Weekly Wrap

Both the House of Representatives and Senate were in Harrisburg this week for session for the first time in 2018.

The new year kicked off on Monday with a joint public hearing of the House and Senate Local Government Committees on municipal pensions. On the Senate floor, S.B. 827 (Killion, R-Delaware) passed unanimously. The bill would authorize courts of common pleas to exercise jurisdiction over matters related to digital assets.

On Tuesday, the House State Government Committee reported out H.B. 153 (Knowles, R-Schuylkill) along party lines. The legislation would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution by reducing the number of legislative districts in the House of Representatives from 203 to 151. The same language passed last session and, if approved again this session, the proposal will become a ballot question for the voters to decide.

In the Senate, the nomination of Jerry Oleksiak as the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Industry was reported from the Labor and Industry Committee. Oleksiak has been serving as Acting Secretary since September 5, 2017. The Committee also reported out three bills of note: S.B. 963 (Ward, R-Westmoreland), which would allow employers to request an Impairment Rating Evaluation after receiving total disability compensation for a period of 104 weeks; H.B. 566 (Santora, R-Delaware), which would allow for the suspension of work if payment is not received by a contractor or subcontractor in accordance with the terms of the construction contract; and H.B. 1001 (Helm, R-Dauphin), which would require licensure for home inspectors.

The Senate Local Government Committee reported out S.B. 950 (Eichelberger, R-Blair), which would allow county commissioners the ability to implement a voluntary real estate sales verification form pilot program, and H.B. 1034 (Mako, R-Northampton), which would create a standardized procedure for the way municipal authorities handle funds. In addition, the Senate Republican Policy Committee held a public hearing on free speech issues on college campuses.

Moving to the House, the Labor and Industry Committee reported S.B. 936 (White, R-Indiana) from committee. The bill would require the Department of Labor and Industry to adopt an evidence-based prescription drug formulary. In the House Transportation Committee, H.B. 1958 (Rothman, R-Cumberland), which would authorize the use of automated work zone vehicles, and H.R. 385 (Heffley, R-Carbon), which would authorize a study of rail service between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, passed out of committee.

On the House floor, H.B. 1811 (Rothman, R-Cumberland), which would provide restrictions on automated license plate readers, unanimously passed. Furthermore, H.B. 1951 (Toohil, R-Luzerne), which limits the sale of over-the-counter cough medicines containing dextromethorphan to minors, and S.B. 354 (Tomlinson, R-Bucks), which would strengthen licensee reporting requirements to the Department of State’s licensing boards, also passed unanimously out of the House.

The Senate finally passed: S.B. 373 (Eichelberger, R-Blair), which would allow for direct payment for dental services to a provider; S.B. 851 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would clarify ownership of properties that are in the delinquent sale process; and S.B. 978 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which would give hospice staff the authority to destroy unused drugs following a patient’s death.

Finishing up the week, on Wednesday the House Appropriations Committee held a public hearing on special funds related to the Department of Community and Economic Development. The House State Government also held a public hearing on H.B. 1849 (Bloom, R-Cumberland), which would prohibit the use of project labor agreements (PLAs) on public construction projects. An information meeting was held by the House Professional Licensure Committee on nurse practitioner collaborative agreements. Lastly for committees, the Senate Transportation reported out S.B. 880 (Langerholc, R-Cambria), which would make the 102-inch-wide trailers the new standard on all Pennsylvania highways.

The House moved H.B. 825 (Heffley, R-Carbon), which would establish a detoxification bed registry, and H.B. 1884 (Quinn, R-Bucks), which would require a patient’s test results to be sent directly to the patient when there is a finding of a significant abnormality, through their chamber and onto the Senate for consideration.

S.B. 542 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which would allow for emergency prescription refills up to a 30-day supply, and H.B. 1448 (Cutler, R-Lancaster), which would require the Department of Education to provide a comparison search tool for colleges to high school students, passed in both chambers and will head to the Governor’s desk for his signature.

Four members announced this week they will not be running for reelection in 2018:

  • House Majority Leader Dave Reed (R-Indiana), who is running for Congress;
  • Rep. Adam Harris (R-Juniata), Chairman of the House Liquor Control Committee;
  • Rep. Kevin Haggerty (D-Lackawanna); and
  • Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A Look Ahead

As everyone gears up for the Governor’s budget address on February 6, just the Senate is in session next week.

On Monday, the Senate Education Committee will consider: H.B. 1653 (Quigley, R-Montgomery), which would make students enrolled in distance or online education programs eligible for state grants. The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee will hold a public hearing on S.B. 1019 (Vulakovich, R-Allegheny), which would rewrite the emergency management sections of Title 35 (Health & Safety) to enhance Pennsylvania’s ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural and manmade disasters.

Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will consider S.R. 104 (Bartolotta, R-Washington), which would urge the Governor to end the moratorium on natural gas drilling in state forest land, and S.R. 226 (Yudichak, D-Luzerne), which would provide for an evaluation of environmental permitting programs administered by the Department of Environmental Protection. The Senate Judiciary Committee will consider S.B. 922 (Langerholc, R-Cambria), which would create a substance abuse treatment program that will increase opportunities for courts to provide long-acting nonnarcotic, non-addictive medication in conjunction with comprehensive substance abuse programs.

The Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee will hold a public hearing on S.B. 721 (Reschenthaler, R-Allegheny), which would establish a hotel tax with funds going toward grants for tourism promotion. The Senate State Government Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss the recently released report issued by the Joint State Government Commission on “Voting Technology in Pennsylvania.”

Also on Tuesday, the House State Government Committee will hear a presentation by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission regarding a regulation, which clarifies definitions and procedures for delivery of regulations. The Committee will also receive a presentation from the Department of General Services on regulations, which would repeal obsolete provisions of various procurement-related regulations.

In Other News

  • Governor Wolf announced the administration’s plan to reduce permit backlogs, modernize permitting processes, and better utilize technology to improve both oversight and efficiency.
  • The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled the state’s congressional map unconstitutional, requiring legislators to redraw the map by February 9.
  • The state launched a new interactive database for drug prescribing and overdose information.
  • Governor Wolf announced that the state saved more than $217 million last year through Governor’s Office of Transformation, Innovation, Management and Efficiency (GO-TIME) efforts.
  • Stadium Casino, LLC, which operates Parx Casino, was the highest bidder at the second Category 4 casino auction.