By a vote of 42-7, the Senate passed House Bill 1589, which amends the 2003-2004 state budget to restore some of the funding that was cut when Republican lawmakers rushed the budget through in March.  Including federal monies, the bill contains about $5.5 billion in supplemental spending. Some of the key restorations include:

·        Libraries -$10 million

·        Drug and Alcohol Programs -            $43 million

·        Drug and Alcohol Programs in Prisons -$5.2 million

• Medical Assistance -$132 million
• Human Services Development Fund -$33 million
• Mass Transit -$16 million

The bill was signed into law as Act 9A of 2003.

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By a 30-19 vote, the Senate approved House Bill 200, which amends the Pennsylvania Tax Reform Code to allow for an increase in the personal income tax (PIT) from 2.8 percent to 3.07 percent. The change is expected to generate $301 million this fiscal year and $729 million the following year.

In addition, the bill increases the state cigarette tax from $1 a pack to $1.35. The increase is expected to generate $255.7 million, which be used to abate physicians’ payments to the state’s MCare insurance fund. Specialties receiving full Mcare funding from the state will include: obstetrics, orthopedics, neurology and general surgery.

The tax package also places a new 6 percent levy on cell phone and long distance bills to modernize Pennsylvania’s telecommunications tax structure.

The bill was signed into law as Act 46 of 2003.

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The Senate concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 940 by a 41-8 vote. The bill would establish an intergovernmental cooperation authority (ICA) to assist Pittsburgh with its fiscal problems.

This measure is modeled after the PICA legislation that assisted Philadelphia in 1993. The ICA would consist of a five-member governing board; one appointed by each of the state legislative caucuses and one appointed by the Governor.

The ICA would be required to review and approve the City of Pittsburgh’s annual budgets and five-year financial plans and present an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly. The ICA could also recommend actions such as consolidation or merger of services, agreements with other governmental entities, sale of assets and other budgetary practices.

The Governor vetoed the bill.

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The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1718, which would amend the Tobacco Settlement Act to place limits on “supersedes” bond requirements. The bill would impose limits on the amount of an appeal bonds involving tobacco litigation in order to secure and protect the monies received by the Master Settlement Agreement.

The bill’s intent is to protect the state’s share of the tobacco settlement to ensure that the Commonwealth will continue to receive funds in the event that a tobacco company that is a party to the Master Settlement Agreement becomes involved in litigation that results in a large judgment-verdict.

Following House concurrence, the bill was sent to the Governor.

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By a 35-14 vote, the Senate passed House Bill 172, which would amend the Administrative Code of 1929 to add a section permitting the Commonwealth to withhold local tax fees for state employees.  

In addition, the bill would provide for fees chargeable by the Departments of Agriculture, Health, Insurance and Labor and Industry and would allow Pennsylvania’s school administrators in first-class cities to use collective bargaining to designate the terms and conditions of their employment contracts.

The bill would also require the Department of General Services to establish energy profiles for certain state buildings, listing the source and type and amount of fuel used, as well as other key building information, to monitor energy use.

The bill has been signed into law as Act 47 of 2003.

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In other action:

               -- The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1133, which would amend the Fiscal Code to provide additional funds for the Crime Victim’s Compensation Fund.

               The legislation would designate that unclaimed restitution collected from Pennsylvania counties be submitted annually to the Crime Victims Compensation Fund at the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.  

The bill was enacted as Act 45 of 2003.

-- The State Senate unanimously passed House Bill 44, which amends the Public Welfare Code by exempting individuals who have been convicted of a felony drug offense from the federal ban on cash assistance and food stamps.

The bill has been signed into law as Act 44 of 2003.

-- The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 485, which would amend the Judicial Code to restore the municipalities’ authority to retain the municipal portion of fines imposed for summary harassment offenses that occur in the municipality.  The measure would also give parole officers certain immunity when assisting federal law enforcement officers.

Following House concurrence in Senate amendments, the bill was signed into law as Act 61 of 2003.

-- By a 46-3 vote, the Senate approved House Bill 1222, which would amend the Judicial Code to provide for identification of incorrect debtor, for multiple summary offenses involving vehicles, for DNA testing, for law enforcement records, for duration of commitment and for sentence of intermediate punishment and for assessment.

Following House concurrence, the bill now goes to the Governor.

-- The Senate voted 47-2 to adopt House Bill 1279, which would amend the state Liquor Code to abolish the Bureau of Wine, expand hours for liquor sales on St. Patrick’s Day, and permit the Liquor Board to sell corkscrews, wine and liquor accessories, trade publications, and wine glasses in state liquor stores.  The bill also enables a restaurant or hotel with a liquor license to allow customers to leave the facility with a partially consumed bottle of wine that has been resealed and was purchased in conjunction with a meal consumed on the premises.

The bill was signed into law as Act 59 of 2003.

-- The Senate voted 44-5 to concur in House amendments – as amended by the Senate -- to Senate Bill 80.  The Senate originally adopted the bill in February as vehicle to define powers and duties of campus police who serve State System institutions.  The House amendments assign penalties when a child’s school residency documentation has been falsified.

The bill was signed into law as Act 48 of 2003.

-- The Senate unanimously concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 145, which would provide for municipal police education and training definitions, training, certification, and reimbursement.

The bill was enacted as Act 65 of 2003.

-- The Senate unanimously concurred in House amendments to Senate Bill 586, which would create a Resident Military Personnel hunting license and provide for eligibility and a fee.  The bill also adds the negligent or careless killing for whitetail deer to the list of “unlawful killings.”  Another provision narrows the list of offenses that could result in the revocation or denial of a license.

  The bill was signed into law as Act 63 of 2003.

-- By a vote of 48-1, the Senate passed House Bill 51, which would amend Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) regarding water and sewer connection fees.  The bill would allow local municipal authorities more flexibility in defining design capacity for water and sewer systems.

Following House concurrence, the bill was enacted as Act 57 of 2003.

-- The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1000, which amends the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act to provide reciprocal licenses for qualified out-of-state real estate licensees.  The bill also adds two prohibited acts to the list currently set forth in the law. These would be any violation of the new reciprocity provisions set forth in the act and having been disciplined under a real estate licensing law of another jurisdiction.

Following House concurrence, the bill was signed into law as Act 58 of 2003.

-- The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 927, which would amend the County Code to further provide for the composition of the governing board of third class county convention center authorities.

The bill now goes to the House.

-- By a unanimous vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 959, which would amend the Judicial Code to remove the requirement that a county correctional facility provide the county probation department with a 48-hour supply of medication for an inmate.

The bill now goes to the House.

-- The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 999, which would direct the Department of Health to establish an education program to promote public awareness of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome (RSDS), its the causes, value of early detection and treatment of this disease.

The bill now goes to the Governor.

-- By a unanimous vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 483, which would amend the Insurance Company Law to require employers who are providing life insurance benefits to their employees to notify them and obtain written consent of any intent to purchase a life insurance policy on the employee. The bill would also extend the sunset date for the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act (HIPAA) an additional three years until December 31, 2006.

The bill was signed into law as Act 50 of 2003.

-- The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 870, which amends the Capital Facilities Debt Enabling Act to increase the limitation on redevelopment assistance capital projects.  The measure raises the maximum amount of redevelopment assistance capital projects undertaken by the Commonwealth for which obligations are outstanding from $1.45 billion to $1.51 billion.

The bill was signed into law as Act 49 of 2003.

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The Senate approved a package of non-preferred appropriations bills, making allocations to educational and medical institutions. The bills, which require a two-thirds vote to pass, were defeated in July on a party-line vote. The votes were reconsidered and the bills remained on the table until last week. The following bills were approved unanimously. The House concurred and the governor enacted all of the measures.

House Bill 1374 (Act 10A of 2003), $307,844,000 to the Pennsylvania State University for the 2003-04 fiscal year.  The bill was amended in the Senate to increase the appropriation for rural education outreach.

House Bill 1375 (Act 11A of 2003), $163,386,000 to the University of Pittsburgh for the 2003-04 fiscal year. The bill was amended in the Senate to increase the appropriation for rural education outreach by $50,000.

House Bill 1376 (Act 12A of 2003), $164,941,000 to Temple University.  The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring that 75% of the students receiving money through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1377 (Act 13A) of 2003),  $12,155,000 to Lincoln University. A Senate amendment removed language specifying how much money would go to various programs. 

House Bill 1378 (Act 14A of 2003), $6,470,000 to Drexel University. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1379 (Act 15A of 2003), $42,946,000 to the University of Pennsylvania. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1380 (Act 16A of 2003), $12,003,000 to the Philadelphia Health and Education Corporation.  A Senate amendment removed a requirement that the medical school set aside 5% of the admissions for students who agree to practice at least four years in a medically underserved area of the Commonwealth.

 House Bill 1381 (Act 17A of 2003), $9,178,000 to Thomas Jefferson University.  A Senate amendment removed a requirement that the medical school set aside 5% of the admissions for students who agree to practice at least four years in a medically underserved area of the Commonwealth.

House Bill 1382 (Act 18A of 2003), $4,650,000 to the Philadelphia College of Osteopathy. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1383 (Act 19A of 2003), $1,391,000 to the Philadelphia College of Optometry. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1384 (Act 20A of 2003), $1,122,000 to the Pennsylvania University of the Arts.  The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1385 (Act 21A of 2003), $1,477,000 to the Bureau Training School. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1386 (Act 22A of 2003), $182,000 to the Johnson Technical Institute. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1387 (Act 23A of 2003), $65,000 to the Williamson Free School. The Senate amended the bill to remove a provision requiring 75% of the students receiving money appropriated through the act must be Pennsylvania residents.

House Bill 1388 (Act 24A of 2003), $776,00 to the Fox Chase Institute for Cancer Research.

House Bill 1389 (Act 25A of 2003), $306,000 to the Wistar Institute.

House Bill 1390 (Act 26A of 2003), $130,000 to the Central Penn Oncology Group.

House Bill 1391 (Act 27A of 2003), $49,000 to the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic.

House Bill 1392 (Act 28A of 2003), $49,000 to the Pittsburgh Cleft Palate Clinic.

House Bill 1393 (Act 29A of 2003), $418,000 to the Burn Foundation.

House Bill 1394 (Act 30A of 2003), $781,000 to the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh.

House Bill 1395 (Act 31A of 2003), $451,000 to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

House Bill 1396 (Act 32A of 2003), $117,000 to the Beacon Lodge Blind Services.

House Bill 1397 (Act 33A of 2003), $143,000 to the Arsenal Family and Children’s Center.

The following bills were approved by a vote of 42-7:

House Bill 1398 (Act 34A of 2003), $450,000 to the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

House Bill 1399 (Act 35A of 2003), $680,000 to the Franklin Institute Science Museum.  A Senate amendment increased the appropriation from $500,000 and changed the effective date of the act to immediately.

House Bill 1401 (Act 36A of 2003), $416,000 to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences.

House Bill 1402 (Act 37A of 2003), $317,000 to the African-American Museum in Philadelphia.

House Bill 1403 (Act 38A of 2003), $42,000 to the Everhart Museum.

House Bill 1404 (Act 39A of 2003), $172,000 to the Mercer Museum.

House Bill 1405 (Act 40A of 2003), $124,000 to the Whitaker Center for Science and the Arts.

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