October 21, 2016

Weekly Wrap:

One week down, one to go. This was the second to last week scheduled for legislative action in 2016, and both chambers were in Harrisburg for three days of voting session. There was plenty of activity on the House and Senate Floors, as well as in the committees, as the legislature gets ready to call lights out on the 200th session of the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

On Monday, the House Appropriations Committee reported out H.B. 1885 (White, R-Philadelphia), which would penalize local governments that hold themselves out as “sanctuary cities.” The bill passed the House later that day by a vote of 136-55. The House Appropriations Committee also sent H.B. 2303 (Causer, R-Cameron) to the full floor for consideration; the bill, which would fix the breeders stakes payment, later passed the House by a vote of 192-00. (These bills might be on the fast-track for these final days of session- both were reported from Senate committees and are now on second consideration).

Further, the House Consumer Affairs Committee reported S.B. 881 (Blake, D-Lackawanna) to the full floor for consideration, which would amend the definition of “public utility” to include “wastewater” collection, treatment and disposal. The House Education Committee reported out H.B. 2381 (Turzai, R-Allegheny), which would allow students in vo-tech programs to demonstrate proficiency on an a test developed by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (or NOTCI) exam, which was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee and passed by the full House later in the week.

On the Senate side, on Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out H.B. 423 (Simmons, R-Lehigh) allowing school bus drivers to administer epi-pens, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee reported out H.B. 1737 (Maher, R-Allegheny),which provides for the safe disposal or destruction of pharmaceuticals, and the Senate Law and Justice Committee reported out H.B. 1538 (White, R-Philadelphia), providing for the release of information regarding a law enforcement officer when a firearm is discharged or force is used.

Tuesday was no less busy. The House Appropriations Committee sent H.B. 1516 (Farry, R-Bucks) to the full floor for consideration; the bill criminalizes leaving an animal in an unattended vehicle in extreme weather conditions. The House later passed the bill with a vote of 192-00. The House Consumer Affairs Committee also met to consider S.B. 1235 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which, as amended, would extend the PA One Call System for another year. Finally, the House Local Government Committee reported out H.R.1053 (Gingrich, R-Lebanon), establishing a task force on the property assessment process in the Commonwealth.

Meanwhile in the Senate, the Appropriations Committee reported out H.B. 850 (Mackenzie, R-Berks), modernizing the Money Transmission Business Licensing Law. The Senate also passed S.R. 385 (Brooks, R-Crawford), directing the Joint State Government Commission to study which of Pennsylvania’s environmental laws contain more stringent standards than required by federal law.

With only three voting session days in a typical week, sometimes a Wednesday feels like a Friday in the state capitol, but not this week. The House Appropriations Committee sent S.B. 984 (Bartolotta, R-Beaver) to the full floor for consideration, which would authorize and regulate transportation network services in the Commonwealth. The bill passed the House by a vote of 188-00, but not before being amended; it will return to the Senate for concurrence next week.

And finally, on Wednesday, the Senate finally passed three bills that will now head to Gov. Wolf for his signature: H.B. 447 (Saylor, R-York), providing for payments on residential leases in the event of a tenant’s death; and H.B. 1841 and H.B. 1842 (Both by Killion, R-Chester), which would amend the Medical Practice Act and the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act, respectively, to provide for licensing of perfusionists.

Special Update on Opioids:

Both the House and Senate advanced efforts to combat opioid abuse and addiction in the Commonwealth this week. On Tuesday, the House Health Committee reported out H.B. 2352 (Baker, R-Bradford), which would regulate pain management clinics, S.B. 1367 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would require a health care professional to receive written consent from a parent or legal guardian in order to prescribe opioids, and also, to discuss the risks and dangers  and S.B. 1368 (Killion, R-Chester ), which would require licensing boards to implement a curriculum on controlled substances and opioids that will be offered at colleges or by providers approved by the licensing boards. The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee reported out H.B. 1699 (Brown, R-Monroe) providing that a health care practitioner may not prescribe more than seven days’ worth of an opioid product to an individual seeking treatment at an emergency room or  urgent care center. On Wednesday, the House Professional Licensure Committee sent S.B. 1202 (Yaw, R-Bradford) to the full floor; it would require that “pain management” and “prescribing practices of opioids” be included in continuing medical education credits, and the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee sent H.B. 1698 (Heffley, R -Carbon) to the full floor, which would require insurance plans to provide access to abuse-deterrent opioid analgesic drugs. Also this week, the Governor thanked the law enforcement community for their commitment to battling the opioid epidemic.

Read more here: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2016/2016101766.HTM

A Look Ahead:

Expect busy days next week, as the House and Senate both race to finish up their legislative agendas before breaking for the November 8 election. It’s likely that most of the action next week will be on the House and Senate floors and in the Rules and Appropriations Committees, since any bill reported from a standing committee might not have enough time to reach final passage by weeks end. Neither chamber is expected back in November after the election, so anything that doesn’t make it to the finish line next week will die on the vine.

On Monday, the House Insurance committee will hold an informational hearing on bills that would address insurance coverage for autism spectrum disorders: H.B. 1559 (Murt, R-Montgomery) and H.B. 2010 (Quinn, R-Bucks).

Read H.B. 1559 here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1559

Read H.B. 2010 here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=2010

The House Transportation Committee will also meet to consider a number of bills, among them is S.B. 840 (Argall, R-Berks), which would establish an automated speed enforcement pilot program.

Read S.B. 840 here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0840

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will hold an informational meeting on the implementation of Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program. And, on Wednesday, the House and Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committees will hold a joint informational meeting on the Commonwealth’s veteran’s programs, services and organizations. To wrap up the week, the House Liquor Control Committee will hear updates on the implementation of Act 39 of 2016 (Turzai, R-Allegheny), a liquor modernization bill enacted earlier this year.

For a full list of committee meetings, go to: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/session.cfm

Notable action on the House floor scheduled for next week is expected to include S.B. 1235 (Baker, R-Luzerne) reauthorizing PA One Call; opioid related bills S.B. 1367 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), S.B. 1368 (Killion, R-Delaware) and S.B. 1202 (Yaw, R-Lycoming); S.B. 1265 (White, R-Armstrong), authorizing the use of payroll debit card; S.B. 594 (Dinniman, D-Chester), addressing pet cruelty; S.B. 881 (Blake, D-Lackawanna), changing the definition of “public utility”; and H.B. 530 (Reese, R-Somerset),  providing for charter school reform.

For a complete list of bills slated for floor action, check out The Week Ahead: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SessionCalendars/index.cfm?Chamber=H

And the Senate Calendar: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SessionCalendars/index.cfm?Chamber=S

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