With fall in the air, the General Assembly returns to Harrisburg on Monday, September 15 after a two-month summer break. There are only 11 session days scheduled for the remainder of the session, and with November’s election looming, the fall legislative agenda is anything but written in stone.
When the General Assembly recessed after the budget was completed in early July, speculation ensued about the fate of liquor privatization, pension reform and even property tax reform proposals. However, just days before they are set to reconvene, there is no clear indication from the legislature if these big-ticket items are on their docket.
The ambiguity isn’t unwarranted. Major reforms like these require consensus-building and coalitions that often reach across party lines. However, due to recent polling in the gubernatorial race and with the balance of power of the two chambers potentially up for grabs, there is just enough uncertainty in Harrisburg to leave only the smallest of cracks in the window of opportunity for any sweeping proposals. Even the Governor made statements late this week that he would call on the legislature to hold a special session on pension reform, but only after his re-election is secured.
This is not to say the legislature doesn’t have unfinished business to deal with when they come back. As part of the final budget negotiations, the House and Senate never finally passed H.B. 1177, which, among other things, would have allowed the city of Philadelphia to increase its cigarette tax to fund city schools. The schools opened on time this year, thanks to a stopgap funding measure; however, future funding is unclear. H.B. 1177 is in House Rules Committee; it could come up for a vote at any time if an agreement is reached.
In addition to these being the final legislative days of the year, they are also final days of the legislative session. That means bills that aren’t passed this fall will have to be re-introduced and start the process all over again next year. There is no indication that a lame-duck session will be held after the election. In fact, the legislature hasn’t convened a lame-duck session in years as part of the government reform movement. So, we are at the ready for a wild ride as these final days will most likely be used for clean-up and booting out bills that might not grab headlines but are of importance to the individuals and organizations pushing them.
In Harrisburg, we believe in expecting the unexpected, but in the meantime, we always have to start with what we know. So, here’s what, as of this publication, we know is coming up next week:
The House and Senate will both reconvene on Monday, September 15, at 1pm. They are scheduled for three days of session next week. On the committee front, there are a number of both voting meetings and public hearings.
The standing committee schedule is already heavy. The House Finance, Urban Affairs, Education Health, Environmental Resources and Energy, and Appropriations Committees are all set to meet on Monday, and their agendas cover everything from soup to nuts. Of note, the House Finance Committee will meet at 10am in Room 205 of the Ryan Building to consider two bills to lower the debt ceiling for capital projects—H.B. 2419 and H.B. 2420. Also, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will meet at noon in Room 39 EW. They’ll consider H.B. 925, calling for a study of wind turbines, and H.B. 1565, amending the Clean Streams Law. Additionally, the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled for an off-the-floor meeting; their to-do list includes S.B. 850, amending the PA Donate Life Act, which updates current law to reflect best practices in the area of anatomical donations.
After passing unanimously in the Senate, S.B. 1164 has been placed on the House Week Ahead for Monday. This bill would provide drug overdose response immunity for those individuals that report or are experiencing a drug overdose. In addition, another bill, S.B. 1267, is on the House Week Ahead that unanimously passed in the upper chamber. The bill would extend the expiration date of the Health Care Cost Containment Act from 2014 to 2017.
The activity continues on Tuesday when several committees will hold public hearings while others will hold voting meetings. The day kicks off at 9am in Room 60 EW when the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold a public hearing to take testimony on the EPA’s new coal regulations. Meanwhile, the House Labor and Industry Committee will meet in Room G-50 of the Irvis Office Building to consider S.B. 1023, amending the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act. Also on Tuesday, the Senate Transportation Committee will meet to consider legislation amending the Delaware River Port Authority Interstate Compact, which aims to require greater accountability from the DRPA. We also expect Senate Aging and Youth, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, and Aging and Youth Committee meetings in the Senate on Tuesday.
Finally, the typically sleepy Wednesday will see its fair share of meetings. Among them, the House Health Committee will meet to consider a resolution calling for a study on health care workforce issues and a resolution calling for a study on the availably of services available to adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
By the time Wednesday has come and gone, there will only be eight session days left before the election. That would be just enough time for a new bill to be introduced, voted on the floor in each chamber and sent to the Governor for his signature. However, it seems unlikely that any new proposals will go the distance this fall. If anything does get legs, you can read about it on this blog, or follow us on Twitter @BuchananGov.