HARRISBURG - The Senate unanimously concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 100, the Infant Hearing Education, Assessment, Reporting and Referral (IHEARR) Act, which provides for a program to screen for hearing loss in infants and newborns. The bill requires the Department of Health to establish a program to screen all newborns and infants in the Commonwealth for hearing loss before leaving a hospital, and to screen all newborns and infants not born in a hospital within the first 30 days of life. The bill goes to the Governor for his signature.

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The Senate this week voted 49-0 to approve Senate Bill 705, creating a uniform plan for pesticide treatment in school buildings, on grounds, athletic fields and playgrounds throughout the Commonwealth. The bill provides a detailed blueprint for school districts to follow when pest control is necessary.

Notification to parents and students of the time and place of chemical applications, as well as the name, address and phone number of the applicator providing treatment, are among the requirements of the bill. It further mandates each public school district to prepare and submit to the Department of Education, by July 1, 2002, an Integrated Pest Management Plan using the policies set forth in the bill.

The legislation will be sent to the House for consideration.

---LEGISLATIVE NOTEBOOK---

· Senate Bill 611, approved unanimously, adds volunteers of rape crisis centers and domestic violence shelters to the current list of individuals exempt from a $10 fee the state charges to conduct background checks on prospective child-care workers. The bill awaits consideration in the House.

· House Bill 17, which passed 49-0, would toughen penalties against those who attempt to intimidate witnesses and victims. The measure also creates the offense of "Aggravated Jury Tampering" in both civil and criminal cases, and would dole out harsher penalties based on the kind of case the jury is hearing. The bill now returns to the House for concurrence in Senate amendments.

· House Bill 829, approved unanimously, would re-name the plaza beside the State Museum in Harrisburg as the "Emergency Responder Plaza." The bill now goes to the Governor.

· Senate Bill 769, approved unanimously, amends the First Class Township Code to exclude any insurance benefits from being considered pay, salary or compensation, thus making the First Class Township Code comparable to the Second Class Township Code and the Borough Code. The bill now goes to the House.

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