Weekly Wrap

Pennsylvania’s budget deadline is just about two months away, and the General Assembly got to work this week positioning bills that could eventually be used as part of a 2017-2018 state spending plan. Expansion of gaming in the Commonwealth as well as privatization of the state liquor stores have been put forward as ways to raise the revenue needed for a balanced budget.

In the gaming space, H.B. 519 (Matzie, D-Beaver), legalizing sports betting, and H.B. 865 (Dunbar, R-Westmoreland), legalizing fantasy sports, were both reported from the House Gaming Oversight Committee on Tuesday. The Committee also reported out H.B. 864 (Mustio, R-Allegheny), which permits the Pittsburgh International Airport to conduct 50-50 raffles, and H.B. 965 (Masser, R-Northumberland), which requires the PA Gaming Control Board to begin assessing casinos for repayment of the $36.1 million in loans that were authorized under the PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act.

Moving onto liquor, the following bills were reported out of the House Appropriations Committee and passed finally in the House: H.B. 438 (Reese, R-Westmoreland), which establishes a spirit expanded permit; H.B. 975 (Turzai, R-Allegheny), which “frees the wine”; H.B. 991 (Harris, R-Juniata), creates a retail franchise store license; and H.B. 1075 (Turzai, R-Allegheny), which provides for the divestiture of the wholesale system of wine and spirits.

There was also plenty of other business under the dome this week. On Monday, H.B. 97 (Reese, R-Westmoreland) was reported from the House Appropriations Committee and Tuesday the bill passed on the House floor by a vote of Y:108/N:84. The legislation makes reforms to the Charter School Law.

Also on Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee moved H.B. 224 (Simmons, R-Lehigh) through and onto the Senate Calendar. The bill applies the Good Samaritan civil immunity to school bus drivers who administer epi-pens to students, provided the school bus driver complies with policy and completes necessary training.

On Tuesday, H.B. 1071 (Farry, R-Bucks), which prohibits a political subdivision from imposing a ban, fee, surcharge or tax on recyclable plastic bags at the point of sale, was reported from the House Appropriations Committee and passed finally by a vote of Y:102/N:87. In the House Finance Committee, a small business tax fairness package of legislation made its way through the Committee. The following bills are a part of the package: H.B. 331 (Bloom, R-Cumberland), allowing for like-kind exchanges, which provide for a tax-deferral when property is exchanged for a similar property; H.B. 332 (Grove, R-York), allowing small businesses to use the Net Operating Loss deduction; and H.B. 333 (Nelson, R-Westmoreland), allowing small businesses to take the full 179 deduction when purchasing qualifying machinery and equipment .

H.B. 454 (DeLuca, D-Allegheny) was reported from the House Professional Licensure Committee. The bill requires pharmacy technicians to register with the State Board of Pharmacy. In the Senate, the Labor and Industry Committee reported as amended S.B. 269 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which reforms the Uniform Commercial Code review process. The same day, the companion bill, H.B. 409 (Evankovich, R-Westmoreland), passed finally in the House and will now be considered by the Senate. The House Urban Affairs Committee reported two bills from Committee: H.B. 352 (Culver, R-Northumberland), reducing the standard period of time needed to acquire a title through adverse possession under specified circumstances; and H.B. 653 (Masser, R-Northumberland), providing for an accelerated foreclosure process for vacant and abandoned property.

Two Senate Committees held public hearings on Tuesday. First, the Senate Transportation Committee heard from PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards on the “Twelve Year Program and Project Itemization.” Sec. Richards said “the Twelve Year Program is a multimodal, fiscally constrained program of transportation improvements.” This includes highways, bridges, public transit, aviation, rail freight, bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Second, the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee held a joint public hearing with the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Education, Workforce, Community and Economic Development on the proposed lease-leaseback arrangement for the Farm Show Complex. The proposal estimates that the state will receive $200 million in return.

On Wednesday, H.B. 395 (DiGirolamo, R-Bucks) was reported from the House Appropriations Committee and unanimously passed on the House floor. The bill exempts epilepsy drugs from the Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions Program (ABC-MAP). Staying on the topic of health care, the House Children and Youth Committee held a public hearing to discuss the impact of the opioid abuse epidemic on infants and children. The House Consumer Affairs Committee also held a public hearing. The Committee heard testimony from stakeholders on H.B. 107 (Godshall, R-Montgomery), which authorizes natural gas distribution companies to, with PUC approval, establish a distribution system extension charge to cover the costs of expanding a system to underserved areas. Also in the energy sector, H.B 187 (Sonney, R-Erie), which provides a preserved farmland owner with 50+ acres the access to grant a right-of-way to install a wind power generation system, was reported from the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee. Wrapping up the week on a controversial note, the Senate Finance Committee reported S.B. 300 (Eichelberger, R-Blair) from their committee. The bill would effectively defund Planned Parenthood.

Week Ahead

With no session days next week, some committees are hitting the road to hold hearings throughout the state. One exception is the House Gaming Oversight Committee, which will be in the Capitol on Monday for a public hearing on video gaming terminals. Also on Monday, the Senate Aging and Youth, Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services, Intergovernmental Operations and Health and Human Services Committees will hold a joint public hearing on the impact of the proposed consolidation of Departments.

The House Democratic Policy Committee is keeping busy next week. Monday, members are in Wilkes-Barre for a public hearing on Marcellus Share severance tax. Tuesday the Committee is in Olyphant for a public hearing on human services and Wednesday they head to Tobyhanna for a public hearing on raising the minimum wage.

In Other News

  • The Department of Health gave an update on the Medical Marijuana Program, including a list of the applicants logged so far.
  • Governor Wolf secured a $26.5 Million federal grant to combat the heroin and opioid crisis.
  • A federal judge rejected former state Supreme Court Justice Joan Orie Melvin’s latest appeal.
  • Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack went to work this week without his usual security detail.