Weekly Wrap
The Municipal Election came and went with the results bearing no real surprises. The party-backed candidates won their respective primaries in the Superior Court election. Republican candidates Megan McCarthy King (R-Chester) and Christylee Peck (R-Cumberland) will face Democratic candidates Amanda Green-Hawkins (D-Allegheny) and Daniel McCaffery (D-Philadelphia) in the November General Election. The four candidates are vying for two open seats.
There were also special elections to fill three vacant seats in the state legislature and a seat in Congress:
- HD-11 (Butler): Marci Mustello (R) defeated Sam Doctor (D), and will replace Rep. Brian Ellis (R);
- SD-33 (Adams, Cumberland, Franklin, York): Doug Mastriano (R) defeated Sarah Hammond (D), and will replace Sen. Richard Alloway (R);
- SD-41 (Armstrong, Butler, Indiana, Westmoreland): Joe Pittman (R) defeated Susan Boser (D), and will replace Sen. Don White (R); and
- PA-12 (Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Northumberland, Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union and Wyoming): Fred Keller (R) defeated Marc Friedenberg (D) and will replace U.S. Rep. Tom Marino (R).
The Week Ahead
With the June 30 budget deadline in sight, the House of Representatives and Senate will be in session throughout the month of June. Although an on time budget seems probable, you never know how things will shake out between Memorial Day and July 4.
On Monday, the House has five public or informational hearings on tap:
- The House Health Committee and House Judiciary Committee will hold a joint public hearing on marijuana use and Second Amendment rights;
- The House Labor and Industry Committee will hold a public hearing on construction workplace misclassification;
- The House Liquor Control Committee and Senate Law and Justice Committee will hold a joint public hearing on the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s implementation of flexible pricing;
- The House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee will hold an informational meeting with a presentation from the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Tourism Office on the state’s tourism marketing plan for 2019-2020; and
- The House Insurance Committee will hold an informational meeting regarding peer-to-peer car rentals.
Voting meetings pick up on Tuesday, as the House Consumer Affairs Committee will consider H.B. 1511 (Quinn, R-Delaware), which would codify the Public Utility Commission’s self-imposed 60-day approval of unprotested telecommunication applications.
The House Health Committee will consider three bills:
- H.B. 786 (Cutler, R-Lancaster), which would address funding formulas for trauma centers;
- H.B. 847 (Walsh, R-Westmoreland), which would prohibit the use of electronic benefit cards to purchase tobacco; and
- H.B. 967 (Cutler, R-Lancaster), which would reauthorize the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.
In addition, the House Labor and Industry Committee will vote on a handful of bills, including:
- H.B. 83 (Kauffman, R-Franklin), 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;
- H.B. 716 (Galloway, D-Bucks), which would create a joint agency task force on employee misclassification; and
- H.B. 1170 (Mackenzie, R-Lehigh), which would require employers in the construction industry to use the federal E-Verify system.
The Senate State Government Committee will consider the nomination of Kathy Boockvar as the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Also, the House State Government Committee will hold an informational meeting on election legislation.
Wednesday is another day filled with public and informational meetings:
- The House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee will hold an informational meeting on H.B. 781 (Boback, R-Luzerne), which would allow counties to use impact fee funds on storm water management;
- The House Human Services Committee will hold an informational meeting on fee schedule rates for community participation support services funded through the consolidated, community living and person/family directed support waivers and the community intellectual disability base-funded program;
- The House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold an informational meeting on senior housing initiatives; and
- The Senate Urban Affairs and Housing Committee will hold a public hearing regarding the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency and the programs and services they offer.
See here for a full list of committee meetings:
Also, see here for what to expect on the House floor next week.
In Other News
- The Speaker of the House announced a special election for August 20, 2019 to fill the vacant seat of former Rep. Fred Keller (R) in HD-85 (Snyder, Union).
- Governor Wolf announced the formation of a statewide Suicide Prevention Task Force.
- Senate Republicans unveiled bills reforming the state’s vehicle emissions testing program.