May 29, 2015

Weekly Recap:

It was a quiet week in the capital city, with Monday being a national holiday and no voting session for either chamber. That’s not to say that nothing newsworthy happened. On Tuesday, Gov. Tom Wolf announced the creation of a new Task Force on Pipeline Infrastructure Development. The task force will bring the natural gas industry, environmental and governmental representatives  together to recommend best practices for planning and siting natural gas pipelines.

For more about the Task Force, go to: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015052768.HTM

Also this week, Sen. Matt Smith (D-Allegheny) announced his resignation from the state Senate to become the President of the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce.  Smith has served in the Senate since 2013; prior to that, Smith served in the House of Representatives from 2007-2013. No announcement of a special election for Smith’s seat has yet been made. For more on special elections, check out our blog at: https://www.buchanangovernmentrelations.com/?p=709

For more on Smith, go to: http://www.politicspa.com/breaking-state-sen-matt-smith-resigning/66573/

A Look Ahead:

Now that June will soon be upon us, all eyes in Harrisburg are on the state budget. The official deadline for a commonwealth-wide spending plan is June 30, but it’s hard to say just yet if we’ll have a budget by then. During the Rendell administration (2003-2011), when the political landscape was very similar to this session, a balanced budget by June 30 was a pipedream. The only certainty right now is uncertainty.

Looking to next week, there are three days of session scheduled for both the House and Senate, and it looks like both chambers are starting to give us hints as to what their budget priorities are by moving bills from committee to the floor. On Monday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold a joint public hearing with the Senate Finance Committee on proposals regarding the imposition of a severance tax. You’ll remember Gov. Wolf has proposed a severance tax as part of his budget, with the proceeds going to fund public education.

The agenda for that hearing can be found here: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015052760.HTM

Also on Monday, the House Democratic Policy Committee will hold a hearing on another one of Gov. Wolf’s priorities: his energy investment initiative. The hearing will be chaired by Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), who is the Democratic chairman of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

The agenda for that hearing can be found here: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015052765.HTM

On Tuesday, the House State Government Committee will hold a public hearing on S.B. 1, which is the Senate Republican leadership’s comprehensive pension overhaul proposal. Also on Tuesday, the House Gaming Oversight Committee will hear testimony from the PA State Harness Racing Commission and the Gaming Control Board on licensure issues. Expect additional confirmation hearings in the Senate next week, too. On Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will meet to consider the nomination of John Quigley as Secretary of DEP, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee will meet to consider the nomination of Teresa Miller for Insurance Commissioner, and the Senate Judiciary will meet to consider the nomination of John Wetzel as Secretary of the Department of Corrections.

For more about Quigley, go to: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/about_dep/13464/office_of_the_secretary/585259

For more about Miller, go to: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/meet_the_commissioner/9303

For more about Wetzel, go to: http://www.cor.pa.gov/Pages/Secretary-BIO-page.aspx

Finally, Wednesday will also be busy. The House Children and Youth Committee will hold an informational hearing with Acting Secretary Ted Dallas on his vision for the Department of Human Services. The House Health Committee will also hold an informational hearing on the Hospital and Health System Association on their recent Hospital Quality and Patient Safety Report. On the Senate side, the Senate Finance Committee will hold a meeting to vote on S.B. 282 (Vulakovich, R-Allegheny), establishing a waterfront development tax credit, and also to consider the nomination of Eileen McNulty as Secretary of Revenue. Also on the confirmation hearing front, the Senate Law and Justice Committee will meet to consider the nomination of Colonel Marcus Brown as State Police Commissioner.

For more on S.B. 282, go to: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=0282

For more on McNulty, go to: http://www.revenue.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx#.VWiWt6HD_MM

For more on Brown, go to: http://www.pa.gov/pages/Cabinet-and-Executive-Officials-Details.aspx?officialid=65#.VWh8rqHD_MM

For a full list of committee meetings, to go:  www.legis.state.pa.us

On the House floor, expect some debate on the state budget:  the House Republican spending plan. H.B. 1162 (Adolph-R, Delaware) is scheduled for consideration on Tuesday, though only a handful of amendments have been posted to the bill as of this writing.

The text of H.B. 1162 can be found here: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2015&sInd=0&body=H&type=B&bn=1192

For more of what’s up for consideration on the House floor, check out The Week Ahead: http://wallaby.telicon.com/PA/library/2015/2015052864.PDF

To see what might be voted in the Senate, go to: http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/SessionCalendars/index.cfm?Chamber=S

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