May 28, 2021

Weekly Wrap

With the Memorial Day Weekend almost in reach, the House of Representatives and Senate were in session for three days this week in what was one of the busiest weeks of the year.

On Monday, the House Labor and Industry Committee held a public hearing on unemployment compensation and claimants’ transition to work. Also, the House Education Committee held a joint public hearing with the House Human Services Committee on secondary student mental health services.

The House Appropriations Committee reported out H.B. 1348 (Saylor, R-York), which would allow for the transfer of federal money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Block Grant to the Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant and the Social Services Block Grant.

Two bills of note were reported out of the House Transportation Committee: S.B. 114 (Boscola, D-Northampton), which would require the removal of accumulated ice or snow from motor vehicles or motor carrier vehicles; and S.B. 445 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would give individuals renewing their vehicle registration or driver’s license an option to donate to the Breast Cancer Coalition.

The House Health Committee reported out H.B. 1024 (Schemel, R-Franklin), which would make changes to the Medical Marijuana Act; and S.B. 425 (Gordner, R-Columbia), which would address informed consent under the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare) Act. In addition, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee reported out the following bills:

  • S.B. 618 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would prohibit the use of vaccine passports;
  • S.B. 620 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would require the inclusion of local pharmacies in the COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan;
  • S.B. 621 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would require COVID-19 vaccine providers to publish their allocations on a weekly basis; and
  • S.B. 671 (Hutchinson, R-Venango), which would extend the waiver and administrative flexibilities provided to the health care industry under the COVID-19 emergency declaration for an additional year. 

The Senate Communications and Technology Committee reported out S.B. 696 (Laughlin, R-Erie), which would update the Breach of Personal Information Notification Act. Then on the House floor, H.B. 1264 (Owlett, R-Tioga) passed finally and will go to the Senate for consideration. The bill would require the review of personal protective equipment, COVID-19 vaccines and COVID-19 tests.

Tuesday was highlighted by the House State Government Committee reporting out H.R. 106 (Benninghoff, R-Centre), which would terminate portions of the Governor’s proclamation of disaster emergency relating to COVID-19.

The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee held a joint public hearing with the Senate Local Government Committee on utility scale solar development and related local government ordinances. Furthermore, the House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing on telecommunications deployment.

The House Human Services Committee reported out:

  • H.B. 404 (Galloway, D-Bucks), which would establish a statewide children’s mental health ombudsman;
  • H.B. 409 (Galloway, D-Bucks), which would establish a mental health care services clearinghouse;
  • H.B. 1420 (Thomas, R-Bucks), which would establish a public awareness campaign to provide information on programs and services available for individuals suffering from mental health issues related to COVID-19; and
  • S.B. 108 (Bartolotta, R-Washington), which would provide for additional payments for eligible Medicaid ventilator and tracheostomy day for qualified medical assistance nonpublic and county nursing facilities.

Four bills were also reported from the House Labor and Industry Committee:

  • H.B. 508 (Cox, R-Berks), which would phase out the state’s participation in federal unemployment programs;
  • H.B. 922 (Davanzo, R-Westmoreland), which would return how third party settlements are handled under the Workers Compensation Act;
  • H.B. 993 (Roae, R-Crawford), which would provide a waiver of fees charged by the Department of Labor of Industry for school districts; and
  • H.B. 1387 (Nelson, R-Westmoreland), which would require a claimant receiving benefits from the Uninsured Employers’ Guaranty Fund to demonstrate proof of wages in order to receive a wage loss benefit.

The House Urban Affairs Committee reported out: H.B. 610 (Davis, D-Allegheny), which would give landbanks the same protections given to redevelopment authorities when dealing with environmentally compromised properties; and H.B. 730 (Brown, R-Monroe), which would establish the first-time homebuyers saving account program. Additionally, the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee reported out S.B. 597 (Stefano, R-Fayette), which would provide for water and wastewater asset management plans.

Lastly for committees, the Senate Finance Committee reported out:

  • S.B. 288 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would allow a manufacturer that makes a private capital investment of over $1 million to claim a deduction against its taxable income for a period of five years;
  • S.B. 681 (Yudichak, I-Luzerne), which would allow two one-year carryforward provisions for tax credits purchased in 2020 and 2021; and
  • S.B. 682 (Yudichak, I-Luzerne), which would extend the eligibility time frame for the Keystone Innovation Zone tax credit program.

The House finally passed two bills to note that will make their way to the Senate for consideration: H.B. 406 (Cox, R-Berks), which would require that the Department of Labor and Industry reinstitute the work search and CareerLink registration requirements for unemployment compensation claimants; and H.B. 1144 (Causer, R-McKean), which would provide for the regulation of the conventional oil and gas industry.

Similarly, the Senate passed four bills that now head to the House:

  • S.B. 243 (Pittman, R-Indiana), which would allow small games of chance fundraisers to be conducted online;
  • S.B. 341 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would modernize and streamline regulations that apply to landline telephone companies;
  • S.B. 426 (Gordner, R-Columbia), which would provide additional legislative oversight of the regulatory review process; and
  • S.B. 442 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would direct the Department of General Services to conduct an inventory of state-owned communication towers, poles, buildings, and facilities.

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee reported out H.B. 681 (Ecker, R-Adams), which would prohibit the use of non-compete agreements in employment of health care practitioners. Also, the House Education Committee reported out S.B. 664 (Corman, R-Centre), which would give parents the option to have their child repeat a grade level during the 2021-2022 school year due to COVID-19.

The House Finance Committee reported out three bills:

  • H.B. 1059 (Hickernell, R-Lancaster), which would increase the Personal Income Tax threshold in which a taxpayer is required to make estimated payments from $8,000 to $20,000;
  • H.B. 1303 (Ortitay, R-Allegheny), which would increase the integrity and transparency in the administration of tax credit and tax benefit programs; and
  • S.B. 74 (Martin, R-Lancaster), which would establish a tax credit for pediatric cancer research.

The Senate Labor and Industry Committee also had three bills on their agenda that were reported out:

  • S.B. 567 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would require the state to adopt the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers Guidance Version 4.0 to identify the base level of essential business operations and services during a disaster declaration;
  • S.B. 617 (Tartaglione, D-Philadelphia), which would extend the rights of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to siblings, grandparents and grandchildren in certain, specific cases; and
  • S.B. 689 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which would reinstate work search requirements for unemployment compensation claimants.

The House Consumer Affairs Committee held a joint public hearing with the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Government and Financial Oversight on Title 66 Section 1329 acquisitions (valuation of acquired water and wastewater systems).

Then, the Senate passed three bills that will now be considered by the House:

  • S.B. 28 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would provide for the management, tracking, and oversight of permit applications by state agencies;
  • S.B. 126 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would require a review of regulations with an economic impact of over $1 million; and
  • S.B. 520 (DiSanto, R-Dauphin), which would require concurrent resolutions by the General Assembly for regulations with an impact of over $1 million.

The Week Ahead

Both chambers stand in recess until Monday, June 7.

A full list of committee meetings can be found here:

House

Senate

In Other News

  • Department of Health Acting Secretary Alison Beam announced that the Commonwealth’s mask order will be lifted by June 28. 
  • The Department of Labor & Industry announced that work search requirements for individuals receiving unemployment benefits will restart the week of July 11.
  • The Administration announced the creation of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office to lead efforts with state agencies and employers across the Commonwealth.
  • Acting Secretary of State Veronica Degraffenreid outlined the findings of the Office of State Inspector General’s report on the Department of State’s failure to advertise a constitutional amendment.