Weekly Wrap
The Senate was the only chamber in Harrisburg this week for three session days.
On Monday, the House Energy Committee held a public hearing on two bills:
- HB 2223 (Fiedler, D-Philadelphia), which would require electric utilities to evaluate and consider the use of advanced transmission technologies on new and existing service lines within their transmission siting application filed with the Public Utility Commission; and
- HB 2264 (Davidson, D-Dauphin), which would direct electric utility companies to establish virtual power plant programs.
The Senate Law and Justice Committee reported out SB 49 (Laughlin, R-Erie), which would create a Cannabis Control Board to provide oversight of the state’s medical marijuana program.
SB 990 (Bartolotta, R-Washington) passed finally and will go to the House of Representatives for consideration. The bill would prohibit state and local governments from restricting the use, purchase, or sale of motor vehicles based on power source.
Tuesday, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee held public hearing on the role of prescribed narcotics in medication-assisted therapy for addiction management. Then, the Senate Games and Fisheries Committee held a public hearing on the annual reports of the Game Commission and Fish & Boat Commission.
The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee reported out two bills: SB 1210 (Gebhard, R-Lebanon), which would codify the existing practices regarding oversight and management of pre-licensure education courses for insurance agent; and SB 1211 (Robinson, R-Allegheny), which would expand access to coverage for biomarker testing to include the Medicaid Fee-for-Service.
The Senate Local Government Committee reported out SR 211 (Schwank, D-Berks), which would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study on the Municipal Planning Code and provide recommendation for updates.
SB 1090 (Pennycuick, R-Montgomery) passed finally in the Senate and will be sent to the House for their consideration. The bill would provide for disclosures and safeguards relating to the use of artificial intelligence.
On Wednesday, the Senate Finance Committee reported out: SB 100 (Brooks, R-Mercer), which would exempt the first $100,000 from being subject to the inheritance tax for family members; and SB 124 (Culver, R-Northumberland), which would establish an income tax deduction for living organ donors.
The Senate Labor and Industry Committee reported out: HB 135 (Krajewski, D-Philadelphia), which would reduce the minimum number of people required to form a workers’ cooperative corporation from five to three; and SB 1053 (Hutchinson, R-Venango), which would provide workers’ compensation for members of volunteer emergency services who participate in organized fundraising activities.
The Senate finally passed SB 1218 (Picozzi, R-Philadelphia), which would amend the Liquor Code providing for Philadelphia 250 permits and special sporting event permits for public venue licensees. The House Liquor Control Committee will consider the bill on Monday.
The final hearing of the week was on Thursday, when the House Republican Policy Committee held a public hearing on workforce development in the trades.
In addition to session, there were two House Special Elections that took place on Tuesday to fill seats recently vacated by former Representatives Lou Schmitt (HD-79, Blair) and Torren Ecker (HD-193, Adams/Cumberland). Republicans maintained both seats, as Andrea Verobish won in HD-79 and Catherine Wallen won in HD-193.
Week Ahead
Both chambers are in session next week, for what’s expected to be one of the busiest weeks in recent memory.
Kicking things off, on Monday, the House Energy Committee will hold an informational meeting on the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority.
The House Consumer Protection, Technology, and Utilities Committee will consider:
- HB 1964 (Burgos, D-Philadelphia), which would pause the sale of future municipal water and sewer systems through a repeal of Act 12 of 2016 and provide year-long study to determine a long-term replacement; and
- HB 2131 (Boyd, D-Delaware), which would return customers to their default service provider at the end of their contract term if they do not take action to renew their contract or choose another supplier.
The House Environmental and Natural Resource Protection Committee will meet to consider four bills:
- HB 289 (Briggs, D-Montgomery), which would require radon testing, and subsequent mitigation, for schools that have elevated radon levels, and require any newly constructed or remodeled school buildings to conduct a test within 19 months of completion;
- HB 2161 (Salisbury, D-Allegheny) would require electric utilities to replace trees they remove;
- HB 2229 (Mako, R-Lehigh), which would require the Department of Environmental Protection to forward notices of noncompliance issued by the Environmental Protections Agency for violation of the Toxic Substances Control Act and a notice of noncompliance for violation of the Solid Waste Management Act to the municipality where the violation occurred; and
- HB 2246 (Webster, D-Montgomery) would require data center projects with substantial water needs to proactively inform the state prior to construction.
The House Labor and Industry Committee will hold a meeting to consider HB 678 (McNeill, D-Lehigh), which would require labor brokers to register with the state before conducting business.
The House Transportation Committee will meet to consider two bills of note: HB 1970 (Neilson, D-Philadelphia), which would allow for electronic driver’s licenses and ID cards; and HB 2210 (Guzman, D-Berks), which would allow for digital vehicle registration cards.
On Tuesday, the House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee and House Gaming Oversight Committee will hold a joint informational meeting on the horse racing industry. The House Health Committee and House Communications & Technology Committee will hold a joint informational meeting on artificial intelligence in healthcare. The House Energy Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 2076 (Venkat, D-Allegheny), which would establish a regulatory framework for next-generation geothermal energy development.
The House Education Committee will meet to consider bills including HB 1752 (Curry, D-Delaware), which would direct the Department of Education to commission an independent study evaluating whether the ACT or SAT could be used as alternatives to the Keystone Exams.
On Wednesday, the House Tourism and Recreational Development Committee will hold a public hearing on HB 2303 (Powell, D-Allegheny), which would give counties the authority to regulate short-term rentals.
The House Health Committee will consider HB 2265 (Takac, D-Centre), which would require hospital emergency departments to be staffed with an on-site emergency physician.
Thursday, the House Housing and Community Development Committee will hold an informational meeting on workforce housing and attainable housing.
A full list of committee meetings can be found here:
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