March 25, 2016

Weekly Wrap:

It’s finally over. Yes winter is over, but more importantly, the 2015-2016 budget impasse is too. Gov. Tom Wolf announced at a press conference on Wednesday that he will allow the $30 billion budget bill to become law without his signature. In addition, non-preferred appropriations for state-related universities will also become law, increasing the institutions’ totals from the previous fiscal year.

If you thought that the aforementioned news seems too good to be true, you’d be correct. Gov. Wolf plans to use his pen to veto the companion Fiscal Code bill, which would lay out how the money is spent. Uncertainty is the name of the game with the impending veto. State agencies and schools will receive their appropriations set out in line items, but directives on how they should use the funds remains a mystery. The main concerns the administration had with the Fiscal Code legislation were the impact on the state’s Clean Power Plan, new oil and gas regulations and a new basic education funding formula.

Catch up on all the budget happenings from this week: https://www.buchanangovernmentrelations.com/worth-another-look/

On Monday, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services held a public hearing on the Department of Human Services’ long-term care programs. Much of the discussion revolved around the current landscape of Medicaid-funded services in Pennsylvania and what the future holds. With the implementation of the new Community HealthChoices (CHC) program, a shift from traditional nursing home and hospital care to home and community-based care is expected to take place. DHS representatives and committee members discussed the impact of the CHC and its pros and cons.

House Gaming Oversight committee held a public hearing on the consolidation of regulatory oversight of gaming to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Presently, the Department of Revenue has enforcement authority other manufacturers and distributors only, while the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) is responsible for everything else. If Chairman Payne’s (R-Dauphin) H.B. 1891 were enacted, all oversight would shift to PGCB’s jurisdiction. The bill has support from the Department of Revenue and the PGCB seems to be on board too. However, PGCB Executive Director Kevin O’Toole wants to be sure that small games of chance are treated differently and casinos would not regulate them in the future.

A busy start to the week continued when the House Democratic Policy committee held an informational hearing on whether Pennsylvania should incentivize natural gas. Testifiers included representatives from Commonwealth agencies, academia, and the energy industry. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) stated that “there is currently disagreement among those who want to combat climate change as to the role of natural gas should play, and whether incentives for its production and demand are necessary.” Some Democrats believe that incentives should go toward renewable energy and conservation measures. On the other hand, Republicans such as Speaker Turzai (R-Allegheny) are proponents of natural gas incentives. Speaker Turzai even authored a bill, H.B. 1731, which provides a tax credit and other benefits to natural gas producers.

On Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy committee voted favorably and reported as committed S.B. 1114 (Yaw, R-Lycoming). The bill would allow companies to include alternative systems in their site planning for newly developed sewage facilities. Currently, alternative systems may only be installed after a conventional system is in place. Using alternative systems can increase the area in which a system can be installed and decrease inefficient land usage.

Other than the budget, Wednesday was a quiet day at the Capitol. Thursday was starting to look the same until the Court of Judicial Discipline announced they were imposing a $50,000 fine against former Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Michael Eakin for his involvement in the Porngate scandal.

Read more details and the court order: http://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/03/pa_supreme_court_justice_eakin_1.html

A Look Ahead:

No committee meetings or session days are on the schedule for next week. Both the House and Senate return to Harrisburg for session April 4-6.

In other news: