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Senate of Pennsylvania
SENATE DEMOCRATIC WRAP-UP FOR
THE WEEK OF |
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This week the Senate acted to ensure that the state’s sheriffs and deputy sheriffs receive disability benefits if they are injured or contract certain diseases in the line of duty. Senate Bill 243 would amend the Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law, which currently covers the State Police, officers of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, officers of the state Board of Probation and Parole, Capitol Police officers, state corrections officers and psychiatric security aides, drug enforcement and special agents under the state Attorney General, members of the Delaware River Port Authority Police, as well as state and municipal policemen, firemen, and park guards. The Senate voted 44-3 to approve Senate Bill 243, which now heads to the House.
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By a unanimous vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 780, which would provide immunity from prosecution for underage drinking to minors who call 9-1-1 seeking medical attention for others. It is believed that current law discourages minors who have been drinking from seeking medical help for others because reporting the emergency exposes that minor to an underage drinking arrest. To qualify for the proposed immunity, the minor must use their name when reporting the emergency and remain with the person needing medical attention until emergency help arrives. The bill now goes to the House.
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By a vote of 46-1, the Senate approved legislation that would make changes to the Infrastructure and Facilities Improvement Program (IFIP). This two-year-old program provides multi-year grants for debt service on convention centers, hospitals, hotels, manufacturers, industrial enterprises, retail enterprises, and research and development enterprises. The grants are designed as tax increment financing and awarded in the amount of total state sales tax generated, hotel occupancy tax collected, and personal income tax withheld. House Bill 983 would postpone the finalization of grant awards until construction has been completed and the facility has begun fully operating. The bill would also clarify that local governments are permitted to abate local taxes owed without interfering with an applicant’s eligibility for an IFIP grant. The bill now heads to the House for concurrence in Senate amendments.
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The Senate voted unanimously for Senate Bill 873, which itemizes each county’s projects for the highway capital budget. The total authorized for highway capital projects would be $234.7 million. The bill now heads to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 773, which would make it a first-degree misdemeanor to transmit or receive greyhound race simulcasts for commercial purposes. While current law bans greyhound racing in Pennsylvania, it does not prohibit simulcasting the races from other states. The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously supported Senate Bill 1062, which would require the Liquor Control Board’s Bureau of Alcohol Education to prepare a report every two years on statewide alcohol use and high-risk drinking at colleges. The report would also be required to specify current and prospective programs aimed at discouraging underage and binge drinking. The bill now goes to the House.
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