly interact with the committee, such as the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission.
Check out the PUC here: http://www.puc.state.pa.us/
Wednesday, the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold an informational meeting on H.B. 264 (Mustio, R-44), which would establish standards for carbon monoxide alarms in dependent care facilities.
For more on H.B. 264, see: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=264
Also on Wednesday, the House Children and Youth Committee will hold an informational meeting to review recent changes to the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL). Last session, a number or changes to the CPSL were enacted based on the report of the Task Force on Child Protection; most of them went into effect on January 1 of this year.
To read the report of the Task Force on Child Protection, see: http://www.childprotection.state.pa.us/
The House Professional Licensure Committee will hold a meeting to consider H.B. 75 (Kauffman, R-89), which would require that pharmacies outside PA register with the State Board of Pharmacy if they fill prescriptions for Pennsylvania residents. The committee will also take up H.B. 182 (Grove, R-196) which would allow pharmacists the ability to give flu vaccines to patients over seven years of age.
For more on H.B. 75, go to: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=0075
For more on H.B. 182, go to: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billinfo/billinfo.cfm?syear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=182
Finally, on Thursday, the House Gaming Oversight Committee will hold a public hearing on electronic gaming devices.
For a full list of committee meetings, check out: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/CMS/index.cfm?Chamber=H
In other news:
Tuesday marked one month until the Governor’s budget address, which will be held on Tuesday, March 3.
For more about the budget and the budget process, check out: http://www.budget.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/office_of_the_budget____home/4408
The Department of Revenue released January 2015 collections, which were 3.9 percent higher than expected.
See: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020266.HTM
Gov. Wolf has announced a special enrollment period for families that participate in CHIP.
Read more: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020570.HTM
Attorney General Kathleen Kane announced that Pennsylvania is to receive $21.5 million in a settlement with Standard & Poor.
For more: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020384.HTM
Gov. Wolf says it’s GO-TIME; established the Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency.
See: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020570.HTM
Gov. Wolf is urging the independent agencies to take a page from his wide-open book and adopt a gift ban.
Check out: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015020391.HTM
That’s the news as we know it. As always, things can change; stay tuned to this blog or follow us on Twitter @BuchananGov for updates.