Weekly Wrap
Although there was no session this week, the House Democratic Policy Committee was busy, holding three public hearings throughout the week.
Monday’s hearing was focused on community-based workforce centers. On Tuesday, the Committee heard testimony on flood risk and mitigation. Lastly, on Wednesday, the public hearing focused on economic development through arts and culture.
On Thursday, the House Republican Policy Committee held a public hearing on exploring Pennsylvania’s energy potential.
HB 500 (Inglis, D-Allegheny) was the focus of the House Finance Committee public hearing. The bill would provide improvements to the Pennsylvania Economic Development for a Growing Economy (PA EDGE) Tax Credit Program. The Committee will hold a voting meeting on the bill on Wednesday.
Lastly, on Friday, the House Education Committee held an informational meeting on cyber charter school costs.
The Week Ahead
As the calendar turns to May, and the June 30 budget deadline looms, the House of Representatives and Senate are in session next week to begin what will likely be a very busy two months in Harrisburg.
Kicking off the week, on Monday, the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee will hold an informational meeting on the Older Adult Protective Services Act.
The House Transportation Committee will consider one bill and one resolution dealing with public transit:
- HB 1364 (Neilson, D-Philadelphia), which would increase the amount of existing sales tax revenue transferred to the Public Transportation Trust Fund from 4.4% to 6.15%; and
- HR 68 (Struzzi, R-Indiana), which would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study and issue a report on the current status, management and implementation of mass or public transit in rural communities.
HB 1233 (Siegel, D-Lehigh), which would create a stewardship program for lithium-ion batteries, will be considered by the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee. The House Housing and Community Development Committee will consider HB 359 (Powell, D-Allegheny), which would update the Tax Increment Financing Act to allow municipalities to use funds for activities such as the creation of affordable housing, foreclosure and rental assistance, and workforce programs.
Tuesday, the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee will hold a public hearing on the ratepayer impact of Act 129 plans.
The House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee will consider:
- HB 463 (Matzie, D-Beaver), which would ban speculative ticketing;
- HB 921 (Davidson, D-Dauphin), which would establish the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program;
- HB 967 (Isaacson, D-Philadelphia), which would cap the fees ticket resellers charge when individuals buy and sell tickets; and
- HB 1216 (Fiedler, D-Philadelphia), which would require the disclosure of all mandatory fees and charges included in the advertised and displayed price of any good or service.
The House Commerce Committee will consider three bills of note:
- HB 997 (Solomon, D-Philadelphia), which would mandate a company or organization handling personal information take reasonable steps to secure that data from hacking and compensate consumers in the event of a data breach;
- HB 1067 (Ciresi, D-Montgomery), which would require retailers selling gift cards to post clear signage warning consumers about gift card scams and what to do if they suspect they might be a victim of a potential scam; and
- HB 1263 (Mullins, D-Lackawanna), which would establish “Keystone Saves” – a voluntary employee retirement savings program for private sector employees.
HB 846 (Dawkins, D-Philadelphia), which would amend the Prevailing Wage Act to prohibit split rates and provide for customer fabrication of public works projects, will be considered by the House Labor and Industry Committee.
On Wednesday, the House Communications and Technology Committee will hold an informational meeting on the Commonwealth’s generative AI pilot program with the Office of Administration. The House Judiciary Committee will hold an informational meeting on the Mental Health Procedures Act. The House Energy Committee will hold an informational meeting on geothermal energy development.
The Senate Institutional Sustainability and innovation Committee will hold a public hearing on hospital and health system sustainability.
The House Education Committee will consider HB 1326 (Friel, D-Chester), which would increase efficiency and transparency in pupil transportation.
Two bills will be considered by the House Insurance Committee:
- HB 1088 (Steele, D-Allegheny), which would require insurance coverage for blood pressure monitors for home use as a pregnancy-related service on a per pregnancy basis.
- HB 1140 (Krueger, D-Delaware), which would require insurance coverage for contraceptives.
The House Health Committee will consider HB 1269 (Labs, R-Bucks), which would establish the Brain Injury Advisory Board within the Department of Health.
Finishing up the week, on Thursday, the Senate Communications and Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on powering artificial intelligence’s future in the economy.
A full list of committee meetings can be found here:
In Other News
- The Department of Transportation released its Focus on Innovations (FOI) publication that features the department’s work to identify and boost innovative projects improving safety, promoting efficiency, and saving money.
- The Governor launched new consumer protection tools to help Pennsylvanians report scams and predatory practices.
- The Shapiro Administration launched a first-in-the-nation comprehensive air monitoring study with CNX Resources Corporation.
