Session Weekly Wrap-Up

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 78, which would protect animals from kennel owners and their family members who have an animal cruelty record. Under this legislation, applicants applying for a kennel license would have to prove that family members...

  In a 28-19 party line vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 1, which would have changed the public pension system for teachers and state workers. The proposal would have created a 401k-style pension system for newly hired employees who are members of either the...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 330 which will provide harsher consequences for property negligence. This bill lowers the required number of code violations from four to two, before a code violation becomes a criminal offense. Law also requires that...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 385, which would encourage the creation of transportation hubs. The bill, which modernizes Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) Act of 2004, was prompted by the current law inabilities to create TRID’s....

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 43, also known as the “stolen valor act.” This amendment makes fraudulently wearing military uniforms, awards, and medals a summary offense. The bill also specifies that it is illegal for someone to try and obtain...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 42, which would make it a crime to falsely claim a veteran status on one’s driver’s license application. Under the so-called “stolen valor” bill, if one is caught misrepresenting themselves with this status, the offender can...

  The Senate voted 40-8 for Senate Bill 9, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship for any individual applying for public assistance. Under the bill, known as the “Proof of Citizenship for Receipt of Public Benefits Act,” the state Human Services Department...

  In a 30-19 party line vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 4, which would amend the state’s Constitution to give the General Assembly the power to determine whether an institution is a purely public charity and exempted from paying local property taxes. The...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 210, which would exempt judges and some elderly citizens from jury duty. Under the bill, federal, state and district justices would be exempt from jury duty, along with citizens 75 or older who request to be excused....

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 283, a joint resolution that would formally abolish the Philadelphia Traffic Court from the state’s constitution. The legislation was prompted by a 2011 ticket-fixing scandal in which nine judges were indicted....

  The Senate unanimously passed a bill that extends the Organ and Bone Marrow Donor Act of 2006, which sunset in 2010.  The law grants a non-refundable tax credit to employers who provide a paid leave of absenceto employees donating an organ or bone marrow....

Senate Democratic Wrap-up for the Week of October 5, 2014 The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 939, which would give struggling families more options, time and flexibility to pay their utility bill. Under the bill, which would re-authorizes Chapter 14 in the...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 444, which would change Pennsylvania’s Right to Know law to, among other things, give the public greater access to information associated with the commonwealth’s four state-related universities. Senate Bill 444 would...

  The Senate voted 49-0 to approve Senate Bill 1210, which wouldrewrite the state’s Transit Revitalization Investment District Act to encourage municipalities to begin using the economic development tool. Since its inception in 2004, no so-called TRIDs have been...

  The Senate voted 26-22 for House Bill 278, the state’s Fiscal Code. Originally enacted in 1929, the fiscal code defines the powers and duties of the various departments, boards, commissions and row offices as to the collection of taxes and money due to the...

  In a largely party line vote, the Senate voted 26-24 in favor of House Bill 2328, the state’s $29.1 billion budget for fiscal 2014-15. Many Senate Democrats sharply criticized the spending plan, calling it a sham that underfunds schools, job creation and human...

  The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1090, which would add police stations to the state’s safe haven law. The measure would require police officers working at the police station to accept a newborn from a parent seeking to relinquish it. It would also...

  The Senate voted unanimously for House Bill 43, which would amend the Volunteer Health Services Act, expanding it to include mental health services provided to military personnel and their family. The bill would allow physicians and other health care...

  The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1559, which would require schools to adopt age-appropriate suicide prevention and exploitation awareness programs. The suicide prevention programs would be geared for students in grades 6 to 12. The exploitation...

  The Senate voted 47-1 in favor of House Bill 1738, which would establish a 15-member Basic Education Funding Commission. Under the bill, the commission would study the state’s basic education funding formula and recommend reforms to the legislature. Some of the...