Weekly Wrap

The hustle and bustle was back at the Capitol this week as the House of Representatives and Senate were in Harrisburg for a week of session. This was the first time both chambers were in session together since the budget passed in early July.

On Monday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held an informational meeting on carbon capture utilization, storage technology, and collaborative efforts to create a clean energy hub. Also, the House State Government Committee held a public hearing with the Department of General Services and the Department of Health on emergency procurement.

The House Transportation Committee reported out H.R. 130 (Ortitay, R-Allegheny), which would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study comparing PennDOT infrastructure projects process to other states and countries.

Then on the House floor, H.B. 2800 (Hickernell, R-Lancaster), which would update the licensure qualifications for prosthetists, orthotists, pedorthists, and orthotic fitters, passed finally and will now be considered by the Senate. S.B. 1237 (Vogel, R-Beaver), which would extend the sunset of temporary horse racing regulations by three years, also passed. The bill is on the Governor’s desk awaiting his signature before it becomes law.

Tuesday, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee held a public hearing on wellhead to stovetop – conveying energy in PA.

S.B. 225 (Phillips-Hill, R-York) was reported from the House Insurance Committee. The bill would streamline and standardize the process for prior authorization of medical services. The House Judiciary Committee reported out two bills of note: S.B. 1152 (Mastriano, R-Franklin), which would establish a procedure for reporting drug overdose incidents and entering incidents into a mapping system; and S.B. 1208 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which would allow a court to turn a defendant’s delinquent account over to a private collection agency if they fail to appear at a financial determination hearing.

The House finally passed H.B. 2806 (Thomas, R-Bucks), which will go to the Senate for consideration. The bill would establish public awareness campaign regarding the programs and services available for first responders, health care workers, other frontline workers, and their families experiencing mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Moving to the upper chamber, the Senate State Government Committee reported out H.B. 2524 (Schmitt, R-Blair) and S.B. 492 (Mastriano, R-Franklin), which would make omnibus changes to the Right-to-Know Law. The full Senate also passed S.B. 488 (Mastriano, R-Franklin), which would make changes to the Right-to-Know Law pertaining to state-related universities. That bill will now be considered by the House.

Furthermore, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee reported out three bills of note:

  • H.B. 2499 (Pickett, R-Bradford), which would establish data security standards for insurance companies;
  • S.B. 1225 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which would enhance insurance coverage for breast density screenings and other high-risk conditions for breast cancer; and
  • S.B. 1330 (Ward, R-Westmoreland), which would provide insurance coverage for life-saving genetic testing for hereditary cancers.

The Senate Finance Committee reported out the following bills:

  • H.B. 1059 (Hickernell, R-Lancaster), which would provide a phase-in schedule for increasing the threshold for making required quarterly estimated payments under the personal income tax;
  • H.B. 1377 (Boback, R-Luzerne), which would prohibit an entity from “hopping” from Keystone Opportunity Zone to another to receive multiple tax breaks;
  • H.B. 2057 (Roae, R-Mercer), which would make omnibus changes to corporation laws;
  • H.B. 2277 (Topper, R-Bedford), which would repeal the requirement for businesses to remit prepayments for their sales tax collections;
  • H.B. 2667 (Mercuri, R-Allegheny), which would provide for the regulation of remote mortgage brokers;
  • S.B. 1315 (Phillips-Hill, R-York), which would codify the temporary regulation pertaining to the imposition of the corporate net income tax for employees who work from home in Pennsylvania, but work for an out-of-state corporation; and
  • S.B. 1320 (Aument, R-Lancaster), which would provide an option for partnerships or S-corporations to be taxed on income generated at the entity-level rather than the existing pass-through methodology.

Additionally, four bills of note were reported from the Senate Judiciary Committee:

  • H.B. 1393 (Struzzi, R-Indiana), which would legalizing fentanyl test strips for personal use;
  • H.B. 2527 (Quinn, R-Delaware), which would provide Good Samaritan immunity and widespread availability of naloxone;
  • S.B. 1317 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which would establish the Indigent Defense Advisory Committee and establish a grant program; and
  • S.B. 1321 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which would allow the grantor or the creator of an irrevocable trust to pay state income taxes.

Wednesday, the House Gaming Oversight Committee held a public hearing on H.B. 2743 (Grove, R-York), which would eliminate the 50,000 gallons of diesel/biodiesel fuel requirement under the video gaming terminal law. The House Urban Affairs Committee held a public hearing on the limited market for attainable and affordable housing.

The House Children and Youth Committee reported out S.B. 522 (Baker, R-Luzerne), which would provide blood tests to detect lead poisoning for pregnant women and children. In addition, the House Labor and Industry Committee reported out S.B. 319 (Bartolotta, R-Washington), which would allow employers to recoup the benefits paid to an employee for medical expenses when the employee wins a verdict or settlement against a third party.  

The following bills passed finally in House and will be considered by the Senate:

  • H.B. 2425 (Flood, R-Northampton), which would require the Department of Health and Department of Human Services to communicate an abuse allegation concerning a resident of a long-term care facility to the appropriate entity responsible for investigation;
  • H.B. 2538 (DelRosso, R-Allegheny), which would continue the PA Lottery’s minimum profit margin for an additional five years;
  • H.B. 2682 (Roae, R-Mercer), which would provide that a veteran-owned business be considered a small diverse business; and
  • H.B. 2783 (Wentling, R-Mercer), which would provide for capital investment and repayment of loans within the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Program.

Lastly, the Senate passed two bills that will next be considered by the lower chamber: S.B. 1035 (Browne, R-Lehigh), which would update estate laws pertaining to trusts and create a new section on nonjudicial account settlement; and S.B. 1203 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would prohibit the Commonwealth from entering into contracts or providing grants or tax credits with persons associated with Russia and Belarus.

The Week Ahead

The Senate isn’t in session against until October 17 and the House on October 24. Members will be hitting the campaign trail between now and then as the November 8 general election gets closer and closer.

A full list of committee meetings can be found here:

House

Senate

In Other News

  • Governor Tom Wolf announced 130 new project approvals through the Commonwealth Financing Authority for environmental and infrastructure projects.
  • The Governor announced that Pennsylvania was awarded $240 million for water infrastructure improvements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
  • Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced that DCNR will produce or purchase 100 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
  • The Department of Human Services announced that Pennsylvania has received an estimated $12 million in federal reimbursement funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the Money Follows the Person Program.
  • Governor Wolf touted Pennsylvania’s leadership in clean energy transition at Global Forum in Pittsburgh.