March 26, 2021

Weekly Wrap

As the Capitol opened to the public for the first time in 2021, the House of Representatives and Senate were in session for three days.

On Monday, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held an informational meeting on hydrogen power and carbon capture. Also, the House Insurance Committee held an informational meeting examining transparency in prescription drug pricing. Furthermore, the House State Government Committee held an informational meeting on agency regulatory/statutory suspensions and innovation due to COVID-19.

The House Urban Affairs Committee reported out three bills:

  • H.B. 264 (Heffley, R-Carbon), which would amend the Real Estate Tax Sale law by requiring a pre-registration process for all potential bidders prior to the sale;
  • H.B. 581 (Solomon, D-Philadelphia), which would allow local taxing authorities to expand access to affordable housing through tax abatements or exemptions; and
  • H.B. 827 (Gillespie, R-Lancaster), which would allow local governments to develop micro-enterprises in downtown business communities.

The calendar was filled on Tuesday, with two hearings to highlight. First, the House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing regarding the “State of the Electricity Market”, noting the 25th anniversary of the Electricity Generation Customer Choice and Competition Act. Second, the House Human Services Committee held an informational meeting on warm hand-offs to treatment for individuals with a substance use disorder.

In the House, the House Transportation Committee reported out two bills of note: H.B. 37 (Brown, R-Monroe), which would prohibit the use of hand-held interactive wireless communications devices while operating a motor vehicle; and H.B. 521 (Stephens, R-Montgomery), which would authorize courts to require an alcohol monitoring device as a condition of bail, probation, or parole for repeat DUI offenders.

The House Commerce Committee reported out three bills:

  • H.B. 267 (Shusterman, D-Chester), which would ensure businesses using the Second Stage Loan Program create more job opportunities;
  • H.B. 331 (Brown, R-Monroe), which would authorize certain financial institutions to offer incentives for saving money; and
  • H.B. 747 (Roae, R-Crawford), which would prohibit the Governor from closing retail stores during a declaration of disaster emergency if they follow certain protocols.

In the Senate, the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee reported out S.B. 115 (Boscola, D-Northampton), which would authorize the Commonwealth to join the Nurse Licensure Compact, and S.B. 435 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would establish the Clean Transportation Infrastructure Act to create a framework for building out electric, natural gas, and hydrogen vehicles.

The Senate Aging and Youth Committee reported out S.B. 323 (Ward, R-Blair), which would extend the current PACE/PACENET Social Security COLA moratorium until December 31, 2023. In addition, the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee reported out S.B. 251 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would set standards for the application of fertilizer to turf, provide for labels and labeling, and provide for the disposition of funds.

There was a full agenda for the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, as four bills were reported out:

  • S.B. 108 (Bartolotta, R-Washington), which would dedicate additional Medicaid funding to facilities demonstrating a significant commitment to caring for patients requiring ventilator and tracheostomy services;
  • S.B. 156 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would allow individuals with disabilities to increase earnings under a new category of Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities;
  • S.B. 317 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which would provide for the authority to prescribe or personally furnish antibiotics to treat sexually transmitted infections without having examined the individual for whom the drug is intended
  • H.B. 203 (Toohil, R-Luzerne), which would prohibit discrimination by an insurer based on an insured’s status as a living organ or tissue donor.

On the House floor, two bills passed finally and head to the Senate for consideration: H.B. 192 (Topper, R-Bedford), which would allow Pennsylvania to fully join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact; and H.B. 245 (Kaufer, R-Luzerne), which would reduce the graduate medical training required for international medical graduates from three to two years. The House also passed H.R. 68 (Rapp, R-Warren), which would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study to review the availability of dental services in rural areas of the state.

Wednesday, the House Finance Committee met and reported out H.B. 430 (Emrick, R-Northampton), which would waive the 10 percent penalty during the first year of ownership for property owners who did not receive their tax bill, and H.B. 766 (Greiner, R-Lancaster), which would change the due date of corporate tax returns from 30 days after the due date of the federal return to the 15th day of the month following the due date of the federal return.

The House Gaming Oversight Committee reported out H.B. 290 (Warner, R-Fayette), which would allow Small Games of Chance licensees to conduct online games and transactions during the duration of the COVID-19 emergency declaration. The House Local Government Committee reported out H.B. 957 (Moul, R-Adams), which would allow owners of multiple properties or buildings with multiple units that are served by a single meter to request to be metered and billed as any other commercial customer. Also, H.B. 605 (Ecker, R-Adams) was reported from the House Judiciary Committee. The bill require certain cases alleging personal injury damages as a result of exposure to COVID-19 to be subject to expedited compulsory arbitration programs.

There were three bills reported from the House State Government Committee:

  • HB 39 (Grove, R-York), which would direct of the Office of the Budget to expand Recovery Audits Contracts (RACs) to include any program which expends over $50 million;
  • H.B. 120 (Ryan, R-Lebanon), which would establish a commission to analyze past and projected economic conditions to secure the solvency of the Commonwealth; and
  • H.B. 854 (Ecker, R-Adams), which would require an executive agency or contractor to preserve certain records pertaining to COVID-19.

The Senate Finance Committee reported out three bills as well:

  • S.B. 74 (Martin, R-Lancaster), which would allow companies to apply for a tax credit after making an eligible donation to a Pennsylvania pediatric cancer research hospital;
  • S.B. 286 (Bartolotta, R-Washington), which would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution by limiting total spending in a fiscal year to no more than the spending appropriation limit; and
  • H.B. 230 (Ryan, R-Lebanon), which would require the Independent Fiscal Office to prepare a revenue estimate for a proposed bill or amendment with a fiscal impact over $25 million.

Finally, on the House floor, three bills passed finally and will now be considered by the Senate:

  • H.B. 63 (Lawrence, R-Chester), which would permit an individual who has been authorized to administer a COVID-19 vaccine by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to administer vaccines;
  • H.B. 325 (Greiner, R-Lancaster), which would allow boards and commissions under the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs to issue an advisory opinion concerning the meaning or interpretation of an act or regulation; and   
  • H.B. 649 (Rapp, R-Warren), which would require the Department of Health to establish protocols to permit an essential caregiver to provide support to a congregate care facility resident during a declaration of disaster emergency.

The Week Ahead

The House is in recess until April 5 and the full Senate won’t return to Harrisburg until April 19. Senate budget hearings continue on April 6.

However, next week the House State Government will meet on Wednesday to hold a public hearing on PPE procurement, storage, and distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee will meet again the following day for a public hearing on election integrity and accessibility policy. 

A full list of committee meetings can be found here:

House

Senate

In Other News

  • Governor Wolf announced a major clean energy initiative that will produce nearly 50 percent of state government’s electricity through seven new solar energy arrays totaling 191-megawatts to be built around the state.
  • The Governor announced the nomination of Acting Secretary Veronica Degraffenreid to serve as the next Secretary of the Commonwealth.
  • The Governor announced his intention to nominate Meg Snead to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Human Services (DHS). Current DHS Secretary Teresa Miller will depart the administration effective April 30, 2021.
  • Acting Secretary of Health Alison Beam signed an amended order indicating that certain vaccine providers must work with local Area Agencies on Aging and Medical Assistance Managed Care Organizations to schedule adults eligible in Phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan.