Appropriations 2019-2020
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, November 18, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
House Bill 862 (Barrar): This bill is a free-standing act that authorizes the Commonwealth to adopt the Physical Therapist Compact (Compact).
This bill should have minimal fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds and no impact on local funds.
House Bill 916 (Stephens): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to make numerous changes related to DUI provisions and license suspension provisions and creates an administrative suspension relief program and adds a substance monitoring program.
This bill would likely have significant fiscal impact due to numerous factors, but most specifically the provisions related to increasing the grading for DUI offenses, creating sentencing enhancements, the creation of the substance monitoring program, and the additional provisions related to removal of license suspensions.
Senators Street and Hughes voted against the bill.
House Bill 1342 (Brown): This bill amends the Public School Code related to health services for students providing for additional requirements for vision screenings and examinations.
This bill would not have any adverse impact on Commonwealth funds. There may be minimal costs for school districts.
House Bill 1534 (Matzie): This bill amends the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, to update and clarify the existing provisions related to pyramid promotional schemes.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 2440 (Kortz): This bill creates a freestanding act to be known as the “Hunting, Firearm and Ammunition Life-Sustaining Business Act” which prohibits the shutting of businesses relating to firearms.
This bill will not have any impact on Commonwealth funds.
All Senate Democrats and Sen. Killion voted against the bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, November 16, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 792 (Brooks): This bill amends the act the Automobile Lemon Law to include motorcycles.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds or local funds. The extent of the impact will depend on the number of motorcycles that fall within the protections of the Act; however, any impact should be minimal.
Senate Bill 1350 (Browne): This bill is a supplement to General Appropriations Act for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
This legislation includes supplemental appropriation adjustments in the General Fund and select Special Funds for the current (2020-21) and prior (2019-20) fiscal years.
Senators Blake, Collett, Haywood, and Santarsiero voted against the bill.
House Bill 630 (Day): This bill amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) related to employment discrimination for military membership or duty.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds or local funds.
House Bill 1808 (Mackenzie): This bill amends the Solid Waste Management Act by adding definitions to classify post-use plastics as raw materials for manufacturing as opposed to waste following the utilization of advanced recycling technologies.
According to DEP, this bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth.
All Senate Democrats voted against the bill.
House Bill 2065 (White): This bill amends Title 74 (Transportation) to further provide for public-private transportation partnerships. There will be a technical amendment for this bill. The bill was amended with a technical amendment
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, October 20, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 658 (Browne): This bill creates the Center for Effective Indigent Defense Legal Representation and provides for duties and responsibilities of the board of directors.
This bill may have an impact on Commonwealth funds to the extent that the board is permitted to solicit funds from the General Assembly as part of the annual budget process.
Senate Bill 1112 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends Title 66 (Public Utilities) to streamline regulations for telecommunication carriers.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senators Haywood, Santarsiero, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
House Bill 81 (Kauffman): This bill creates the Central Service Technician and Surgical Technologist Regulation Act, providing for certification requirements, regulations and duties of the Department of Health.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 440 (Delozier): This bill amends Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statues, to add provisions related to expungements, petitions for limited access, clean slate, criminal history record information, and summary contempt.
This bill may impact Commonwealth and local funds as it relates to increased activity for the additional Clean Slate provisions related to automatic expungement; however, in consultation with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, the exact estimate of costs is not quantifiable at this time.
House Bill 770 (DeLuca): This bill amends the Pharmacy Act, to further provide for definitions, for pharmacy technician and pharmacy technician trainee registration, qualifications and supervision, and COVID-19 laboratory waivers.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 1032 (James): This bill amends the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act adding definitions, increasing the size of the State Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers from 11 to 17, and setting the length of terms for initial appointments of certified Pennsylvania evaluators and home inspectors.
This bill will have a fiscal impact as citizen members of the Board are entitled to a per diem and the actual reasonable travel costs incurred in the performance of duties in accordance with Commonwealth regulations.
Senators Schwank, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
House Bill 1617 (Staats): This bill amends the Liquor Code providing for a hotel liquor license to be converted into a restaurant liquor license, except in cities of the first class, and interlocking business prohibitions.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1673 (Farry): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) providing for volunteer fire relief associations to establish length of service awards; making changes to the Volunteer Loan Assistance Program; making changes to the role of the State Fire Commissioner, including a Senate confirmation requirement; re-authorizing the Fire and EMS Grant program; and making changes to the property tax credit program for first responders.
Costs to expand the duties of the Office of the Fire Commissioner would also have a
fiscal impact to the General Fund. PEMA has broken down those personnel costs, which total
approximately $2.5 million.
The bill was amended in committee by Sen. Iovino, which inserts that up to 50% of the interest payments but can’t exceed $600,000.
The bill was approved as amended.
House Bill 1961 (Schmitt): This bill amends Title 71 to allow SERS to retain forfeited non-vested employer defined contributions for the payment of the administrative fees, costs and expenses of the
State Employees’ Defined Contribution Plan.
The Independent Fiscal Office has determined that the enactment of this bill would have a
minimal impact on the State Employees’ Retirement Fund.
House Bill 2175 (Schroeder): This bill amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further provide for expert testimony in certain criminal proceedings.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 2176 (Mustello): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to further provide for the offense of unlawful contact with a minor.
This bill may impact Commonwealth and local funds to the extent that additional defendants are sentenced to serve a period of incarceration in a state correctional institution or a county jail; however, the exact number is indeterminable at this time.
House Bill 2293 (Quinn): This bill amends Title 66 (Public Utilities) to provide for emergency response plans for public utilities that deliver natural gas liquids through high consequence areas.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2503 (B. Miller): This bill amends Title 23 (Domestic Relations) to allow provisional hiring of employees who work with children, excluding teachers, who have received their Pennsylvania State Police and Childline clearance and have applied for, but not yet received, their Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) background check results.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2561 (Schlegel-Culver): This bill amends the Optometric Practice and Licensure Act to further provide for the licensure and practice of optometry.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, October 19, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 120 (DiSanto): This bill amends Title 23 (Domestic Relations) to further provide for additional definitions, hearing procedures, grounds for involuntary termination, notice requirements, and consents necessary to adoption.
This legislation should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 86 (Maloney): This bill providing for the display of the official POW/MIA flag on Commonwealth grounds and buildings.
The Department of General Services estimates purchasing new flags will cost $126,000. Additionally, the department estimates the cost replace the flags based on wear will also cost $126,000 annually. These estimates do not include costs for labor.
House Bill 280 (James): This bill amends the Unemployment Compensation Law to extend the period of time allotted for parties to appeal Unemployment Compensation (UC) determinations.
According to the Department of Labor and Industry, extending the appeal period under this legislation could lead to increased volume of appeals and workload. Fiscal implications are unknown at this time but are expected to be minimal.
House Bill 703 (Brown): This bill amends the Public School Code by adding a section regarding e-mail addresses for school directors.
This legislation should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 763 (O’Neal): This bill amends several sections of the Liquor Code providing for exemptions from the interlocking license ownership prohibition; and providing for club license holders to sell beer to go.
This legislation should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth.
Senators Scarnati and Killion voted against the bill.
House Bill 885 (Gayados): This bill amends the Public Works Contractors’ Bond Law to tighten the bonding requirements for acceptable financial securities required for projects.
This legislation should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, October 5, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 845 (Langerholic): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to further provide for maximum gross weight of vehicles. The bill would allow electric vehicles which are powered primarily by electric battery power to exceed the imposed gross vehicle weight limits up to 2,000 pounds. The additional weight limit would be allowed for the battery or battery pack only and not the weight of the vehicle.
The bill should not have a negative fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 983 (DiSanto): This bill makes several changes to the Newborn Child Testing Act. The bill adds definitions for “birthing facilities,” “certified-nurse midwife,” “health care practitioner,” and
“unlicensed midwife.” Outdated references throughout the act are updated to reflect the accepted terms of intellectual disability and physical disability.
The bill should not have an immediate fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1158 (Arnold): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to statutorily provide guidelines for the reprieve of inmates under a declaration of disaster emergency.
The bill could have an impact on Commonwealth funds.
All Senate Democrats and Sen. Laughlin voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 1173 (Yaw): This bill amends the Air Pollution Control Act to alter the process for appointing members to the Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee from appointment by the Department of Environmental Protection Secretary to appointment by the Governor and General Assembly.
The bill is not anticipated to have much, if any, impact on Commonwealth funds.
All Senate Democrats and Sen. Laughlin voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 1246 (Regan): This bill amends Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) to add a new subchapter F – Medals Honoring Law Enforcement Officers.
The bill should have minimal fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
Senate Bill 1268 (J.Ward): This bill amends the Nurse Aide Resident Abuse Prevention Training Act to allow for the certification of COVID-19 temporary nurse aides.
This bill should not have an adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senators Blake, Haywood, and Iovino voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 1279 (Mensch): This bill creates the Essential Family Caregiver Designation Act. The legislation would allow long-term care nursing facilities, hospices, assisted living residences, personal care homes and intermediate care facilities serving individuals with intellectual disabilities to designate a family caregiver per resident during a disaster emergency as long as certain requirements are met.
This bill should not have an adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senators Blake, Collett, Haywood, Santarsiero, Schwank, Street, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 1296 (Argall): This bill amends the County Code to provide that no board of commissioners in a county of the fourth class may enter into any contract for the purchase of property located in a city of the third class which would remove the property from the assessment rolls of taxable properties within the city, unless the city and any affected school districts have passed a resolution approving the purchase.
This bill should not have an adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senators Blake and Schwank voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 1330 (Vogel): This bill amends Title 3 (Agriculture) to create a new Subchapter C (Milk Sell by Date and Best by Date Labeling). The bill would permit a milk processor to apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) for approval to use a “sell by date” or a “best by date” that exceeds the 17-day from pasteurization period.
The Department of Agriculture indicates it will be able to implement Senate Bill 1330 within its current operating budget, once regulations are issued. Additionally, the department anticipates possible savings in future years.
Senate Bill 1350 (Browne): This bill provides for supplemental appropriation adjustments to cover expenses of the commonwealth Executive, Legislative and Judicial departments, public debt, and public schools during the 2020-21 fiscal year. These expenses are covered with a mix of state General Funds, Federal Funds and Special Funds.
This legislation includes supplemental appropriation adjustments in the General Fund and select Special Funds for the current (2020-21) and prior (2019-20) fiscal years.
Senate Democrats voted against the bill.
House Bill 1069 (Bernstine): This bill amends the public notice of meetings provisions of Title 65 (Public Officers) to require an agency to provide notification of agency business to be considered at a meeting.
This bill will not have an impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1780 (James): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to provide for exemptions of records of volunteer EMS, fire companies and rescue companies from provisions of the Right-to-Know Law.
This bill should not have adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
House Bill 2370 (M.H. Keller): This bill amends Title 57 (Notaries Public), in the Revised Uniform Law on Notarial Acts to provide authority to perform notarial acts for remotely located individuals and for notification of notarial acts performed on electronic records.
This bill should not have adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
House Bill 2438 (Owlett): This bill amends Title 68 (Real and Personal Property) to provide for broadband services.
This bill would not have a fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, September 22, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 487 (Laughlin): Amends the Breach of Personal Information Notification Act to further provide for the title of the act, definitions, notification requirements, encryption requirements, storage policy requirements, and compliance.
This legislation should have minimal fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1033 (Gordner): Amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further provide for two additional judges of the Court of Common Pleas.
This legislation should have minimal fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1075 (Arnold): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further provide for the grading for the offense of sexual abuse of children, a sentencing enhancement for offenses involving sexual abuse of children, and for the creation of the Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Task Force.
If the provisions of this legislation result in approximately 60 additional individuals serving state sentences, the approximate additional cost per year could be $400,000. This number would continue to increase each year as additional defendants were sentenced while the previous year’s offenders were still serving their sentences.
Senate Bill 1164 (J.Ward): This bill amends the County Code making changes in reporting for coroners.
This legislation may have a minimal fiscal impact to Commonwealth and local budgets.
Senators Haywood, Iovino, Santarsiero, Schwank, Street, Hughes voted against the bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, September 21, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 395 (Brooks): Allows for the display of the official POW/MIA flag at all roadside rests and welcome centers operated by the Department of Transportation as well as at all Pennsylvania Turnpike Service Plazas.
This bill should not have a negative impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 810 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends Title 71 (State Government) to consolidate the Commonwealth’s information technology services within a newly created Office of Information Technology and outlining related structures and duties.
The Office of Administration estimates a total cost of $25.615 million in 2020-21 as well as in 2021-22. The Department of General Services estimates a total cost of $2.324 million in 2020-21 and a total cost of $1.509 million in 2021-22. The Governor’s Budget Office notes that new costs will continue into fiscal year 2022-23. The estimated total three-year fiscal impact is $82.2 million.
All Democrats voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 890 (Mensch): Amends the Tobacco Settlement Act of 2001 making amendments to the Medical Assistance for Worker’s with Disabilities program.
According to the Department of Human Services, total net cost of the changes in Senate Bill 890 would be $8.6 million ($4.1 million in state funds and $4.8 million in federal funds).
Senate Bill 1189 (K.Ward): This bill amends the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955 adding control measures related to long term living facilities during disaster declarations due to a communicable disease.
This bill should not have a direct fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
All Democrats voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 1241 (Argall): This bill amends the Administrative Code to require the Department of General Services (DGS) to conduct an annual survey of State facility usage.
Enactment of Senate Bill 1241 may have a minimal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1281 (Mastriano): Amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to further provide for responsibilities of a licensed driver in an emergency response area.
The enactment of Senate Bill 1281 would cost the Motor License Fund $75,000 to add the new offense for failure to move over in an emergency response area to the schedule of convictions and points.
House Bill 21 (Helm): This bill amends the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act to provide for the licensure of home inspectors, including needed additions, changes, and related repeals.
This bill should have minimal ongoing fiscal impacts on Commonwealth Funds related to increased work to existing positions and increased operating costs in the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. The Department of State anticipates a one-time expenditure of approximately $100,000 for upgrades to the Department’s Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS) to accommodate the new licensees and registrants, and for the promulgation of new regulations. The Department projects all other costs associated with the bill will be offset by the cost of licensure and registration fees received.
Additionally, the legislation should have no adverse impact on local funds, as counties do not currently license home inspectors or receive licensure fees from home inspectors.
House Bill 30 (Petrarca): This bill provides for contributions to The Governor Robert P. Casey Memorial Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Trust Fund.
Enactment of this legislation carries a minimal cost associated with updating systems.
House Bill 1034 (Everett): Amends the Consolidated County Assessment Law (CCAL) to more precisely define changes to real property that could occur without authorizing the assessment office to adjust an assessment, and to increase the value of other improvements that may occur before the assessment office is required to be notified.
This bill has no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or County funds.
House Bill 1222 (Lewis): This bill amends Title 10 (Charities), by consolidating the Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act of 1990 (P.L. 120, No. 202) and the Institution of Purely Public Charity Act of 1997 (P.L. 508, No. 55) under Title 10 and makes the related necessary repeals.
This legislation should have minimal fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1838 (Causer): This bill amends Titles 35 (Health and Safety) and 75 (Vehicles) to further provide for the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund.
The enactment of House Bill 1828 would provide additional revenue for the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund due to the changes under Title 75 (Vehicles). For fiscal year 2018-2019, the $10 surcharge on traffic violations and $25 ARD cost generated $11.3 million for the fund. If the same number of traffic violations and ARD participation occurs in future fiscal years, then an additional $11.3 million would be generated from the doubled EMS costs for traffic violations and ARD defendant cost.
House Bill 2073 (Moul): This bill updates and modernizes the First Class Township Code. It seeks to remove obsolete provisions, incorporate case law and current practices, standards and requirements, updates archaic language and adds provisions to make it consistent with the recently updated Borough Code, Third Class City Code and Second-Class Township Code.
According to the Local Government Commission, this legislation could save taxpayer money for all first class townships as newspaper publication requirements for purchases and contracts over the threshold amount will be reduced from two times in a newspaper of general circulation to once.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, September 9, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 1226 (Tartaglione): This bill provides for supplemental appropriations from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account in the 2019-20 fiscal year relating to higher education institutions.
This legislation appropriates a total of $130 million in federal funding from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account for higher education institutions.
Senate Bill 1307 (Killion): This bill amends the Fiscal Code to appropriate $150 million from money received by the Commonwealth through the CARES Act to the Department of Human Services, the Public Utility Commission and PennVEST for utility assistance.
This legislation appropriates $150 million in federal CARES Act funding through the COVID- 19 Response Restricted Account.
Senate Bill 1314 (J. Ward): This bill amends the Fiscal Code to appropriate $200 million in federal funding from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for grants to eligible community-based nonprofit organizations.
This legislation appropriates $200 million from federal CARES Act funding.
House Bill 2513 (Everett): This bill amends the Administrative Code by adding several sections related to the indoor and outdoor operations of a restaurant, bar, hotel and other establishments during the COVID-19 disaster emergency.
The Liquor Control Board (Board) projects minimal cost and minimal revenue for the legislation. There is a $220 expense per applicant for the Board to verify the expanded outdoor serving area. It is unknown how many licensees will apply. The Board does not have a revenue estimate on the impact of expanded indoor capacity, as it is also unknown how many, and to what extent, establishments will participate in the new indoor guidelines.
Senators Haywood, Street, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, September 8, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 5 (DiSanto): This bill amends the Regulatory Review Act to require the Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) to verify cost estimates of proposed regulations and the General Assembly to approve, via concurrent resolution, any final-form or final-omitted regulation carrying a cost impact estimate of $1 million annually for the Commonwealth, local governments and the private sector.
This bill may have cost and/or revenue implications for the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions. For Fiscal Year 2021-22, the Independent Fiscal Office has indicated that it will likely require additional analytical staff to verify the estimates of the direct and indirect costs of proposed regulations to the Commonwealth, its political subdivisions and to the private sector. Salary, benefits and operating costs for two analysts are estimated at approximately $280,000.
All Senate Democrats voted against the bill, along with Sen. Killion.
Senate Bill 253 (Phillips-Hill): This bill creates the State Agency Regulatory Compliance Officer Act, requiring agencies to designate a regulatory compliance officer to implement provisions outlined in the act.
The provisions under this bill may inhibit an agency’s ability to collect fines and penalties, resulting in a loss of revenue used to support the regulated program or deposited into commonwealth funds. Further, changes to the oversight and decision making in the enforcement of regulations could result in noncompliance with federal law and regulation, potentially resulting in federal funding disallowances or ineligibility to draw federal funds.
All Senate Democrats voted against the bill, along with Sen. Killion.
Senate Bill 793 (Brooks): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to further provide for a commercial driver’s license as well as restrictions on the use of roads and bridges.
This bill will not have a negative impact on Commonwealth funds.
Sens. Blake, Collett, Iovino, Santarsiero, Schwank, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 835 (Langerholic): This bill establishes The Unserved High-Speed Broadband Funding Pilot Program to be overseen by the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA).
This legislation appropriates $5,000,000 from the General Fund to the newly created Unserved High-speed Broadband Funding Program Account to fund the program.
Senate Bill 1170 (Langerholc): This bill amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further provide for expert testimony in criminal proceedings related to sexual and domestic violence offenses.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 1033 (Moul): This bill amends the Assessors Certification Act to provide for the qualifications, training, and certification of revaluation company personnel.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
House Bill 1439 (Kauffer): This bill amends Title 40 (Insurance) adding Chapter 43 relating to mental health parity and access to addiction treatment.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
Senators Haywood, Costa, and Hughes voted against.
House Bill 1584 (Everett): This bill amends Title 30 (Fish) by removing the current statutory restriction that bars Waterways Conservation Officers (WCOs) of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) from being included in Act 111 for the purpose of seeking collective bargaining.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
House Bill 1696 (Murt): This bill amends the Insurance Company Law of 1921 regarding annual attestation by insurers of compliance with federal and state law, regulation and guidance relating to mental health parity and substance use disorder treatment.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
House Bill 1984 (Benninghoff): This bill amends Title 23 (Domestic Relations) to further provide for petitioning for involuntary termination of parental rights and adds a section for special provisions when the child is conceived as a result of rape or incest.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
House Bill 2025 (Struzzi): creates the Pennsylvania Carbon Dioxide Cap and Trade Authorization Act to require legislative authorization for measures, including participation in, or the establishment of, a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, that are designed to abate, control or limit carbon dioxide emissions. The legislation simply requires legislative authorization for measures, including participation in, or the establishment of, a greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program, that are designed to abate, control or limit carbon dioxide emissions.
The legislation is not anticipated to have an impact on commonwealth funds.
Senators Blake, Collett, Haywood, Killion, Santarsiero, Schwank, Street, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
House Bill 2787 (Reese): This bill amends the Public School Code related to school sports during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth and local funds.
Senators Haywood, Santarsiero, Street, Costa, and Hughes voted against the bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday July 14, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 14 (A.Williams): This bill amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further provide for matters related to imposing conditions of probation and modifying and revoking orders of probation
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth or local funds.
This legislation carries an estimated net savings of up to $5.7 million.
Senate Bill 881 (Martin): This bill amends the Agricultural Area Security Law to direct a portion of the state-allocated farmland preservation funding to be set aside annually for use by land trusts.
Enactment of this legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds, but it does change the way funds are distributed.
Senate Bill 1039 (Martin): This bill incorporates Act 154 of 2018, the reenactment and amendment of the County Code (Code), Act 130 of 1955, into the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Pa.C.S.) as Part IV (Counties of the Second Class A through Eighth Class) of Title 16 (Counties).
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds. The bill allows county commissioners to have locations outside of the county seat to conduct business and to permit expanded appropriations to fire departments in seventh and eighth class counties.
Senate Bill 1216 (Langerholic): This bill amends Section 1207 of the Public School Code related to teacher certification. It would allow the Secretary of Education (Secretary) to issue the following types of temporary teaching certificates in response to the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) A temporary provisional certificate to individuals who have completed all of their teacher preparation requirements except their final assessment. (2) An exceptional case permit to educators who are unable to take their assessment to move from an Instructional I certificate to an Instructional II certificate. (3) A temporary certificate to individuals who were seeking to add on a certification – although physical education, health, cooperative education, and special education are exempted.
The Department of Education indicates this legislation will have no fiscal impact to the Commonwealth.
House Bill 196 (Diamond): This is a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of Pennsylvania, in the judiciary, to provide for representative judicial districts and residency requirements for the purpose of judicial elections.
This legislation carries an estimated net cost of $3 million dollars over the course of two fiscal years, beginning in Fiscal Year 2020-21.
The bill passed with all Democrats voting against and Senators Laughlin and Killion voting against.
House Bill 672 (Ortitay): This bill amends Act 10 of 1970 relating to medical care consent by minors ages 14 through 18. Specifically, the bill revises Section 1.1 pertaining to Mental Health Treatment.
Enactment of this legislation should have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 942 (Grove): This bill amends the Human Services Code relating to the composition of the Pharmaceutical and Therapeutics Committee.
Enactment of this legislation should have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1437 (M.K. Keller): This bill amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971 to further provide for City Revitalization and Improvement Zones as well as the Rural Jobs and Investment Tax Credit.
Enactment of this legislation would have a nominal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2484 (White): This bill amends Title 15 (Corporations and Unincorporated Associations) and Title 20 (Decedents, Estates, and Fiduciaries) to increase spending limitations for nonprofit corporations and charitable trusts and adds a new section to Title 15 related to nonjudicial settlement agreements.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, June 30, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 565 (Farnese): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to further provide for additional parking regulations.
The enactment of the bill would not have a negative fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds. Enforcement of new fines imposed may result in additional revenue.
Senate Bill 764 (Brooks): This bill amends the Telemarketer Registration Act to add new definitions, amend unlawful acts, and prohibit caller ID spoofing.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
Senate Bill 869 (Mastriano): This bill adds Section 1555 of the Public School Code related to a moment of silence and remembrance on the anniversary of September 11.
Enactment of this legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth or local funds.
Senate Bill 940 (DiSanto): This bill amends the Municipal Code and Ordinance Compliance Act to define “condemnation order” and specify it shall be filed against a property and filed with the county tax claim bureau and recorder of deeds.
This legislation will have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 256 (Metzgar): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to further provide for the offenses of Assault by Prisoner and Institutional Sexual Assault. The legislation also amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further account for the changes to Institutional Sexual Assault in the sexual offenses and tier system designation.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on the Commonwealth. Due to the variable nature of the criminal justice system there is insufficient information available to determine what, if any cost may be incurred by counties and municipalities.
Senator Haywood and Senator Hughes voted against the bill.
House Bill 1841 (Readshaw): This bill adds a new chapter to Title 44 (Law and Justice) relating to requirements for law enforcement background investigations and employment information.
Enactment of House Bill 1841 may impact Commonwealth and local funds in fiscal year 2020-21 and beyond. These additional personnel needs may cost $200,000. If the PA State Police is able to leverage existing programs, the costs should be minimal.
House Bill 1910 (Williams): This bill amends Titles 42(Judiciary and Judicial Procedure), 44 (Law and Justice) and 53 (Municipalities Generally) to further provide for continuing education requirements for magisterial district judges, mental health evaluations for law enforcement officers, and training requirements for law enforcement officers.
Enactment of House Bill 1910 may result in minimal, if any, costs to Commonwealth and local funds as it relates to the training provided by the Commission.
House Bill 2455 (Lawrence): This bill amends the Administrative Code relating to a COVID-19 testing plan for the commonwealth.
Enactment of this legislation should have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds. Federal funds have been made available for COVID-19 response, including costs related to planning, testing, tracking, and reporting COVID-19 incidences.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, June 29, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 1045 (Argall): This bill amends the Recorder of Deeds Fee Law to remove the 10-year sunset on the demolition fee enacted in Act 152 of 2016.
This legislation will have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
Sen. Phillips-Hill voted in the negative.
Senate Bill 1182 (Brooks): This bill allows funding from the Pennsylvania Fair Fund to be distributed to otherwise eligible fairs, that must cancel 2020 events due to COVID-19.
The bill would have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1195 (Scavello): This bill makes several amendments to the Insurance Company Law of 1921, reflecting changes necessary to conform with National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) model law.
According to the Insurance Department, enactment of Senate Bill 1195 should have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds. The Department of Revenue notes that legislative changes to reinsurance credits could possibly accelerate usage, leading to all credits being recouped in year one.
The bill was amended in committee to make technical changes.
House Bill 1459 (Schlossberg): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to add Chapter 75A, providing for Emergency Responder Mental Wellness and Stress Management.
The Department of Health estimates an initial full-year cost of $439,000 to implement the provisions of the act. The legislation allows the department to use $250,000 annually from the 25% allocation from the Emergency Medical Services Operating Fund (EMSOF) to the Catastrophic Medical and Rehabilitation Fund (CMRF) to offset costs related to implementation.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, June 24, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 273 (J. Ward): This bill amends the Community-Based Health Care Act to remove the 25% cap on grants awarded to federal qualified health centers.
This legislation should not have an adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 459 (Costa): This bill amends Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) to require law enforcement agencies within the Commonwealth to maintain records and report on all incidents involving use of force by a law enforcement officer.
While it is possible there will be upfront costs for system implementation as well as sustaining costs in out-years for system maintenance, upgrades, and personnel, it is very likely that costs could be minimal at most. However, the exact costs are indeterminable at this time.
Senate Bill 1205 (Street): This bill amends Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) to require each law enforcement agency to adopt written policies governing the use of force by law enforcement officers.
This legislation should not have an adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 732 (Quinn): This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to further provide for excluded transactions in realty transfer tax.
According to the Department of Revenue, enactment of this legislation would have a nominal negative impact on the General Fund.
House Bill 943 (Gaydos): This bill creates a freestanding act to be known as the Consumer Prescription Drug Pricing and Freedom Disclosure Act. Specifically, the legislation pertains to the disclosure of prescription drug cost information to consumers.
This legislation should not have an adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2171 (Sonney): This bill reforms the governance and accountability of the Board of Governors and Councils of Trustees of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE); makes financial and legal reforms; and streamlines reporting and clarifies and updates statutory language.
This legislation should not have an adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2487 (Ryan): This bill amends the Public Official Compensation Law to provide for an automatic cost-of-living adjustment suspension.
Enactment of this legislation may result in savings to various commonwealth operating funds to the extent that costs related to annual cost-of-living adjustments are not realized.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, June 23, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 1193 (Browne): This bill amends the Sheriff and Deputy Sheriff Education and Training Act to increase surcharges collected by sheriffs. The current surcharge of $10.00 will continue until December 31, 2020 after which the surcharge will increase to $16.00 beginning on January 1, 2021; $18.00 beginning on January 1, 2022; and $20.00 beginning on January 1, 2023.
Currently, there is $3,465,637 in outstanding reimbursements to counties. The lack of adequate funds in the account have lead PCCD to forgo reimbursements to counties. The fee has not been increased since January 1, 2000. With the increase in fees over the next three calendar years, PCCD estimates it can pay all outstanding reimbursements to counties by the end of 2023.
Senate Bill 1199 (Aument): This bill amends Title 75 to provide for personal delivery devices.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved party lines.
House Bill 364 (Gabler): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to further provide for enforcement of failure to stop for school bus with flashing red lights and for visual signals on authorized vehicles.
This legislation may result in a minimal fiscal impact to Commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 1457 (Schroeder): This bill amends the Insurance Company Law of 1921 to clarify that prosthetic devices covered related to mastectomy and breast cancer reconstruction includes custom artificial devices.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1564 (Emrick): This bill adds the definitions of “manufactured home” and “mobile home.” The bill also provides for considerations that can be made for a mobile home or manufactured home when determining the value of the property for taxation purposes. The bill also provides an exception for a court ordered reassessment during the COVID-19 disaster and suspends the training requirement for assessment board members during a Governor’s disaster declaration.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1864 (Longietti): This bill amends the Urban Redevelopment Law to allow for any municipality to create a redevelopment authority. This bill would allow all municipalities regardless of size to establish a redevelopment authority.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved with Senators Blake, Haywood, Street, and Hughes voting against.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, June 22, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 85 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends the Dog Law to exempt certain service dogs from dog licensing fees.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 655 (Boscola): This bill authorizes the Governor to execute the Nurse Licensure Compact on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This legislation would result in minimal expenditure of Commonwealth funds and may result in a decrease in revenue due to the out-of-state verification fees being removed. Because it is unlikely the legislation could be passed before the end of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, all fiscal impacts would be realized in the 2020-2021 fiscal year and beyond.
Senate Bill 1188 (Blake): This bill amends Section 320 (Tax Limitations) of the Local Tax Enabling Act (Act 511) to further provide for local tax limitations. Under current law, Section 320 limits the aggregate amount of all taxes imposed by a political subdivision to an amount equal to the product of the most recent total market valuation of real estate in the political subdivision multiplied by 12 mills.
This legislation should not have a negative fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
House Bill 808 (Mehaffie): This bill amends Title 30 (Fish) by authorizing the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to establish fees for fishing and boating related licenses and permits by regulatory action and to expand the allowable use of funds from the sale of Lake Erie permits.
The bill was amended in committee to change the date the commission may set fees to July 1, 2021, and the sunset date for that authority to July 15, 2025.
The Commission estimates the legislation would generate additional revenues of $1.46 million in FY 2021-2022, $2.23 million in FY 2022-2023, and $2.98 million in FY 2023-2024 assuming the sunset date is extended beyond the current date of July 15, 2022.
House Bill 1003 (Gillespie): This bill amends Title 30 (Fish) to allow the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to directly issue citations to owners who fail to mark their dams. It also amends the definition of run-of-the-river dam.
The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1185 (Mentzer): This bill amends Title 30n (Fish) to increase and/or clarify penalties relating to damage to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission property; littering; boating education; boating under the influence; and aggravated assault by watercraft.
The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1188 (Wentling): This bill amends Title 34 (Game) to remove the restriction on the use of infrared, thermal, and similar night vision optics for the hunting of game. Removal of this restriction does not automatically allow the use of such optics; rather, it allows the PA Game Commission (PGC) to include their use by regulation if it deems appropriate.
The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1325 (Ortitay): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to provide for evaluation for gambling disorder for an individual who is on the gaming self-exclusion list and commits the offense of criminal trespass.
This legislation will have no impact on Commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved along party lines.
House Bill 1538 (White): This legislation amends Title 61 (Prison & Parole) to provide additional procedures for the consideration of reapplication for parole for certain offenses.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved with Senators Haywood, Street, and Hughes voting against.
House Bill 1710 (Hennessey): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to provide for USA semiquincentennial registration plates.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1796 (White): This bill amends the First Class City Business Tax Reform Act of 1984 to increase the authorized net operating loss carry-forward period for businesses with certain tax liabilities in the City of Philadelphia from three years to twenty years.
This legislation will have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2418 (O’Neal): This bill amends the Administrative Code of 1929 to further provide for the State Geospatial Coordination Board and provide for a COVID-19 debt cost reduction review.
According to the Governor’s Budget, Office, the cost for one executive director position, including salary and benefits, would be approximately $200,000 annually. Depending on when, and if, the Board appoints an executive director, the total cost could vary between $200,000 and $800,000 during the four years the Board is effective. It is expected that the Treasury Department will engage an outside consultant to complete the report. An estimated cost for the report is $30,000 to $60,000.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, June 9, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 430 (Fontana): This bill creates the Carbon Monoxide Alarm Standards in Child Care Facilities Act. It requires a childcare facility operating in a building with a fossil-fuel burning heater or appliance, fireplace, or attached garage to have an operational, approved carbon monoxide alarm installed in accordance to the act.
This legislation should have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1125 (Martin): This bill amends the Local Tax Collection Law to permit the board of directors of a school district to extend the time period that qualifies taxpayers for a discount, or waive a penalty for failure to make timely payment of any such taxes on real estate charged against them, or both.
This legislation should have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1166 (K. Ward): This bill proposes an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution that would add a new Section 20 related to the duration of a declared disaster emergency. The new section provides that an emergency declared by the Governor may not last longer than 30 days, unless extended by a concurrent resolution of the General Assembly.
If the amendment was passed, it is uncertain what fiscal impact the limitation of a declared disaster emergencies would have on Commonwealth or local funds.
The bill was approved by party line vote.
House Bill 617 (Gillespie): This legislation creates a volunteer instructor license to be issued by the Pennsylvania Game Commission for any individual, other than a full-time employee of the Game Commission who: Is a resident of the Commonwealth; and, is certified by PGC as qualified to teach any of the hunter or trapper education curriculums offered by Game Commission. The bill also provides that the fee for a volunteer instructor license shall be $1 plus the issuing agents fee, which is currently $1.
If enacted, the Game Fund would lose approximately $25,000 per year in fee revenue due to the discounted cost of licenses for volunteer HTE instructors. The most recent PGC annual report shows total Game Fund revenues as of June 30, 2018 were $117.15 million.
House Bill 632 (Rothman): This legislation amends Title 75 (Vehicles). The bill adds Section 7134 (d.2) Secure power of attorney, insurance companies. The new section requires the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to permit an insurer (i.e., insurance company) to use a secure power of attorney to transfer a salvage vehicle when the certificate of title is encumbered with a lien or when the title has been lost by the transferor and the insurer is applying for a duplicate title. In addition to salvage vehicles, PennDOT, at its sole discretion, is authorized to permit the use of a secure power of attorney for the transfer of other vehicles. The power of attorney need not be notarized and may be signed electronically.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on the General Fund or Motor License Fund.
House Bill 2502 (Mihalek): This legislation 4 amends the Administrative Code to require the Department of State (Department) to issue a report 60 days after the 2020 primary election to the majority and minority chairs of the Senate and House State Government Committees. The report shall also be posted on the Department’s website.
This legislation should have no adverse impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, June 22, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 85 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends the Dog Law to exempt certain service dogs from dog licensing fees.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 655 (Boscola): This bill authorizes the Governor to execute the Nurse Licensure Compact on behalf of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
This legislation would result in minimal expenditure of Commonwealth funds and may result in a decrease in revenue due to the out-of-state verification fees being removed. Because it is unlikely the legislation could be passed before the end of the 2019-2020 fiscal year, all fiscal impacts would be realized in the 2020-2021 fiscal year and beyond.
Senate Bill 1188 (Blake): This bill amends Section 320 (Tax Limitations) of the Local Tax Enabling Act (Act 511) to further provide for local tax limitations. Under current law, Section 320 limits the aggregate amount of all taxes imposed by a political subdivision to an amount equal to the product of the most recent total market valuation of real estate in the political subdivision multiplied by 12 mills.
This legislation should not have a negative fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
House Bill 808 (Mehaffie): This bill amends Title 30 (Fish) by authorizing the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to establish fees for fishing and boating related licenses and permits by regulatory action and to expand the allowable use of funds from the sale of Lake Erie permits.
The bill was amended in committee to change the date the commission may set fees to July 1, 2021, and the sunset date for that authority to July 15, 2025.
The Commission estimates the legislation would generate additional revenues of $1.46 million in FY 2021-2022, $2.23 million in FY 2022-2023, and $2.98 million in FY 2023-2024 assuming the sunset date is extended beyond the current date of July 15, 2022.
House Bill 1003 (Gillespie): This bill amends Title 30 (Fish) to allow the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to directly issue citations to owners who fail to mark their dams. It also amends the definition of run-of-the-river dam.
The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1185 (Mentzer): This bill amends Title 30n (Fish) to increase and/or clarify penalties relating to damage to Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission property; littering; boating education; boating under the influence; and aggravated assault by watercraft.
The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1188 (Wentling): This bill amends Title 34 (Game) to remove the restriction on the use of infrared, thermal, and similar night vision optics for the hunting of game. Removal of this restriction does not automatically allow the use of such optics; rather, it allows the PA Game Commission (PGC) to include their use by regulation if it deems appropriate.
The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1325 (Ortitay): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to provide for evaluation for gambling disorder for an individual who is on the gaming self-exclusion list and commits the offense of criminal trespass.
This legislation will have no impact on Commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved along party lines.
House Bill 1538 (White): This legislation amends Title 61 (Prison & Parole) to provide additional procedures for the consideration of reapplication for parole for certain offenses.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved with Senators Haywood, Street, and Hughes voting against.
House Bill 1710 (Hennessey): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) to provide for USA semiquincentennial registration plates.
This legislation would have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1796 (White): This bill amends the First Class City Business Tax Reform Act of 1984 to increase the authorized net operating loss carry-forward period for businesses with certain tax liabilities in the City of Philadelphia from three years to twenty years.
This legislation will have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2418 (O’Neal): This bill amends the Administrative Code of 1929 to further provide for the State Geospatial Coordination Board and provide for a COVID-19 debt cost reduction review.
According to the Governor’s Budget, Office, the cost for one executive director position, including salary and benefits, would be approximately $200,000 annually. Depending on when, and if, the Board appoints an executive director, the total cost could vary between $200,000 and $800,000 during the four years the Board is effective. It is expected that the Treasury Department will engage an outside consultant to complete the report. An estimated cost for the report is $30,000 to $60,000.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Thursday, May 28, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 987 (Hutchinson): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) related to the appointment and duties of the State Fire Commissioner and creation of the State Fire Advisory Board.
According to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and Office of the State Fire Commissioner, enactment of Senate Bill 987 would significantly impact commonwealth funds. This bill would cost $2,509,500 in Commonwealth funds.
The bill was approved along party lines.
House Bill 584 (Kortz): This bill amends Title 30 (Fish and Boat Code) to provide an exemption from fishing license requirements for therapeutic recreation program participants.
The bill would not result in additional revenue loss for the Fish Fund, since currently the Commission is providing these exemptions annually under an “educational” exemption.
House Bill 1083 (Sankey): This bill amends the Fiscal Code to repeal provisions which relate to capital stock and franchise tax reports and payment of tax. The bill was amended in committee. The bill was amended into the Fiscal Code. The amendment was approved with 3 negative votes, Senator Collett, Senator Santarsiero, and Senator Hughes. Senator Haywood offered an amendment regarding mail in ballots. The Chairman, Sen. Browne ruled the amendment out of order.
The bill as amended was approved with 4 negative votes. Senator Collett, Senator Santarsiero, Senator Costa, and Senator Hughes voted against the bill.
House Bill 1210 (Jones): This bill amends the Public School Code by repealing various expired or outdated sections. Senator Browne offered an amendment to the bill. The amendment inserted the School Code into the legislation. The amendment was adopted with 1 negative vote. Senator Santarsiero voted against the amendment.
The bill as amended was approved with 1 negative vote. Senator Santarsiero voted against the bill as amended.
The enactment of House Bill 1210 provides for spending across multiple programs totaling $7,907,886,000 in Fiscal Year 2020-21.
House Bill 2510 (Turzai): This bill creates a freestanding act to be known as the Regional Response Health Collaborative Act and makes emergency federal appropriations for five programs under the Department of Human Services. Senator Browne offered an amendment. The amendment creates a new program in the Fiscal Code for regional health collaboratives. This legislation requires the Department of Human Services to divide the state into six regions, solicit proposals from health collaboratives to protect residents in long-term care facilities from COVID-19 and contract with at least one health collaborative in each region.
The bill provides for the distribution of $2.1 billion of the $2.6 billion appropriated from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, May 26, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 995 (Laughlin): This legislation would change Section 102 of Title 75 under ‘Definitions’ in order to make changes to the definition of “Multipurpose Agricultural Vehicle.” The definition would be amended to change the width of a multipurpose agricultural vehicle from 62 inches or less to 66 inches or less.
This bill should not have any adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 1076 (Baker): This bill amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) to remove the sunset date on the Military Family Relief Assistance Program.
This legislation should have no fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 2387 (Saylor): This bill is the General Appropriation Act interim funding for FY 2020-21. The legislation includes both supplemental appropriation adjustments for the current 2019-20 fiscal year and appropriations for the 2020-21 fiscal year for the General Fund and select Special Funds. General Fund and federal augmenting appropriations total $25,140,761 and $29,778,312, respectively.
The bill was reported out with 2 negative votes, Sen. Collett and Sen. Santarsiero
HB 2441- HB 2445 were taken in a block for the non-preferred appropriations and were approved unanimously.
House Bill 2441 (Saylor): This bill provides $268,832,000 in funding for the Pennsylvania State University for the 2020-21 fiscal year. In addition, the bill specifies that money of the restricted account within the Agricultural College Land Scrip Fund is appropriated in the 2020-21 fiscal year as provided for in the Fiscal Code.
House Bill 2442 (Saylor): This bill provides $154,853,000 in funding for the University of Pittsburgh for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
House Bill 2443 (Saylor): This bill provides $158,206,000 in funding for Temple University for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
House Bill 2444 (Saylor): This bill provides $15,166,000 in funding for Lincoln University for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
House Bill 2445 (Saylor): This bill provides $31,955,000 in funding for the University of Pennsylvania for the 2020-21 fiscal year.
HB 2467 – HB 2475 were taken as a block and approved unanimously.
House Bill 2467 (Saylor): This bill appropriates a total of $69.741 million from the Professional Licensure Augmentation Account and other restricted revenue accounts within the General Fund to the Department of State for use by the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs in fiscal year 2020-2021.
House Bill 2468 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $75.802 million for FY 2020-21 from the Workmen’s Compensation Administration Fund to L&I for expenses necessary to administer the Workers’ Compensation Act and the Pennsylvania Occupational Disease Act.
House Bill 2469 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $1,896,000 from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund for the operation of the Office of Small Business Advocate in DCED for general government operations for the fiscal year July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021. The amount reflects the recommendation of the Governor’s Budget Office for 2020-21. Funds in the restricted revenue account are derived from assessments on utilities regulated by the Public Utility Commission.
House Bill 2470 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $6.204 million from a restricted account within the General Fund to the OCA in the Office of Attorney General (OAG) to provide for the operation of the office in fiscal year 2020-2021.
House Bill 2471 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $52.294 million and $1.083 million from the Public School Employees’ Retirement Fund and the PSERS Defined Contribution Fund to the Public School Employees’ Retirement Board, respectively.
House Bill 2472 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $30.696 million and $4.557 million from the State Employees’ Retirement Fund and the SERS Defined Contribution Fund to the State Employees’ Retirement Board, respectively.
House Bill 2473 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $3,124,000 from the Philadelphia Taxicab and Limousine Regulatory Fund and $100,000 from the Philadelphia Taxicab Medallion Fund to the Philadelphia Parking Authority.
House Bill 2474 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $78.061 million from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund and $5.022 million from Federal funds to the Public Utility Commission.
House Bill 2475 (Saylor): This bill appropriates $67.079 million from the State Gaming Fund, $574,000 from the Fantasy Contest Fund and $1.042 million from the Video Gaming Fund.
House Bill 2510 (Turzai): This bill creates a freestanding act to be known as the Regional Response Health Collaborative Act and makes emergency federal appropriations for five programs under the Department of Human Services (DHS). The legislation appropriates a total of $1.267 billion in federal funds received under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Of that amount, $500 million is allocated for the Regional Health Collaboratives per the act and $767 million is allocated to supplement five appropriations in DHS.
The bill was approved with 1 negative vote by Sen. Haywood.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, May 13, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
House Bill 2388 (Mihalek): This bill amends the Administrative Code of 1929 (Code) to add a new Article relating to Emergency COVID-19 provisions regarding issuance of a waiver to the Governor’s Business Closure Order for vehicle dealerships, lawn and garden centers, cosmetology salons and barbershops, messenger services and agent services, animal grooming services, and manufacturing operations.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth or local funds. To the extent additional transactions occur, the Commonwealth and local political subdivisions may realize additional revenues.
The bill was approved along party lines, 15-9.
House Bill 2412 (Polinchock): This bill amends the Administrative Code of 1929 (Code) to add a new Article relating to Emergency COVID-19 provisions regarding issuance of a waiver to the Governor’s Business Closure Order for real estate activities.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth or local funds. To the extent additional transactions occur, the Commonwealth and local political subdivisions may realize additional revenues.
The bill was approved along party lines, 15-9.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, May 12, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 932 (Boscola): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) related to volunteer firefighters’ relief associations. It amends the definition of “volunteer firefighters’ relief association” to include members from volunteer fire companies or fire companies that are a combination of a volunteer fire company and a paid fire company.
This bill would have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 958 (Mastriano): This bill amends Title 8 (Boroughs and Incorporated Towns) to exempt the sale of electric by a borough from the gross receipts tax imposed under the Tax Reform Code of 1971. This would exempt the sale of electric by a borough from the gross receipts tax.
This bill would have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 1122 (Pittman): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to appropriate emergency funding for nursing/skilled facility care and to create a COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant Program.
The bill was amended to remove the $200,000,000 appropriation for making payments on behalf of eligible persons under section 443.1 of the Human Services Code. It also appropriated the following funds from the COVID-19 Response Restricted Account and is a supplement to the General Appropriations Act of 2019-20 to the Department of Human Services:
- COVID – Medical Assistance – Long-Term Care – $449,000,000
- COVID – Medical Assistance – Long-Term Managed Care – $8,000,000
- COVID – Community Health Choices – $50,000,000
It was also amended to include that Volunteer Firefighter Relief Association funds may be used for expenses related to COVID-19, including sanitizing and disinfecting equipment and property. No volunteer association should have to worry about an audit during the middle of a pandemic when their members’ lives are on the line.
House Bill 327 (Warren): This bill amends the Liquor Code related to definitions and to the sale of prepared beverages and mixed drinks for off-premise consumption during the COVID-19 disaster emergency. The legislation also re-enacts section 472(A) of the Liquor Code, related to a local referendum option.
This bill would have no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1048 (Knowles): This bill amends the Liquor Code related to fees for license validation or renewal for volunteer fire companies and veterans’ organizations.
According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), the enactment of this legislation would decrease revenue to the State Stores Fund by an estimated $700,000 to $840,000 annually.
House Bill 1076 (Hennessey): This bill amends the Taxpayer Relief Act to allow school districts to create a volunteer property tax relief program for senior residents over age 60 who volunteer in their home school district allowing them to receive a partial property tax credit. This bill also extends the application deadline for Property Tax Rent Rebate Program until December 31, 2020.
This bill would allow a reimbursement on a claim for calendar year 2019 to be made from the Lottery Fund immediately. If funds are available, Lottery Fund costs for the program will be shifted from fiscal year 2020-21 into the current fiscal year.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, May 11, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 1128 (Baker): This bill amends Title 75 (Vehicles) in licensing of drivers to provide for declared judicial emergencies and provisions related to suspension of operating privileges.
The enactment of Senate Bill 1128 may impact Commonwealth funds; in particular, the General Fund as a result of a potential expenditure to PennDOT, and the Motor License Fund as a result of delayed payments received.
Senate Bill 1148 (Browne): This bill provides for the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019. These supplemental appropriations reflect additional federal funding relating to COVID-19 response which were not appropriated in the 2019-20 General Appropriation Act.
Since these appropriations reflect new federal revenue available to the General Fund and Tobacco Settlement Fund, no additional commonwealth funds are necessary.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, April 29, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 331 (Brooks): This bill amends the School Code to establish a Secondary Education Fire Training Pilot Program, a pilot program providing fire training to secondary school students through institutions of higher education, defined as community colleges or PASSHE schools. The bill establishes a non-lapsing, restricted account to be known as the “Fire Training Fund.” The Fund may receive any funds appropriated, donated or transferred. Money may be appropriated by the General Assembly to the State Fire Commissioner to carry out the requirements of the act. Also, The Legislative Budget and Finance Committee shall conduct a survey of volunteer fire companies in areas surrounding the selected pilot program locations to determine whether the program has increased the number of volunteer firefighters.
Each of the three institutions of higher education selected to participate in the pilot program would receive at least $150,000. The total cost for the pilot program would be a minimum of $450,000.
Senate Bill 959 (Bartolotta): This bill amends the Human Services Code to provide a supplemental payment for certain skilled care facilities with a high number of claims days for ventilator or tracheostomy care.
This bill carries an estimated total cost of close to $13.8 million, shared between state and federal funds. For the 2019-20 annual payment, the state share would be an estimated $6.1 million. Assuming the federal share returns to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2020-21, the state share would be an estimated $6.6 million.
Senate Bill 1122 (Pittman): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to create a COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Grant Program. The amount of the grant award under the COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program is the same amount of the grant award for fiscal year 2019-20 to an eligible fire company under the Fire Company Grant Program and an eligible EMS company under the Emergency Medical Services Grant Program. Unless companies who did not apply for or receive a 2019-20 award under the Fire Company Grant Program or Emergency Medical Services Grant Program, no additional application is required for this new program.
This bill allocates $30 million from money received by the commonwealth under the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the purposes of making grants under this COVID-19 Crisis Fire Company and Emergency Medical Services Grant Program. Of that $30 million, $27 million is allocated for grants to eligible fire companies and $3 million is allocated for grants to EMS companies. PEMA may use up to $200,000 of unencumbered funds for administrative costs for the implementation of this program.
The bill was amended in committee. This amendment appropriates $200,000,000 from money received by the Commonwealth under the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act for the purposes of making payments on behalf of eligible persons, under Section 443.1 of the Human Services Code, whose institutionalized care is prescribed by a physician.
This amendment also increases the appropriation of money received by the Commonwealth under the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act from $30,000,000 to $31,000,000.
Of the money appropriated, the amendment decreases the amount to be extended for grants to fire companies to $26,400,00 (from $27,000,000) and increases the amount to be extended for grants to EMS companies to $4,600,000 (from $3,000,000).
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, April 28, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 107 (Martin): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to further provide protections for officers or employees of juvenile detention centers or other facilities. It provides that officers or employees of juvenile detention centers or any other facility to which juveniles are ordered by the court or placed by authority of a county juvenile probation officer or Children and Youth agency, are included among the enumerated persons whose assault shall be considered aggravated assault.
This may impact Commonwealth and local funds but the exact impact is not available at this time.
The bill was approved along mostly party lines, 16-8.
Senate Bill 276 (J. Ward): This bill amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) providing for an increase in veterans’ pensions in Blind Veterans Pension Program and the Amputee and Paralyzed Veterans Pension Program. It increases the monthly pension payment from $150 to $180 for blind veterans, veterans who are paralyzed and veterans who are amputees.
The projected increase expenditures for the Amputee and Paralyzed Veterans Program would be $747,480 for fiscal year 2020-21 and $37,80 for the Blind Veterans Pension Program in 2020-21. The total combined with the additional payment amounts would result in an estimated total additional cost of $785,280 for fiscal year 2020-21.
Senate Bill 377 (Boscola): This bill amends Title 34 (Game) by establishing additional penalties for killing a bald or golden eagle in the Commonwealth. It makes the unlawful taking and possession of a bald eagle or golden eagle a summary offense, if convicted.
This may result in a minimal increase in revenue to the Game Fund from increasing the fine for killing an eagle from $200 to $2,000.
Senate Bill 594 (Langerholic): This bill amends the Workers’ Compensation Act to require employers with a certified safety committee as part of their workers’ compensation program to include information about the risks associated with the use of opioids. It requires an insured employer who makes application to the department for the certification of a safety committee within its workplace to do so for the purpose of providing information regarding the risks associated with opioid painkiller use, in addition to hazard detection and accident protection.
The legislation is not anticipated to have an impact on the State Workers’ Insurance Fund.
Senate Bill 763 (Bartolotta): This bill amends the Bituminous Mine Subsidence and Land Conservation Act to make the periodic report on the effects of underground mining on land, structures and water resources optional.
Annual revenue for this fund is typically in the area of $50,000, although infrequently, significant penalties can increase that amount.
This bill was approved along party lines, 15-9.
Senate Bill 863 (Scavello): This bill amends Title 48 (Lodging and Housing) Chapter 13 (Hotels) to include campground owners and recreational campgrounds. The bill defines “campground owner” and “recreational campground” and providing the same rights to campground owners as hotelkeepers under Chapter 13 (Hotels) including: refusal of accommodations, restitution and damages, guest register requirements, right to eject from premises, etc.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 915 (Yaw): This bill amends Title 3 (Agriculture) to update Pennsylvania’s Fertilizer Act of 1956. It requires the State Treasurer to transfer $100,000 from the General Fund to the Agronomic Regulatory Account to allow the Department of Agriculture to develop courses and purchase computer software for enforcement. Other increases in expenses to the Department would be offset by newly generated income.
New revenues generated from the license fees, registration fees, applicator certification, fines and penalties established in the legislation are estimated to generate an additional $1,123,000 annually.
Senate Bill 934 (Laughlin): This bill amends the Human Services Code to expand on fire detection device requirements for all child care centers and family child care homes. The legislation requires all child care centers and family child care homes to have an operable and properly maintained fire detection device or system at all times, in compliance with the Fire and Panic Act and Pennsylvania Construction Code Act. The facility shall keep the proof and date of purchase of an interconnected fire detection device or system with the facility’s fire drill logs.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 952 (Regan): This bill amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) related to the definition of soldier and preferences for civil service examinations. The bill also removes the references to preference for promotion so that veterans’ preference applies only to hiring and directs appointing authorities to consider relevant training and education received by a veteran during the veteran’s service in determining a veteran’s qualifications for appointment.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 957 (Bartolotta): This bill amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) related to veteran-owned small businesses, miscellaneous provisions; imposing a penalty; and making an editorial change. This bill directs the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to create a logo to be used by veteran, reservist or National Guard-owned businesses designating the business as one owned by a veteran, reservist or National Guard member.
The bill would have no impact on the General Fund. However, the legislation may have a nominal impact on the Veterans’ Trust Fund.
Senate Bill 1110 (K. Ward): The bill amends the Disease Prevention and Control Law of 1955 to require the release of individually identifiable health information to 911 centers, law enforcement officers, fire department personnel and emergency medical services personnel in each county of the commonwealth. Under a proclamation of disaster emergency issued by the Governor that is based on a communicable disease, the Secretary of Health or local health authority shall release individually identifiable health information to certain entities within 24 hours of a confirmed case.
The federal government has made funding available to cover expenses directly related to COVID-19 pandemic response. Therefore, additional staffing and IT expenses related to this act may be covered using federal funds in fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21. Out-year costs for new positions and IT maintenance may need to be covered with state funds.
The bill was approved along mostly party lines, 16-8.
Senate Bill 1119 (Baker): This bill amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to add a new section that provides for the suspension of the statute of limitations on court filings during a declared judicial emergency.
This bill should have not adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 1120 (Baker): This bill amends Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) to further provide for the interruption in payment of court ordered costs, restitution and fines during a declared judicial emergency.
This bill should have no adverse impact on Commonwealth Funds.
House Bill 422 (Delozier): This bill amends the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act authorizing the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) to create, by regulation, a separate optional on-the-job trainee classification for each building code certification.
According to the Local Government Commission, there is the potential for costs to local governments for trainees if L&I establishes the program and individuals within local governments opt to participate. However, given the voluntary nature of the program and no set fees established by statute, costs in this regard are unknown at this time.
House Bill 1036 (Moul): This bill amends the Borough Code to require a court of common pleas to certify a ballot question for a decrease in size of borough council to be submitted to the voters of an eligible borough in the case where at least 5% of the registered electors of that Borough have petitioned the Court asking for such a reduction.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, April 21, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 368 (Boscola): This bill amends Title 23 to require a health care provider reporting to the Department of Human Services when a child under one year of age shows signs of substance use or withdraw systems or Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, for the purpose of assessing a child and the child’s family for a plan of safe care.
The first-year costs are estimated at $400,000 with annual out year costs of $80,000.
Senate Bill 530 (Martin): This bill amends the Public School Code to require e a public school entity to expel, transfer or reassign a student enrolled in that school if that student is convicted or adjudicated delinquent of committing a sexual assault upon another student enrolled in the same public school entity.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local Funds.
The bill was approved along mostly party lines, 16-8.
Senate Bill 532 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends Title 38 to establish two additional Veteran Recognition days in the Commonwealth to “recognize the contributions of veterans of the United States Armed Forces from this Commonwealth in major conflicts since the Vietnam War.”
According to the Office of Administration, there is no anticipated fiscal impact associated with this legislation.
Senate Bill 606 (Browne): This bill creates Expedited Partner Therapy Act. The legislation would allow for the issuance of a prescription to treat sexually transmitted infections without examination if that individual’s sexual partner is a patient of the prescriber, has been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection, and indicates the partner is unlikely to be examined or evaluated independently.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local Funds.Senate Bill 647 (Hutchinson): This bill amends Title 42 to create the Drug Recognition Ecpert (DRE) Training Fund. This special fund in the state treasury that would be funded by imposing a $5 dollar assessment on any violation of 75 Pa.C.S. § 3802 (Relating to driving under influence of alcohol or controlled substance), in addition to any other costs that may be imposed. The fund may only be used for the purpose of DRE training. The money is appropriated, upon approval of the governor, to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to implement and administer the training.
According to the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, over the past five years there have been an average 21,918 annual convictions for violations of 75 Pa.C.S. §3802 (relating to driving under the influence of alcohol or controlled substance). This would generate annual revenue in the amount of $109,590 to be deposited in the fund for drug recognition expert training.
Senate Bill 927 (Mastriano): This bill amends Title 75 to further provide for issuance and content for a veteran’s driver’s license designation.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 935 (Laughlin): This bill amends the Fire and Panic Act to require interconnected smoke detection devices in family childcare homes.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 968 (Browne): This bill amends Title 42 and Title 61 to merge the Department of Corrections (Department) and the Parole Board (Board).
The Commonwealth has already achieved $10 million in savings as a result of the Memorandum of Understanding and is on track to save an additional $10 million from the current fiscal year through Fiscal Year 2021-22. According to the department, the consolidation has provided improved treatment and caseload management, improved public safety, reduced costs and improved accountability.
Senate Bill 969 (Browne): This bill amends the Crime Victims Act to make technical changes related to the merger of the Department of Corrections and the Parole Board.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 976 (Regan): This bill amends Title 42 to permit establishment of veterans’ courts, including the creation of regional courts. Courts may use available funds to establish their veterans’ courts.
The Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts estimates that an additional appropriation of $100,000 to $200,000 would be needed to ensure counties will have the resources needed to establish these types of courts. Any additional administrative costs for AOPC can be managed within currently budgetary limits.
Senate Bill 997 (Stefano): This bill amends Title 71 to allow state police officers to purchase non-intervening military service under the State Employees’ Retirement Code.
According to the actuarial note provided to the State Employees’ Retirement System, the bill would have an initial increase in accrued liability of approximately $4.0 million.
Senate Bill 1030 (Yaw): This bill amends the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act to eliminate a process in development for the evaluation of alternate on-lot sewage disposal systems.
There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 1108 (Browne): This bill provides for the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019. These supplemental appropriations reflect additional federal funding relating to COVID-19 response which were not appropriated in the General Appropriation Act in June 2019.
This bill uses federal appropriations of $11.8 million. This appropriation uses federal revenue to the General Fund, therefore no additional commonwealth funds are necessary.
Senator Browne offered Amendment A05182. The amendment made technical changes to the bill and appropriates Federal Dollars for the 2019-2020 Fiscal Year. Sen. Haywood voted against the amendment and the bill as amended.
House Bill 102 (Maloney): This bill amends Title 34 to expand the availability of certified hunter education courses in public schools through the use of school facilities at the request of the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
This bill may have a minimal fiscal impact on the Game Fund.
House Bill 1050 (Burns): This bill amends Act 287 of 1982 clarifying residency status of military personnel, their dependents and civilian personnel assigned to an active duty station in Pennsylvania.
This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, April 15, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 1027 (Gordner): This bill extends the sunset provision for the State Geospatial Coordinating Board until June 30, 2024, makes additions to the composition of the Board and provides for the hiring of an Executive Director. The Fiscal Impact of this bill is estimated at $200,000 annually.
Senate Bill 1097 (Mastriano): This bill amends Titles 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedures) and 57 (Notaries Public) to provide for notarial acts to be performed remotely. There is no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth Funds.
Senate Bill 1106 (Regan): This bill amends the Heart and Lung Act to allow compensation for any member of the PA State Police; Liquor Control Board officer or investigator; any agent or officer of PA Board of Probation & Parole; Capitol Police; any correction employee of the Dept. of Corrections; Psychiatric security aides employed by DHS & DOC whose principal duty is to care for the criminally insane; Drug enforcement officers, special agents employed by the Attorney General; any member of the Delaware River Port Authority Police; any police officer, firefighter, or park guard, including enforcement officers or investigator who works for the PA Game Commission or PA Fish & Boat Commission, who contracts COVID-19, is diagnosed with COVID-19 or is subject to quarantine as a result of exposure to COVID-19 and is unable to perform their duties. The Office of Administration estimates approximately $11.4 million in total costs. However, when considering the quarantine provisions, if OA assumes that each COVID-19 positive case would require at least one other eligible employee to quarantine with act benefits, the total estimated cost could increase to a range between $22.8 million to $34.2 million.
Senate Bill 1108 (Browne): This bill provides for the COVID-19 Emergency Supplement to the General Appropriation Act of 2019. These supplemental appropriations reflect additional federal funding relating to COVID-19 response which were not appropriated in the General Appropriation Act (GAA) in June 2019.
House Bill 752 (Turzai): This bill removes the current price per acre restriction on Game Fund money used for the purchase of land to be used as game lands in Allegheny County and provides that the PA Game Commission pay what it considers to be a fair and reasonable price consistent with market value of the land. The enactment of this legislation will have no adverse fiscal impact in the General Fund and will only impact the Game Fund if the Pennsylvania Game Commission chooses to purchase land to be used as game land in Allegheny County for more than $400 per acre.
House Bill 1869 (Owlett): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to allow emergency medical services (EMS) agencies in all counties to obtain a waiver from the Department of Health with respect to the staffing requirements for basic life support (BLS) ambulances. The waiver may only be obtained for extraordinary reasons as determined by the Department on a case-by-case basis and in the best interest of the EMS system and patient care. The provisions of this bill will expire three years from the date of enactment. This bill was amended to provide for a technical change. According to the department of Health, there is no adverse impact on commonwealth funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met, Wednesday, March 25, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Committee Rule: This would be a temporary suspension of committee policy.
House Bill 68 (Ryan): This bill amends the Unemployment Compensation Law to extend the period an employer has to request relief from charges.
This bill was amended in committee. The amendment requires each employer to notify an employee, upon separation, of the availability of unemployment compensation, the employees’ ability to file a claim for benefits, website information for filing a claim, and the information required by the employee in order to submit a claim. The amendment waives the one-week waiting period required for claims filed during the COVID-19 declaration. The job search requirements are always waived during the COVID-19 declaration. The amendment requires the Secretary to provide relief from benefit charges for employers whose account would be charged but for the separation coming as a result of the COVID-19 disaster.
The amendment also replaces language on the applicability date of language in the underlying bill that extends the window for employers to request full relief from benefit charges from 15 to 21 days.
The Department of Labor & Industry projects that this legislation would result in an increase in relief from charges granted of approximately $6 million per year and that this increase will result in a decrease in employer Unemployment Compensation contributions of approximately $1 million annually.
House Bill 280 (James): This bill amends the Unemployment Compensation Law to extend the period of time given for parties to appeal Unemployment Compensation determinations. The Department of Labor & Industry projects extending the appeal period under this legislation could lead to increased volume of appeals and workload. Fiscal implications are unknown at this time but are expected to be minimal.
House Bill 1210 (Jones) This bill amends the Public School Code by repealing several outdated laws, as well as laws that have been superseded by subsequent changes to the law. The legislation will have no adverse impact on commonwealth or local funds.
House Bill 1232 (Dunbar): This bill amends the Fiscal Code to provide for the Enhanced Revenue Collection Account. The bill permanently establishes the Enhanced Revenue Collection Account restricted account within the General Fund. The revenues that are collected and the amount of refunds avoided from expanded tax return reviews and tax collection activities by the Department of Revenue must be deposited into the account.
The bill was amended in committee. The amendment would require the Department of Revenue to extend filing and payment deadlines, so they coincide with the deadline to file individual personal income tax returns. The current deadline for personal income tax returns for individuals is tied to the Federal IRS tax filing, which is currently July 15, 2020. The department would be required to disregard the period after April 14, 2020 and before July 16, 2020 in the calculation of penalties and interests for failure to meet the filing deadline.
The amendment also would require the Department of Community and Economic Development, during the state of the COVID-19 disaster emergency, to coordinate with governing bodies and local agencies of political subdivisions to extend filing and payment deadlines for local taxes under Chapter 5 of the Local Tax Enabling Act so the deadlines match the date of the filing of the PIT individual return; and disregard the period after April 14, 2020 and before July 16, 2020 in the calculation of interest and penalty for failure to meet the filing deadline.
The amendment also allows for the Secretary of the Budget to transfer $50,000,000 from special funds under the Governor’s jurisdiction to a restricted account within the General Fund to buy medical equipment and supplies for, at a minimum, hospitals, nursing facilities and emergency medical services to meet urgent patient and staff needs to address surge demand during the COVID-19 disaster.
Finally, the amendment extends the temporary regulations relating to Medical Marijuana until November 20, 2021 or upon publication of permanent regulations, whichever is sooner.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, January 28, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 417 (Martin): This bill amends the Election Code to set a minimum votes-received threshold for write-in candidates in order for those votes to be accepted/certified during a general election. This legislation has no fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds. Senators Haywood and Hughes voted against the bill.
Senate Bill 679 (Yaw): This bill authorizes counties to adopt “stream cleaning” programs for maintenance and removal of flood-related hazards and obstructions from local waterways. DEP estimates approximately $576,939 for these five full-time equivalents for a full year. The cost for FY 2019-20 would be a prorated portion of this cost. Senate Democrats voted against this bill.
Senate Bill 773 (Killion): This bill, to be known as “Deana’s Law” shall make several changes to Title 75 relevant to habitual DUI offenders. This bill would have significant fiscal impact due to numerous factors. At a minimum, costs to county probation offices would increase by $1,371,092, assuming the average annual cost per offender was $2,699. Assuming an average annual cost of $3,500 per parolee, for the 138 offenses the maximum sentence would increase from seven years to ten years, resulting in an additional 3 years parole supervision carrying an estimated minimum cost of $1,449,000 ($483,000) annually. For the 50 offenses the maximum sentences would increase from seven years to twenty years, possibly resulting in supervision being extended for an additional 13 years and a minimum cost of $175,000 per one year. Senators Blake, Haywood, Street, and Hughes voted against this bill.
Senate Bill 779 (Gordner): This bill amends the PA Election Code to change the date of the presidential primary election to third Tuesday of March. This legislation has no fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds due to the effective date of FY 2023-24.
Senate Bill 997 (Stefano): This bill amends Title 71 to allow state police officers to purchase service credits towards their pension eligibility points for non-intervening military service. The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO) has the responsibility to review legislative changes that may affect public employee pension and to provide actuarial notes for such legislation. The IFO has not released a cost note.
House Bill 64 (Readshaw): This bill amends the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs Act (No 48 of 1993) by adding a provision allowing for the carryover of excess continuing education credits. This legislation should have no adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 775 (Diamond): This bill requires the Department of Aging to cross-reference beneficiaries with death records maintained by the Department of Health on a monthly basis to better prevent cases of fraud and abuse. The legislation will have no adverse impact on state Lottery Funds.
House Bill 1001 (Oberlander): This bill establishes the freestanding Keystone Mothers’ Milk Bank Act to regulate milk banks that provide donor human milk. Additional milk banks may require additional appropriations if the necessary costs outpace current budgetary resources.
House Bill 1100 (Kaufer): This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to create the Energy and Fertilizer Manufacturing Tax Credit. The tax credit is equal to $0.05 per gallon of methane used in the manufacturing of petrochemicals or fertilizers in the Commonwealth. Enactment would reduce General Fund revenues by $26.5 million per facility per fiscal year. All Senate Democrats along with Senators Killion and Laughlin voted against this bill.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, January 27, 2020 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
Senate Bill 30 (Killion): This bill amends the Tax Reform Code to provide the PA Housing Tax Credit for low-income housing projects. The tax credit program would be capped at $10,000,000 per fiscal year. The fiscal impact of this legislation would reduce General Fund revenues by $10,000,000 per fiscal year.
Senate Bill 309 (Mensch): Creates the Pennsylvania First-Time Home Buyer Savings Account Act to allow an individual(s) to put up to $150,000 aside deductible from taxable income for the purchase of a single-family residence. The department’s cost analysis for the first time home buyer savings program utilizing a participation rate and methodology similar to the 529 College Savings Program experience results in a decrease of personal income tax revenues estimated at $6.7 million annually.
Senate Bill 462 (Phillips-Hill): This bill would repeal outdated language in the Public School Code. This bill has no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds. Sen. Street was the only negative vote.
Senate Bill 494 (Martin): This bill would allow political subdivisions, as well as municipal and transportation authorities, to initiate negotiations for a contract for services with any provider not otherwise disqualified by law if two rounds of advertisement for contract bids go without any bids. This bill will have no impact on Commonwealth funds.
Senate Bill 640 (Boscola): This bill authorizes the Commonwealth to join the National Physical Therapy Licensure Compact and provides for the process in which to implement enrollment into the compact. The exact amount the Commonwealth will expend in joining the Compact is unknown; however, those amounts should be minimal, and the Department of State should be able to manage any costs within current budgetary resources.
Senate Bill 798 (Killion): This bill amends the Dog Law providing for court proceedings concerning dangerous dogs. According to the Department of Agriculture, the bill would generate additional revenue in excess of $111,500 annually for registrations that would stay within the Dog Law Restricted Account (DLRA). In addition, there would be staffing efficiencies realized when preparing for court because of the change made in defining dangerous dogs.
Senate Bill 908 (Regan): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to place the administration of Fire Relief within the Fire Commissioner’s Office and require a review of the Fire Relief Funding Formula. The required statewide referendum on expanding the use of indebtedness to align with the legislation would carry a cost to publish per the Election Code. The Department of State estimates the cost for each required advertisement for a Constitutional question to be approximately $1,000,000 to $1,500,000.
Senate Bill 910 (Mastriano): This bill amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to reauthorize the Fire Company and EMS Company Grant Program, transfer the administration of the grant program from PEMA to the State Fire Commissioner, and provide the same incentive for EMS consolidation as is currently provided for fire companies. The grant programs under Title 35 are funded by transfers from the State Gaming Fund. Annual transfers of $25 million total from the State Gaming Fund and $5 million from the Property Tax Relief Fund provides approximately 2,400 grants annually.
House Bill 1578 (Helm): This bill amends portions of Title 68 (Real and Personal Property) governing common interest ownership communities (condos, real estate cooperatives and planned communities) to clarify existing consumer protection provisions. This legislation has no fiscal impact on Commonwealth or local funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, November 20, 2019 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous vote.
House Bill 355 (Reese): This bill amends the Public School Code to update provisions of the Charter School Law related to increasing ethical requirements of members of the board of trustees and administrators of charter schools and increasing financial transparency of charter schools. This legislation has no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds.
House Bill 1542 (Saylor): This bill amends the Liquor Code to add days for holders of special occasion permits and provides for other changes regarding special occasion permits. This legislation has no adverse impact on Commonwealth funds. It may result in a nominal revenue gain from the issuance of special occasion permits to new eligible entities.
House Bill 1982 (Benninghoff): This bill authorizes the State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) to enter into agreements with employers in SERS to make a lump sum payment of all or portion of the applicable employer’s portion of its future accrued liability contributions. This legislation doesn’t have an adverse fiscal impact on SERS.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Tuesday, November 19, 2019 and reported the following bills from committee. Except where indicated, all bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes.
Senate Bill 60 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedures) to further provide for the offenses related to human trafficking and the further providing for the recorded testimony of a child victim. The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing and the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts do not anticipate any adverse impact from the enactment of Senate Bill 60.
Senate Bill 79 (Tartaglione): This bill amends the Minimum Wage Act to prohibit an employer from deducting credit card fees or costs from gratuities; to incrementally increase the minimum wage in the state; to align minimum wage and overtime provisions with federal law; and to prohibit the Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) from promulgating regulations that set a salary threshold for overtime exemptions until January 2023. This legislation raises the minimum wage in the state in accordance with the following schedule:
- $8.00/hour beginning July 1, 2020;
- $8.50/hour beginning January 1, 2021;
- $9.00/hour beginning July 1, 2021; and
- $9.50/hour beginning January 1, 2022.
This bill has no adverse fiscal impacts on the Commonwealth. The bill was reported by a vote of 22-2.
Senate Bill 637 (DiSanto): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) section 9124 to restrict the use of criminal history record information by licensing agencies when determining eligibility for licensure, certification, registration or permission to engage in a profession or occupation. This bill has no fiscal impact.
House Bill 17 (Ryan): This bill amends the Tax Reform Code of 1971 to provide sales and use tax exclusion for canned computer software, (2) further provide for administrative bank attachment for accounts of obligors to the Commonwealth, and (3) to provide for collection of assessed taxes and for criminal tax prosecutions. The enactment of House Bill 17 would impact General Fund revenues. For the canned software exclusion, the Department of Revenue has not yet provided a fiscal note. For the administrative bank attachment for accounts of obligors and the collection of assessed taxes, the enactment of House Bill 17 would have a positive fiscal impact on General
Fund revenues for fiscal years 2019-20 and 2020-21 as the bank attachment provision takes effect in 60 days, which will allow the DOR to increase tax collection enforcement efforts. Once the 10-year statute of limitation takes effect on January 1, 2021, General Fund revenues could be reduced. Finally, the bill could reduce General Fund revenues up to $15.0 million per fiscal year; however, all or some of that amount could be offset by the enhanced collection provisions of the legislation.
House Bill 97 (Rapp): This bill amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to prohibit the sale or purchase of vaping products to or by minors and prohibit the use of vaping products on school grounds by minors and other persons. This bill has no fiscal impact. The bill was reported out 23-1.
House Bill 962 (Rozzi): This bill increases the civil window for criminal complaints arising from childhood sexual abuse to 37 years after an individual reaches the age of 18. Currently, the window is 12 years after the individual reaches 18. Elimination of the criminal statute of limitations will have minimal impact on commonwealth and local funds. This legislation will have some impact on state and local agencies due to the lifting of sovereign and governmental immunity.
House Bill 963 (Gregory): This bill is a Joint Resolution amending the Pennsylvania Constitution to provide for a two-year window in which an individual may file a civil action alleging childhood sexual abuse notwithstanding any otherwise applicable statute of limitations defense. The Department of State estimates the cost for the required publication of the passage of the Constitutional amendment to be approximately $1.3 million to $1.5 million, per required publication. The total cost incurred for publishing following the passage of the bill in two consecutive sessions would be approximately $2.6 million to $3 million.
House Bill 1051 (Stephens): This bill amends the penalties section of the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL) within Chapter 63 of Title 23 (Domestic Relations), clarifying the penalty for continued failure by a mandated reporter to report suspected child abuse and increases associated penalties. This bill has minimal fiscal impact on Commonwealth funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Monday, November 18, 2019 and reported the following bills out of committee. Except where indicated, all the bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes.
Senate Bill 74 (Martin): Amends the Tax Reform Code to create a Pediatric Cancer Research Tax Credit for businesses within the Commonwealth. $10 million in tax credits would be available annually to a business that makes an applicable donation to The Center for Childhood Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Penn State Hershey Pediatric Hematology/Oncology; Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Medicine; or UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. The tax credit would be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The Fiscal Impact carries a potential cost of $10 million annually for the next 10 fiscal years.
Senate Bill 596 (Mensch): This legislation amends Title 66 (Public Utilities) to provide for transportation fueling infrastructure development. The bill requires that the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) set a goal of increasing electrification by at least 50% over currently forecasted levels by 2030. The bill also creates a new section to the Public Utility Code by regulating electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure development and deployment. There is no fiscal impact on the Commonwealth.
Senate Bill 842 (Phillips-Hill): This bill amends the Health Care Facilities Act, to specify that department regulations shall only require employees of health care facilities to include their first names on their identification badges. Last names would not be required. Notations could be used to differentiate between employees with the same first names. To the extent health care facilities operated by state or local governments issue new photo identification badges as a result of the changes in the act, there may be a minimal fiscal impact.
Senate Bill 850 (Langerholc): This bill establishes the Community Integrated Schools for Success Pilot Program, which would designate, through the Secretary of Education, schools to participate in a program to provide student support services.
Under the bill, the Department of Education may award grants for community engaged schools with approved plans. Awarding these grants would require at least $2.5 million. The grants have a matching component, impacting local funds.
House Bill 17 (Ryan): This bill creates a 10-year window for the Department of Revenue to assess and collect state assessed taxes. unless the taxpayer willfully filed a false or fraudulent return, in which case the amount of tax due may be collected by department at any time. The 10-year time period will apply to the collection of assessed taxes for all state-imposed taxes collected by department, excluding the Inheritance Tax. The enactment has no fiscal impact on General Fund revenues for fiscal years 2019-20 & 2020-21 as the 10 year statute of limitation for collection of assessed taxes takes effect January 1, 2021. The bill could reduce General Fund revenues up to $15.0 million per fiscal year. The bill was reported by a vote of 23-1. Senator Haywood voted in the negative.
House Bill 956 (Murt): This bill amends the State Lottery Law (Act 91 of 1971) to temporarily reduce the PA Lottery’s ‘minimum rate of return’ requirement from 25% to 20% for the next 5 fiscal years.
Beginning July 1, 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter, the rate returns to 25%. The rate of return is the minimum amount of lottery proceeds that must go to programs benefiting seniors and other eligible citizens. Initial estimates from the Lottery reflect $20 million in additional profits in fiscal year 2019-20 and totaling $450 million over the entire five year period.
House Bill 1203 (Ryan): This bill amends Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) to require minimum standards for annual audits, takes away a municipality’s right to audit an authority unless the authority fails to submit an annual audit, and allows municipalities to request the Auditor General conduct an audit at the authority’s expense. No adverse fiscal impact on Commonwealth, municipal or municipal authority funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Tuesday, October 29, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
SB 836 (Regan). This bill would amend the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Prevention Act to require the departments of Health and Education to make information available to students about sudden cardiac arrest. No fiscal impact is projected.
SB 841 (Martin). This would reenact the Health Care Cost Containment Act, reauthorizing the Health Care Cost Containment Council, operating by executive order since statutory authority sunset in 2014, with various changes to the previous provisions. Notably, one representative to the council would be appointed by each of the respective legislative leaders. No fiscal impact is projected.
SB 857 (Vogel). This would establish the Telemedicine Act, authorizing the regulation of telemedicine by the relevant medical licensing boards, establishing standards for the practice of telemedicine and providing for private health insurance and Medical Assistance coverage of telemedicine costs. The projected fiscal impact is an additional annual state cost of $350,000.
SB 906 (Yudichak). This would amend the Mental Health and Intellectual Disability Act to prohibit the closing of state centers until there is no waiting list for ID services through a community waiver, and to establish a formal closure process requiring a majority recommendation by identified stakeholder groups, including the legislative and executive branches. The projected fiscal cost of maintaining the four current state centers is more than $61 million a year. The bill was reported by a vote of 21 to 3.
SB 919 (Yaw). This would enact the Firefighting Foam Management Act to generally prohibit, with specific exceptions, the use for tests at a testing facility of a class B firefighting foam containing a PFAS chemical. No adverse fiscal impact is projected. The bill was reported by a vote of 22-2
HB 1410 (Stephens). This would amend the Transit Revitalization Investment District Act to establish remediation programs for military installations closed within the previous 15 years, and providers of drinking water that contains PFAS chemicals not related to a military installation closed within the previous 15 years. The projected impact is undefined as it will depend on the tax values of properties involved. The bill was reported by a vote of 22-2.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, October 28, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
SB 67 (Ward, J). This would enact the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact Act, authorizing Pennsylvania membership in an interstate compact that provides for the practice of telepsychology and temporary, face-to-face psychology across member state boundaries when a psychologist is not licensed to practice in both member states separately. Minimal fiscal impact is projected.
SB 327 (Argall). This would amend the Administrative Code to require the Department of General Services to annually gather from executive, independent and state-affiliated agencies details on their space usage and related utility and lease costs, and to report it to the General Assembly. Minimal fiscal impact is projected.
SB 352 (Ward, J). This would enact the Tax Exemption and Mixed-Use Incentive Program Act, authorizing local taxing bodies to provide tax exemption incentives for new construction and improvements in deteriorated residential, commercial and industrial areas. No adverse fiscal impact is projected on commonwealth funds; local taxing bodies could experience revenue reductions.
SB 905 (Browne). This would be the Capital Budget Project Itemization Act, itemizing proposed capital projects in the aggregate amount of $13,986,521,000, for funding partly or fully through the incurrence of debt. Of this amount, $21,000,000 would be funded from current revenues and $500,000 by incurring of debt or from current revenues. The remainder would be funded through debt incurrence. Individual authorizations for itemized projects will occur by separate legislative actions.
HB 305 (Snyder). This would enact the State-owned Assets and Mobile Broadband Services Act, requiring Department of General Services surveys and inventories of state real estate structures and assets to include information regarding the possibility of using those assets for public fixed and mobile broadband services in under- and unserved areas of Pennsylvania. The fiscal impact is expected to be about $150,000 annually.
HB 374 (Everett). This would amend the Environmental Resources and Vehicle codes, titles 27 and 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, respectively, to establish the Keystone Tree Restricted Account. The account would be dedicated to fund an expanded tree canopy coverage in the commonwealth and to meet Pennsylvania goals under the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement through a $3 checkoff on driver license and vehicle registration applications. The fiscal impact is projected to be an additional annual cost of $200,000 and one-time costs of $150,000.
HB 1016 (DeLuca). This would amend the Insurance Company Law to facilitate early regulatory intervention by the Department of Insurance in failing fraternal benefits associations. Minimal fiscal impact is projected; additional cost responsibilities are expected to be absorbed in the department’s existing appropriations.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Wednesday, October 23, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
SB 491 (Ward, J). This would amend the Real Estate Appraisers Certification Act to include a definition for “Certified Pennsylvania Evaluator”, add two Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators to the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers (Board), and increase the board size to 10 members from eight. Minimal additional expenses are projected and would be covered within the current appropriation.
SB 492 (Martin). This would amend the Assessors Certification Act to establish certification standards for Certified Pennsylvania Evaluators, clarify the requirement for all persons responsible to value real estate to be certified, and provide for a hearing by the Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers for persons accused of illegally valuing real estate. Minimal additional expenses are projected to be offset by increased revenue from additional certification fees.
HB 49 (Brown). This would amend the Public School Code to allow one credit for a personal finance course to count toward a student’s general graduation requirements, permit school police offices to issue summary citations and to detain individuals on school property and buses with court authorization, and extend the deadline to complete mandated training for school resource and police officers until the beginning of the 20-21 school year. No adverse fiscal impact is projected. Theisbill was reported by a vote of 14-9, with all Democratic votes cast against it.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, October 21, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
SB 61 (Ward, J). This would amend the Liquor Code to expand the types of organizations permitted a wine and spirits auction permit, adding non-profit community cancer organizations operating for at least five years and community-based health organizations in counties of the Second Class that aid children and young adults with disabilities and chronic illnesses, it also clarifies the permitted sources of wine and spirits sold at such auctions. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 94 (Martin). This would amend the Workers Compensation Act to include officers, directors, and members of volunteer rescue and lifesaving squads, volunteer fire companies and departments, and volunteer ambulance corps. It does not include social members. Members of such organizations injured in response to duties on state game lands would be considered employees of the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), or of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) if injured during duties in state parks and forests. Although additional costs are speculated for PGC, DCNR and local governments, no impact estimate is available.
SB 320 (KIllion). This would amend the Decedents Estates and Fiduciaries Code, Title 20 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to allow fiduciaries for estates and trusts the authority to manage the digital assets of the subject of the estate or trust. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
SB 332 (Stefano). This would amend the Crimes Code, Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to increase the service charge permitted for a returned check to $75 from $50. No adverse fiscal impact is expected to state or local funds. This was reported by a vote of 19-4.
SB 412 (Stefano). This would amend the state Constitution to remove the prohibition against public employees serving as election poll workers. The projected cost of the process to amend the Constitution is up to $3 million. This was reported by a vote of 22-1.
SB 413 (Martin). This would amend the state Constitution to remove the requirement that judicial candidates be listed on a ballot separate from other contest ballots. The projected cost of the process to amend the Constitution is up to $3 million.
SB 693 (Williams, A). This would amend the Election Code to require the rotation of judicial ballot positions from ward to ward for Common Pleas, Municipal Court and Traffic Court judgeships in Philadelphia covering more than a single ward. No fiscal impact is projected for Commonwealth funds. This was reported by a vote of 21-2.
SB 750 (Scarnati). This would amend the Administrative Code to transfer authority for the Lieutenant Governor’s Mansion at Fort Indiantown Gap to the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs from the Department of General Services. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
SB 790 (Scarnati). This would establish the free-standing Conventional Oil and Gas Wells Act. This would establish separate regulation of the conventional (non-natural gas) extraction industry from regulation of the non-conventional (natural gas) extraction industry. There is an initial impact of $5 million, with potential future costs that are not estimated. This was reported by a 15-8 vote, with all Democratic votes cast against it.
SB 819 (Mensch). This would update and revise the Older Adults Protective Services Act. The projected fiscal impact is $3 million.
HB 227 (Gerber). This would amend the Election Code to clarify that 10 signatures are the amount required for all election petitions for school board directors. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
HB 375 (Goodman). This would amend the Lottery Law to codify the current exclusion of veteran disability and benefits payments in determining PACE and PACENET eligibility. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
HB 684 (Sonney). This would amend the Lottery Law to codify the current exclusion of principal and accrued interest from savings bonds in determining PACE and PACENET eligibility. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
HB 754 (Thomas). This would amend the Lottery Law, extending through 2021 the sunset on the moratorium on income disqualification for PACE and PACENET due exclusively to cost of living adjustments to recpients’ Social Security benefits. The moratorium otherwise would expire at the end of this year. The projected fiscal impact is estimated at $2 million a year.
HB 859 (Barrar). This would amend the Health and Safety Code (Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to reauthorize the 911 Law through January of 2024, and make certain updates and revisions. The extension will preserve the authority to collect approximately $316 million in annual surcharges used to support eligibility for federal grants.
HB 947 (Schweyer). This would amend the Liquor Code to adjust the permitted hours of sale for consumption on-premises of liquor and malt or brewed beverages at performing arts facilities and breweries and distilleries, and for the sale of bottled liquor at distilleries. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
HB 1085 (Bernstine). This would repeal the state Personal Property Tax Act. No fiscal impact is projected as taxes authorized by the Act are not currently collected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, September 23, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
SB 114 (Boscola) – This bill would amend the Vehicle Code (Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to generally require all vehicles to be cleared of ice or snow from the hood, roof and trunk within 24 hours after a storm before being operated on a street or highway, and increases the maximum penalty to $1,500 from $1,000. No adverse fiscal impact is expected to Commonwealth funds.
SB 473 (Regan) – This bill would amend the Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law (“Heart and Lung Act”) to include additional groups of employees, including Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) rangers, Department of Corrections Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence police, Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigative staff, Fort Indiantown Gap police, Allegheny County Port Authority Police, Allegheny County Housing Police, corrections and probation officers of participating counties, and campus police at participating universities. The projected impact in both FY 19-20 and 20-21 to the General Fund is $794,151.00 and to Allegheny County authorities is $41,225.00
SB 473 (Scavello) – This bill would amend the Crimes Code (Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco products to 21 from 18. Minimal fiscal impact is projected for outreach and education. The bill was reported by a vote of 21-2.
SB 586 (Argall) – This bill would amend the Cosmetology Law to remove the “good moral character” requirement for licensure. No adverse fiscal impact on commonwealth funds is projected.
SB 688 (Martin) – This bill would amend the Borough and Township Code (Title 8 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to increase the salary cap for municipal governing body members and executives, as well as permit it to be calculated on a per-meeting basis. Only local funds would be impacted if salary increases are approved.
SB 689 (Martin) – This bill would amend the Second Class Township Code to increase the salary cap for municipal governing body members and executives, as well as permit it to be calculated on a per-meeting basis. Only local funds would be impacted if salary increases are approved.
SB 690 (Hutchinson) – This bill would amend Act 34 of 1953, relating to contracts of incorporated towns, to raise the value requiring public advertisement for the sale of municipal real estate by an incorporated town to $6,000 from $1,500. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
SB 691 (Hutchinson) – This bill would amend the Second Class Township Code to raise the value requiring public advertisement for the sale of municipal real estate to $6,000 from $1,500. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
SB 692 (Hutchinson) – This bill would amend the Borough and Township Code (Title 8 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to raise the value requiring public advertisement for the sale of municipal real estate by a borough to $6,000 from $1,500. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
SB 694 (Yaw) – This bill would amend the Oil and Gas Code (Title 58 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to allow a single bored well to serve multiple units owned or leased by the well owner. No impact on commonwealth funds is projected.
HB 233 (O’Neal) – This bill would amend the Second Class County Code to conform with current provisions pertaining to other counties regarding the responsibilities to decorate veterans’ and service members’ graves with flags. No adverse fiscal impact is projected for commonwealth or local funds.
HB 510 (Schemel) – This bill would amend the Municipal Code (Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to generally authorize municipalities to enter intergovernmental cooperation agreements by adoption of a resolution. Ordinances would be required to create a council that is separate from the organizing entities and for joint purchasing agreements with private schools and non-profit human service agencies. Nominal impact is projected on local funds.
HB 511 (Schemel) – This bill would amend the Second Class Township Code to generally authorize townships of the second class to enter intergovernmental cooperation agreements by adoption of a resolution. Ordinances would be required to create a council that is separate from the organizing entities and for joint purchasing agreements with private schools and non-profit human service agencies. Nominal impact is projected on local funds.
HB 512 (Schemel) – This bill would amend the Cities Code (Title 11 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to generally authorize cities to enter intergovernmental cooperation agreements by adoption of a resolution. Ordinances would be required to create a council that is separate from the organizing entities and for joint purchasing agreements with private schools and non-profit human service agencies. Nominal impact is projected on local funds.
HB 1557 (Gabler) – This would amend the Coal Refuse Disposal Control Act to conform the one-year state limit on the temporary cessation of coal refuse disposal operations with federal law, permitting cessations for longer periods. No impact is projected on commonwealth funds.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the Floor on Wednesday, June 26, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
HB 262 (Metzgar) – As amended in committee by a 23-1 vote, this would make various changes to the Tax Reform Code with regard to the Sales and Use Tax, Personal Income Tax, Corporate Net Income Tax, Realty Transfer Tax, Inheritance Tax, Table Games Tax, and Surplus Lines Tax; and to the Film Production Tax Credit, Concert Rehearsal and Tour Tax Credit, Resource Enhancement and Protection Tax Credit, Historic Preservation Tax Credit, Coal Refuse Energy and Reclamation Tax Credit, Job Creation Tax Credit, Rural Jobs and Investment Tax Credit, Neighborhood Assistance Tax Credit, Mixed Use Development Tax Credit, and Computer Data Center Equipment Incentive Program; and to the City Revitalization and Improvement Zone (CRIZ), Keystone Opportunity Expansion Zones, and Strategic Development Areas programs. The projected aggregate is a net reduction in revenue of $28.85 million in FY 2019-2020 and a net reduction in revenue of $47.6 million in FY 2020-2021. The bill was reported by 23-1 vote.
HB 716 (Galloway) – This would amend the Administrative Code to establish a task force within the Department of Labor and Industry to investigate and address employees being misclassified as independent contractors. No adverse fiscal impact is projected, and improved classification compliance could produce uncalculated increased tax revenue. The bill was reported by a 23-1 vote.
HB 1461 (Fee) – As amended in committee by a 15-9 vote, this bill would amend the Administrative Code to expand the authority of the Inspector General to investigate and prosecute fraud and theft offenses related to benefits of Human Services programs, align the Commonwealth with federal criminal background check requirements for contractors and employees handling federal tax information, add two director positions to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, require the Inspector General to review all contracts since July 1996 for the Pennsylvania Statewide Radio Network, require a written statement of need by the Governor for supplemental appropriations, increase the maximum documentary fee for vehicle dealers, transfer revenue estimate procedures for the Independent Fiscal Office from the Fiscal Code, establish the Joint Underwriting Association as a Commonwealth agency, requires $10 million in occupational and industrial safety fees to be appropriated to the Bureau of Occupational and Industrial Safety and the balance of such fees to be transferred to the General Fund, and makes changes to the composition of the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing. Most of the changes would have no adverse fiscal impact; the federal tax background checks would add an estimated expense of $450,000 to the state and an undetermined amount to local government expenses. The Occupational and Industrial Safety fee transfer would add less than $1 million to the General Fund. The bill was reported by a 14-10 vote.
HB 1614 (Kauffman) – This would amend the Crimes and Judiciary codes to provide extraterritorial jurisdiction for law enforcement officers in specified circumstances and concurrent jurisdiction for the Office of Attorney General in specified circumstances in a city of the First Class (Philadelphia). No fiscal impact is expected. The bill was reported unanimously.
HB 1615 (Turzai) – As amended in committee by a 19-5 vote, this bill would make numerous changes to the Public School Code, including to provide for the reconstitution of the Special Education Funding Commission no later than August 15, 2019; provide for the posting of individual school district budgets on the Department of Education website; extend the PLANCON moratorium on Department of Education approval for new school construction/reconstruction applications for FY 2019-2020; reduce the compulsory school age to 6 from 8 and increase the upper school age for remaining in school without graduation to 18 from 17; allows schools to provide alternative meals to students in school food programs who owe more than $50 in a school year until there is full payment or an agreed payment plan; provides for the designation of two innovation schools among the bottom five percent of schools statewide, based on income, to provide workforce development and other services; provides for a pro-rata distribution among community colleges based on enrollment for increased funding provided for FY 2019-2020; provides for a pro-rata distribution among public libraries of increased funding for FY 2019-2020; requires institutions of higher education to adopt written policies on sexual harassment and sexual violence and maintain online reporting systems; changes the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program to increase income eligibility limits, the maximum amount of available credits, and the types of entities eligible for credits; and further changes. Spending across multiple programs as a result of this bill is projected to be more than $7.417 billion, with a total of $7.379 billion in educational subsidies. Tax credit changes resulting from the bill are projected to reduce General Fund revenue by $30 million. The bill was reported by a 19-5 vote.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 and reported the following bills unanimously unless otherwise indicated.
SB 619 (Yaw) − This bill would amend the Clean Streams Law to limit the type of spills required to be reported to the Department of Environmental Resources. The impact is projected to be an annual revenue loss of $1 million in fines and to also require an additional $400,000 in investigatory and legal costs. The bill was reported by a vote of 15-9.
SB 723 (Laughlin) − This bill would amend the Public School Code to require that up to one credit for secondary-level personal finance courses may be counted toward graduation requirements beginning with the 2020-2021 school year. No fiscal impact is projected on state or local funds.
HB 3 (Cutler) − This bill would amend the Insurance Code to establish the Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange Authority to operate a state health insurance exchange, including a reinsurance program for high-cost claims to stabilize individual rates and premiums. There is a projected annual revenue of $88 million from exchange fees, exceeding anticipated operating expenses by $53 million to $58 million, which difference would be combined with an estimated $145 million to $190 million in federal monies to fund the reinsurance program.
HB 33 (Dunbar) − This bill would amend the Human Services Code to make various changes, including continuation of the Philadelphia Hospital Assessment, the extension and funding of Day One incentive payments for nursing facilities, and the elimination of General Assistance cash assistance. The projected fiscal impact would be a General Fund decrease of $28.7 million, and an increase of $151.545 million for Philadelphia hospital medical assistance payments. The bill was reported by a vote of 15-9.
HB 235 (Toohil) − This bill would amend the Domestic Relations Code to allow designated prison employees to witness adoption consents by inmates, and to allow consents to be notarized in lieu of having two persons witness the consent. No fiscal impact is projected. The bill was reported by a vote of 16-8.
HB 615 (Gillespie) − This amends the State Government Code to include Game Commission officers as “enforcement officers” for purposes of the State Employees Retirement (SERS) Code and to lower their retirement age, depending on the date of hire, to 55 or 50. Minimal impact is projected for SERS; the Game Commission would incur additional costs of $900,000 annually for 10 years, and $400,000 annually thereafter. The bill was reported by a vote of 22-2.
HB 790 (Saylor) – This is the General Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2019-2020, providing for General Fund appropriations for the executive, legislative and judicial branches, public debt and public schools of $33,3555,801,000 for FY 2019-202, and of $674,500,000 in supplemental appropriations for FY 2018-2019 (Total – $34,030,345,000); for state special funds appropriations of $4,008,184,000 for FY ’19-’20 and supplemental special funds appropriations of $68,947,000 for FY ’18-’19 (Total -$4,077,131,000); and for federal general and special funds totaling $27,733,564,000. The bill was reported by a vote of 22-2.
HB 856 (Boback) − This would amend the Human Services Code to reinstate kinship care provisions relating to adoption subsidies, retroactive to a 2018 state Supreme Court ruling invalidating them on technical grounds. Reinstatement is required to preserve $2.6 million in annual federal funding.
HB 1170 (Mackenzie) − This would create the Construction Industry Employee Verification Act, requiring construction industry employers to use the federal E-Verify program to ensure that workers are authorized to be employed in the United States. The projected impact is an annual cost of at least $1 million. The bill was reported by a vote of 22-2.
HB 1324 (Barrar) − This would amend the Military Affairs Code to create the Military Family Education Program allowing members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and their family members to receive educational grants at the lower of either the approved tuition rate for the institution of enrollment or at the annual rate charged by state system schools. The projected cost for FY 2019-2020 is $2.7 million.
HB 1350 (Saylor) − This would be the 2019-2020 appropriation for Pennsylvania State University: $268.832 million.
HB 1351 (Saylor) −This would be the 2019-2020 appropriation for the University of Pittsburgh: $154.853 million.
HB 1352 (Saylor)− This would be the 2019-2020 appropriation for Temple University: $158.206 million.
HB 1353 (Saylor) − This would be the 2019-2020 appropriation for Lincoln University: $15.166 million.
HB 1354 (Saylor) − This would be the 2019-2020 appropriation for the University of Pennsylvania: $31.955 million.
HB 1514 (Hershey) − This would amend the Agriculture Code to create the PA Farm-to-School Program to improve childhood nutrition and expose young children to the agriculture industry. Minimal administrative costs are projected from this bill. Any appropriation will be part of the General Appropriation budget.
HB 1516 (Causer) − This would amend the Agriculture Code to establish the Agriculture Rapid Response Readiness Account to fund training, equipment and other resources for the Department of Agriculture to respond quickly to agricultural emergencies risking health and safety. No fiscal impact is projected for this bill. An appropriation would be part of the General Appropriation budget.
HB 1520 (Snyder) − This would amend the Agriculture Code to establish the very small (fewer than 10 employees) or new meat processors Federal Inspection Reimbursement Grant and the Homegrown by Heroes programs, respectively, to assist meat-processing operations with planning and start-up costs, and to assist PA Preferred marketing efforts by military veterans. No fiscal impact is projected for this bill. The appropriation will be part of the General Appropriation budget.
HB 1524 (Rader) − This would amend the Liquor Code to allow the issuance of liquor licenses at a mixed-use town development or a tourist development in a county where existing licenses are unavailable. No adverse impact is expected, and projected revenue is as much as $5.875 million. The bill was reported by a vote of 23-1.
HB 1526 (Irvin) − This would revise the Agriculture-Linked Investment Program (Agri-Link) administered by the State Conservation Commission to establish a low-interest loan program to encourage best-management practices on farms. No adverse fiscal impact is projected.
HB 1590 (Owlett) − This would amend the Public Authorities and Quasi-Public Corporations Code to enact program and eligibility guidelines for the Dairy Investment Program. No adverse fiscal project is expected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, June 24, 2019 to consider the following bills. All bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes, except as indicated.
SB 300 (Scarnati) – Amends the Election Code to allow independent/unaffiliated voters to vote in party primary elections. Minimal impact is projected for local governments. The vote to report was 22-2.
SB 418 (Stefano) – Amends the Election Code to reduce the number of ballots required to be printed for elections. No adverse impact is projected. The vote to report was 18-6.
SB 421 (Boscola) – Amends the Election Code to eliminate straight party-ticket votes. The projected state cost is $650,000, with undetailed higher costs projected for local governments. The vote to report was 15-9.
SB 422 (Vogel) – Amends the Election Code to establish the Pennsylvania Law Advisory Board to study and make recommendations on voting technology and laws. Projected costs are $212,000. The vote to report was 17-7.
SB 607 (Scavello) – Amends the Vehicles Code to authorize local police to use speed radar and Lidar. Because this is an optional program, the projections are limited to equipment costs, which could be exceeded by new enforcement. New enforcement revenue that exceeds a municipality’s budget by 20 percent or more would be required to be remitted to the state. The vote to report was 23-1.
SB 742 (K Ward) – Amends the Vehicles Code to limit emissions testing only to vehicles more than eight years old. New costs of $1.375 million to change the current system and for new personnel are projected. The vote to report was 15-9.
SB 743 (K Ward) – Amends the Vehicles Code to replace annual emissions testing with biennial testing. New costs of $450,000 to change current system and for new personnel are projected. The vote to report was 15-9.
SB 744 (Langerholc) – Amends the Vehicles Code to exempt seven certain counties, determined by class and population, from the emissions testing requirements, subject to having neutral to positive impacts on federal funding and attainment of clean air standards. A cost of $200,00 for new personnel is projected. The vote to report was 15-9.
SB 745 (Stefano) – Amends the Vehicles Code to replace dynamometer and tailpipe emissions testing in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions with gas cap and visual emissions tests. A cost of $1.132 million is projected. The vote to report was 15-9.
SB 746 (Vogel) – Amends the Vehicles Code to extend the transition date for new emissions testing equipment. Undetermined additional costs are projected if delay causes the simultaneous operation of current and proposed testing programs.
SB 751 (Aument) – Amends the Public School Code to provide a new system for rating educators. Costs estimated at $414, 000 for two years are projected to implement the system. The vote to report was 20-4.
SB 778 (K Ward) – Amends the Transportation and Vehicles codes to replace the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission’s annual $450 million Act 44 obligation to the Public Transportation Trust Fund with General Fund revenue through FY 2021-2022, the last year of the Act 44 obligation. The costs to the General Fund would be $50 million in FY 2019-2020, increasing to $250 million and $350 million in the following two fiscal years. The vote to report was 23-1.
HB 24 (Lawrence) – Amends the Capital Facilities Debt Enabling Act to require commonwealth debt incurred after enactment to be retired at a level annual principle rate instead of the current level annual debt service rate. The projected impact is a saving of $51 million in debt service for every $1 billion in new future debt.
HB 131 (Jozwiak) – Amends the Liquor Code to align it with federal definitions of “fermented fruit beverage” and to provide for distribution of non-alcoholic beer. No fiscal impact is projected.
HB 265 (Staats) – Amends the Public School Code to require secondary and post-secondary school articulation agreements to be aligned with the Department of Education database/portal, providing for distribution of career information in schools, and setting criteria for equipment purchases for the career and technical school grant program. The cost to implement is projected at $1.22 million.
HB 423 (Topper) – Amends the Liquor Code to provide for local referenda in “dry” municipalities in a Second Class A county for alcohol manufacturers proposing on-site consumption. No fiscal impact is projected.
HB 786 (Cutler) – Amends the Health Code to include accreditation standards for trauma centers that currently are contained in the Human Services Code. No fiscal impact is projected.
HB 807 (Ryan) – Amends the Military Affairs Code to equalize Pennsylvania National Guard general officers salaries with the equivalent federal salaries, and to include an automatic annual cost-of-living adjustment based on the active military pay scale. The additional projected cost is $120,000 annually.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Tuesday, June 18, 2019 to consider the following bills. Bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes unless otherwise indicated.
SB 147 (Laughlin) − This bill would amend Title 34 (Game Code) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to allow the Game Commission to permit Sunday hunting, to provide for a financial analysis of the Game Commission by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, and to increase the penalty for trespass by a hunter on posted property. Additional undetermined revenue is anticipated. Senators Costa, Leach, Schwank and Vogel voted against the bill.
SB 325 (Gordner) − This bill would amend the Professional Nursing Law to establish the designation of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. No fiscal impact is expected.
SB 485 (Laughlin) − This bill would amend Title 34 (Game Code) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to allow the Game Commission and its authorized agents, in addition to county treasurers, to issue anterless deer licenses. A minimal increase in revenue is expected.
SB 590 (Browne) − This bill would amend the Public School Code to establish a 13-member Charter School Funding Advisory Commission to issue a report with recommendations within 18 months. No fiscal impact is expected.
HB 195 (Nelson) − This bill would amend Title 40 (Insurance Code) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to allow pharmacies to further synchronize multiple prescriptions. No significant fiscal impact is expected.
HB 276 (Delozier) − This bill would amend Article I of the Pennsylvania Constitution to include a Bill of Rights for crime victims. The projected cost of advertising a constitutional amendment is $1 million to $1.5 million.
HB 330 (Emrick) − This bill would make technical amendments to the Taxpayer Relief Act. No fiscal impact is expected.
HB 370 (Klunk) − This bill would amend the Agricultural Area Security Law to clarify that the owner of a property subject to an easement under the law may waive the right to construct a second residence on the property, and may also subdivide a property to accommodate a second residence predating the easement. No fiscal impact is expected.
HB 751 (Roae) − This bill would amend Title 66 (Public Utilities Code) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to expand the definition of service line to include the pipes of water and wastewater utilities, permit email to be used in dealing with complaints and other matters before the Public Utility Commission, and places income tax liability on water and wastewater utilities. No fiscal impact is expected.
HB 826 (Marshall) − This bill would establish the Sports Raffle Charities Act as a stand-alone Act, repealing, and incorporating and expanding on similar language in the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act, to permit 50/50 drawings at professional sports team events for the benefit of non-profit organizations, and at events of certain college teams and of military academy teams playing in the Commonwealth. No fiscal impact is expected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the Floor Monday, June 17, 2019 and took the following actions on preferred appropriations and other items. All actions were by unanimous votes and all bills were reported favorably unless otherwise indicated.
SB 166 (Hughes) − This bill would be the Capital Budget Act of 2019-2020 to set the maximum bond indebtedness the Commonwealth may incur during the fiscal year for capital projects. Amendment A01587 set the cap on total bond indebtedness at $1.01 billion, less than two percent of the constitutional limitation on bond debt.
SB 235 (Browne) − This bill would appropriate funds for fiscal year 2019-2020 from the Professional Licensure Augmentation Account for operations of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affair within the Department of State and the State Athletic Commission; and from restricted receipt accounts and the State Athletic Commission Augmentation Account for operations of the Boards of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Podiatry and the State Athletic Commission. Amendment A01661 set the amounts appropriated, respectively, at $55.525 million and 13.41 million.
SB 236 (Browne) − This bill would make appropriations for fiscal year 2019-2020 from the Workmen’s Compensation Administration Fund (WCAF) for administration of the Worker’s Compensation Act and the Pennsylvania Occupational Disease Act, and from a restricted revenue account with the WCAF to the Office of Small Business Advocate (OSBA) within the Department of Community and Economic Development. Amendment A01662 set the appropriations, respectively, at $70.364 million and $280,000.
SB 237 (Browne) − This bill would make an appropriation for fiscal year 2019-2020 from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund to the Office of Small Business Advocate. Amendment A01663 set the appropriation at $1.795 million.
SB 238 (Browne) − This bill would appropriate funds for fiscal year 2019-2020 from a restricted revenue account within the General Fund to the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA) in the office of Attorney General. Amendment A01664 set the appropriation at $6.025 million
SB 239 (Browne) − This bill would appropriate funds for fiscal year 2019-2020 from the Public School Employees Retirement (PSERS) Fund to the PSERS Board and from the PSERS Defined Contribution Fund to the PSERS Defined Contribution Plan. Amendment A01598 set the appropriations, respectively, at $55.838 million and $2.454 million.
SB 240 (Browne) − This bill would appropriate funds for fiscal year 2019-2020 from the State Employees Retirement (SERS) Fund to the SERS Board and from the SERS Defined Contribution Fund to the SERS Defined Contribution Plan. Amendment A01598 set the appropriations, respectively, at $33.208 million and $3.852 million.
SB 241 (Browne) − This bill would make appropriations for fiscal year 2019-2020 from the Philadelphia Taxicab and Limousine Regulatory Fund to the Philadelphia Parking Authority and to the Philadelphia Taxicab Medallion Fund. Amendment A02081 set the appropriations, respectively, at $2.654 million and $275,000.
SB 242 (Browne) − This bill would make appropriations for fiscal year 2019-2020 from General Fund restricted accounts and federal funds to the Public Utility Commission for operations. Amendment A02045 set the appropriations, respectively, at $75.533 million and $5.552 million.
SB 243 (Browne) − This bill would appropriate from the state Gaming Fund for operations of the State Gaming Control Board, the Department of Revenue, the State Police and the Office of Attorney General related to the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act; from the Fantasy Contest Fund for the administration of fantasy contest operations; and from the Video Gaming Fund for video gaming terminal operations.. Amendment A02055 sets the appropriations, respectively, at $85.9 million, $463,000 and $1.686 million.
SB 634 (Yaw) − This bill would establish the Conservation Excellence Grant program under the State Conservation Commission, to provide technical and financial assistance to farmers and landowners to implement best management practices. No fiscal impact ins projected as funding is dependent on a separate appropriation in the General Appropriations Act.
SB 661 (Ward, J) − This bill would establish the Commonwealth Specialty Crop Block Grant Program in Title 3 (Agriculture) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes to provide funding for specialty crops not eligible under the Federal Specialty Crop Block Grant program, such as hemp and malting barley. No fiscal impact is projected as funding is dependent on a separate appropriation in the General Appropriations Act.
HB 1166 (Jozwiak) − This bill amends the Board of Wardens for the Port of Philadelphia Act to increase rates of pilotage and computation and pilotage fees for conducting seagoing vessels on the Delaware River by an average of about $95 per vessel. No fiscal impact is projected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Wednesday, June 12, 2019 and took the following actions. All bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes unless otherwise indicated.
SB 91 (Hughes) − This bill would amend the Workforce Development Act to require the Department of Labor and Industry to annually collect and publish data on projected future employment sectors in the Commonwealth for educational institutions and career planners. No fiscal impact is expected.
SB 200 (Hughes) − This bill would amend the Public School Code to provide for a trauma-informed approach to education policies and practices. It would expand training requirements and continuing education curricula for school directors and charter school trustees and staff to include evidence-based best practices on the impact of trauma in education. No fiscal impact is expected.
SB 456 (Bartolotta) − This bill would amend the Private Licensed Schools Act to authorize training schools to operate branches in neighboring counties or within 60 miles of the main school. A minimal fiscal impact is projected due to separate licensing fees no longer being required for multiple sites.
SB 669 (DiSanto) − This would amend Title 67 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statues (Human Services Code) to reinstate kinship care provisions relating to adoption subsidies, retroactive to a 2018 state Supreme Court ruling invalidating them on technical grounds. Reinstatement is required to preserve $2.6 million in annual federal funding.
HB 384 (Kail) − This would amend Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Motor Vehicle Code), increasing the fine for unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle to a $200 maximum from $25, and making related changes. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
HB 1172 (Hickernell) − This would amend Act 48 of 1993, establishing the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs within the Department of State, to authorize the issuance under defined conditions of provisional licenses to applicants previously licensed in another state. No fiscal impact is expected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 and took the following actions. All bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes unless otherwise indicated.
SB 314 (Baker) − This bill would be a free-standing Act to establish the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Authority (PRHRA) and the Pennsylvania Rural Health Redesign Center Fund. The PRHRA would be a public-private collaborative operating an annual budget to provide payments for services to rural hospitals, and supporting improvements to their ability to address key needs and community health services. The PRHRA would be composed of representatives of the Departments of Health, Human Services and Insurance, insurers, Medicaid MCOs, the Hospital Association of Pennsylvania and participating rural hospitals, and nationally recognized rural health care experts. Initial costs would be covered by a $25 million grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI).
SB 321 (Martin) − This bill would amend Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Municipal Code) to authorize a municipality in a third-class county to prohibit the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board licensing of a truck stop within the municipality to operate video gaming terminals, subject to a public repeal referendum not more often than every fourth year. The bill was reported by a 22-2 vote. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 633 (Costa) − This bill would establish the Public Health Emergency Act, authorizing the Governor to declare a Public Health Emergency. In consultation with the Secretary of Health, the governor would be empowered to declare a public health emergency when identified events pose a high probability of death, serious or long-term disability, or widespread exposure to agents that risk substantial present or future harm to public health. No fiscal impact is expected.
SB 698 (Gordner) − This bill would amend the Medical Practice Act to allow required authorizing documents between physician assistants and their supervising physicians to be completed and executed by substitute supervising physicians. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 699 (Gordner) − This bill would amend the Osteopathic Practice Act to allow required authorizing documents between physician assistants and their supervising physicians to be completed and executed by substitute supervising physicians. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 724 (Corman) − This bill would amend Titles 24 and 71 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, the Education and State Government Codes, to make changes to reformed public school and state government employee retirement benefits enacted in 2007. No fiscal impact is expected.
SB 733 (Browne) − This would be the Gaming Economic Development and Tourism Fund (GEDTF) Budget Itemization Act of 2019, authorizing funding for the construction of a science and education center in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. It would authorize a $2 million payment from the fund annually for 10 years.
HB 619 (Helm) − This would annually designate and observe June 19 as “Juneteenth National Freedom Day.” No fiscal impact is projected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, June 10, 2019 and took the following actions. All bills were reported favorably by unanimous votes unless otherwise indicated.
SB 25 (Bartolotta) – This bill would amend the Professional Nursing Law to provide for the licensing and regulation of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses-Certified Nurse Practitioners (APRN-CNPs) by the State Nursing Board, to include among other things, independent authority to diagnose, assess, treat, prescribe and order within the APRN-CNP’s scope of practice. No significant fiscal impact is projected.
SB 93 (Bartolotta) – This bill would amend Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, the Crimes Code, to create the new offense of Drug Delivery Resulting in Serious Injury, a felony of the second-degree with a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The bill was reported by a vote of 23-1. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 118 (Langerholc) – This bill would establish a Recovery-to-Work pilot program within the Department of Labor & Industry to provide job opportunities and skills training for persons recovering from drug or alcohol addiction. Up to seven pilot programs would be allowed in counties ranking among the top quarter for overdose deaths. The bill was reported by a vote of 23-1. The expected cost is up to $3 million in the first year.
SB 223 (Phillips-Hill) – This bill would amend the Pharmacy Act to authorize emergency medical responders to leave a dose of naloxone with a family member, friend or other person assisting a person following an opiate overdose. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 432 (Phillips-Hill) – This bill would amend the Achieving Better Care by Monitoring All Prescriptions (ABC-MAP) Act to allow designated employees of private managed care organizations providing coverage through Medical Assistance, i.e. to CHIP, PACE and PACENET beneficiaries, to access ABC-MAP information. No fiscal impact is projected.
SB 536 (Browne) – This bill would amend the Public School Code to establish a 19-member Public Higher Education Funding Commission to recommend to the General Assembly a formula for public funding of community colleges, PASSHE and other publicly funded schools of higher education, within one year initially, and subsequently at five-year intervals. Minimal fiscal impact is projected.
SB 575 (Yaw) – This bill would amend the Environmental Resources Code, Title 27 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to establish the Watershed Innovation and Improvement Fund (WIIF) and the Pennsylvania Clean Water Procurement Program to have the WIIF purchase units of nutrient and sediment reductions to meet federal pollution reduction requirements within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. A $20 million General Fund appropriation would fund the program. Amendment A01741 was approved to cap administrative charges by the Department of Environmental Resources and PENNVEST at 2.5 percent of the fund.
SB 621 (Regan) – This bill would amend the Public School Code to authorize firearms-certified school employees to be armed and to allow sheriffs and deputies to act as School Resource Officers. Minimal fiscal impact is projected.
SB 675 (Brooks) – This bill would establish the Bupenorphine Medically Assisted Treatment Act, requiring state regulation and licensing of prescribers of buprenorphine (aka suboxone). Projected net costs for FY 2019-2020 are $327,311, with uncalculated increasing costs in subsequent years. The bill was reported by a vote of 15-9.
SB 695 (Brooks) – This bill would amend the Human Services Code to reauthorize for three years, through June 2022, various assessments scheduled to sunset in 2019 on nursing, intermediate care and hospital facilities in Philadelphia and on the related Budget Adjustment Factor (BAF) that ensures facility rates do not exceed appropriations. The extension is projected to raise more than $680 million.
SB 700 (Browne) – This bill would update and amend the Public School Code relating to the school planning and construction process (PlanCon), including establishing a new funding formula, incentivizing use of high-performance building standards, and providing for competitive grants for building maintenance of up to $1 million. New administrative costs related to the changes are projected at $1.4 million.
SB 712 (Argall) – This bill would amend the Fiscal Code to extend for five years, through 2024, the authority for the State Treasurer to invest public funds according to the “Prudent Investor Standard”. No fiscal impact is expected.
HB 800 (Turzai) – This bill would amend the Public School Code to make various changes to the Educational Improvement Tax Credits program. Beginning in FY 2019-202, the total allowable credit cap would be raised to 210 million from $110 million, with subsequent annual increases of 10 percent after fiscal years in which 90% of aggregated credits were used; the household income eligibility cap would be increased to $95,000 (from $85,000), with scholarship eligibility amended to continue in the year following a Scholarship year regardless of household income eligibility; and the types of entities eligible for tax credits would be expanded. Assuming serial qualification for annual increases, the projected impact would raise the cap on tax credits to $594 million by 2029. The bill was reported by a vote of 15-9.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, June 3, 2019 and all bills were favorably reported by unanimous vote, unless otherwise indicated.
SB 112 (Yaw) – This bill would amend Title 35 PaCS (Health and Safety Code) to expand to adults the requirements and limitations existing on opioid prescriptions for minors (e.g. general 7-day limit). Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 139 (J Ward) – This bill would amend Act 133 of 2006, the Price Gouging Act, to reduce the length of time that restrictions it imposes will apply after a storm or disaster, and to set a percentage limit on price increases under which increases will be presumed not to violate restrictions of the Act. No adverse fiscal impact is expected. The bill was approved 17-7, based on questions whether consumers will bear the burden of proof to establish price increases as excessive.
SB 500 (Baker) – This bill would amend Act 274 of 1978, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) Law, to establish within PCCD a County Adult Probation and Parole Advisory Committee to oversee funding to counties for intermediate punishment programs, and to deposit savings from justice systems improvements into the Justice Reinvestment Fund. Amendment A01519 of a technical nature was approved unanimously. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 501 (Killion) – This bill would amend Titles 42 and 61 PaCS, the Judiciary Code and the Prisons and Parole Code, dealing with the State Intermediate Punishment (SIP) program, including renaming it as the State Drug Treatment Program, adding and removing offenses eligible to participate in the program, simplifying the parole release process for minimum sentences imposing not more than two years in prison, and requiring the Sentencing Commission to establish parole violation guidelines. The changes are projected to produce cost savings of nearly $45 million over four years.
SB 502 (Bartolotta) – This bill would amend Act 111 of 1998, the Crime Victims Act, to combine the Victim Witness Services Fund with the Crime Victims Compensation Fund, and to make other changes to the crime victims compensation program, including providing victims with the right to be notified when they are eligible for confidentiality under the program, reassigning the responsibilities for notifying victims and witnesses of their rights to participate in the program, expanding the categories of persons eligible for compensation, increasing the deadline for filing claims to three years from one, lowering the out-of-pocket loss eligibility threshold to $50 from $100, and repealing the $1,500 claim cap. The fiscal impact is projected to result in additional federal funding of between $750,000 and $970,000, as well as additional costs of $750,000 to $950,000.
SB 543 (Killion) – This bill would amend Act 210 of 18889, increasing river pilot rates and ship communication fees for traffic on the Delaware River and navigable tributaries. No adverse impact is expected.
SB 589 (Regan) – This bill would amend Title 51 PaCS, the Military Affairs Code, to create the Military Family Education Program allowing members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and their family members to receive educational grants at the lower of either the approved tuition rate for the institution or at the annual rate charged by state system schools. The projected cost for FY 2019-2020 is $2.7 million.
HB 318 (Mizgorski) – This bill would amend Act 147 of 1996, the Telemarketer Registration Act, by among other things, extending application to cover business entities, prohibiting telemarketing calls to registered phones for as long as they remain valid numbers, and prohibiting telemarketing on legal holidays. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
HB 547 (Emrick) – This bill would amend the First Class Township Code to permit taxes to be levied by resolution rather than by ordinance when the rate being set is not more than the previous rate. No adverse impact is foreseen on State funds; local funds could see savings in reduced advertising costs for rates remaining stable or decreasing.
HB 548 (Emrick) – This bill would amend PaSC Titles 8 and 11, the Borough and Third Class City codes, respectively, to permit taxes to be levied by resolution rather than by ordinance when the new rate is not higher than the previous year rate. No adverse impact is seen on State funds; local funds could see savings in reduced advertising costs when rates are not increased.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, May 6, 2019 and all bills were favorably reported by unanimous vote, unless otherwise indicated.
SB 174 (Browne) – This would establish the Abandoned Property Tax Sale Act. Properties that for periods of at least 12 months have not been legally occupied and that also meet one of nine public safety or welfare conditions could be sold at tax sale. Purchasers would be required to enter into bond-secured redevelopment agreements with the municipality or the municipal redevelopment authority. No adverse impact is expected on state funds; municipalities could be affected to the extent they publish pending tax sales in local newspapers.
SB 338 (Langerholc) – This would amend Title 75 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Vehicle Code) to conditionally increase the width of farm vehicles permitted on public roads to 18 feet from 16 feet. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 478 (Vogel) – This would amend the Tax Reform Code to provide a management tax credit for “beginning” farmers. Owners of agricultural assets, including land, livestock and equipment could, subject to DCED approval, claim a P.I.T credit upon selling or renting such assets to unrelated “beginning” farmers, who are defined as having less than 10 years farming experience and a net worth not more than $800,000. The credit would be capped at five percent of the sale price or fair market value, whichever is less, but not more than $32,000; or at 10 percent of gross rental income, up to $7,000, for each of the first three years of a rental agreement. The impact on general funds is expected to cost $5 million in 2020 and $6 million in succeeding years.
SB 583 (Aument) – This would amend the Agricultural Security Law to provide a standard definition for agritourism and to allow agritourism activities on properties that are subject to agriculture conservation easements. Agritourism would be defined as activities on a farm that allow the public to tour, explore, learn about or be entertained by an aspect of agricultural production, husbandry or rural lifestyle. No adverse fiscal impact is expected on state revenues, and minimal impact is projected for county agricultural land preservation boards.
SB 613 (Mensch) – This would amend the Administrative Code of 1929 to bring it into compliance with IRS requirements that make state executive branch and independent offices employees and contractors, whose duties require access to federal tax information, subject at least decennially to criminal background checks to determine their fitness and suitability to access such information, and to prohibit hiring or continued employment in such positions of persons determined to be unfit. Because a separate state law already requires background checks for such persons, no adverse fiscal impact is expected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, April 8, 2019 and unanimously reported the following bills:
SB 133 (Argall) – This would amend the state Constitution to allow successful gubernatorial candidates to select their running mates for Lieutentant Governor, subject to party approval. The projected costs of constitutional amendments are between $2 million and $3 million.
SB 144 (Martin) – This amends the Public School Code to provide up to $300,000 in grant funding to Intermediate Units for the purchase of telepresence equipment so serve students homebound by injury or illness. Funding would be provided through the use of lapsing funding for other grant programs under the Department of Education.
SB 145 (Yaw) – This would amend the Agricultural Area Security Law to allow the owners of properties enrolled in the agricultural easement program to permanently surrender the right to construct additional farmstead residences, and also to allow enrolled properties to be subdivided for existing homesteads as well as for construction of new ones. No fiscal impact is expected.
SB 399 (Langerholc) – This would amend the Sexual Assault Testing and Evidence Collection Act to provide additional rights for victims, their close relations and guardians, and to provide additional reporting procedures for sexual assault. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
SB 469 (Laughlin) – This would amend the Judiciary & Judicial Procedure Code, Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to conditionally allow consideration of out-of-court statements by persons with intellectual disabilities or autism during trials for specified offenses. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 479 (Baker) – This would amend the Judiciary & Judicial Procedure Code, Title 42 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to include additional offenses for which our-of-court statements made by child victims and witnesses may be admitted in criminal and civil proceedings. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
HB 264 (Mako) – This would amendment Municipalities Code, Title 53 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, to impose additional responsibilities upon municipal authorities in the collection and reporting of revenue. Minimal fiscal impact is expected.
HB 275 (Mehaffie) – This would amend the Municipalities Financial Recovery Act (“Act 47”) to rename the Early Intervention Strategic Management Planning Program as the Strategic Management Planning Program reflecting that the program is used for third-party advice and not solely when a community is in financial distress. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met on Monday, March 25, 2019 and favorably reported all bills considered in an off-the-floor meeting unanimously, as follows::
SB 115 (Killion) – This would amend the Public School Code to develop a model curriculum for instruction on cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for students in grades 9-12 beginning in the 2019-2020 school years. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 127 (Regan) – This would amend the Health and Safety Code (Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to reauthorize funding for 9-1-1 services, add the State Fire Commissioner and State Geospatial Coordination Board chair as voting members of the 9-1-1 Board, require a Legislative Budget and Finance Committee review and recommendation for reauthorization, and make other changes to the 9-1-1 law. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 298 (Baker) – This would amend the Crimes Code (Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) relating to the offense of Stolen Valor, requiring that all fines collected for violations would be deposited into the Veterans Trust Fund. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
SB 372 (Scavello) – This would amend the Historical and Museums Code (Title 37 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes) to make various changes regarding the preservation of and access to property and archival state and local government records. No adverse fiscal impact is expected.
The Senate Appropriations Committee met off the floor on Monday, March 18, 2019 and took the actions indicated on the following bills:
SB 128 (Regan) This bill would amend Title 51 of the PA (Military Affairs) to codify the Civil Air Patrol within the Department of Military and Veteran Affairs. No fiscal impact.
The following bills for 2019-2020 appropriations were reported unanimously for administrative purposes. The numbers shown reflect 2018-2019 appropriations:
SB 234 (Browne) General Appropriations – $32.092 billion (General Fund), $27.743 billion (Federal).
SB 235 (Browne) Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs – $49.723 million (General Fund and Restricted accounts).
SB 236 (Browne) Departments of Labor & Industry and Community & Economic Affairs for Worker Compensation- $71.215 million (Worker Comp Fund), $275 thousand (Restricted Revenue).
SB 237 (Browne) Office of Small Business Advocate – $1.855 million (General Fund Restricted Revenue).
SB 238 (Browne) Office of Consumer Advocate – $5.85 million (General Fund Restricted Revenue).
SB 239 (Browne) Public School Employees Retirement Board – $51.637 million (PSER Fund), $4.95 million (PSER defined contributions).
SB 240 (Browne) State Employees Retirement Board – $330.766 million (SER Fund), $4.9 million (SER defined contributions).
SB 241 (Browne) Philadelphia Parking Authority – $2.935 million (PHL Taxi & Limo Regulatory Fund), $200 thousand (PHL Taxi Medallion Fund).
SB 242 (Browne) Public Utility Commission – $74.185 million (General Fund Restricted Revenue), $6.067 million (Federal).
SB 243 (Browne) Gaming Control Board – $84.875 million (Gaming Restricted Revenue), $1.859 million (Fantasy Contest Restricted Revenue), $2.856 million (Video Gaming Restricted Revenue).
SB 244 (Browne) Penn State University – $260.085 million (General Fund, Agricultural College Land Script Fund).
SB 245 (Browne) University of Pittsburgh – $151.382 million (General Fund).
SB 246 (Browne) Temple University – $155.104 million (General Fund).
SB 247 (Browne) Lincoln University – $14.869 million (General Fund).
SB 248 (Browne) University of Pennsylvania veterinary activities & Center for Infectious Diseases – $31.328 million (General Fund).
The Senate Appropriations Committee met Wednesday, January 30, 2019 and reported the following bill unanimously from committee:
Fiscal Note Policy: The Appropriations Committee shall only review a non-appropriation bill and non-budget implementation bill for its fiscal impact upon the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions.
Senate Bill 113 (DiSanto): Amends the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act, further providing for definitions, for disqualification and forfeiture of benefits and for restitution for monetary loss; and repealing a retroactivity provision. The bill was reported out unanimously.
Senator Vincent Hughes
Chair