The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1327, which would amends the Public Official and Employee Ethics Act to prohibit a public official or employee from accepting a cash gift from a lobbyist, principal, or other person seeking to influence official action from the public official or employee.
Under the bill, public officials and employees would also be prohibited from soliciting cash gifts.
The bill was spurred by a state attorneys general sting investigation in Philadelphia where several state lawmakers allegedly accepted cash from a confidential informant. The investigation was later deemed flawed and was abandoned.
Senate Bill 1327 would ban cash, check, money orders, prepaid cards, gift certificates and gift cards. Lawmakers, government officials and employees who accept $250 or more from anyone seeking to influence public policy could face a felony and up to five years in jail. Smaller amounts would constitute a misdemeanor.
The legislation differentiates cash gifts from properly reported political contributions.
The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate voted 40-9 for House Bill 1259, which regulates tanning beds in Pennsylvania and bans people younger than 16-years-old from using them.
In addition to the ban, the bill requires every tanning facility to register with the state and pay an annual fee of $150 for less than two beds or $300 for up to 10 beds; force inspections and require safety standards; require parental consent for 17-year-olds; and, it mandates a notice that alerts consumers to the carcinogenic risk of using the devices.
Companies that violate the regulations are subject to penalties between $250 and $1,000.
The governor enacted the bill as Act 41 of 2014.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 267, which changes the state’s Public School Code’s list of legitimate excuses for a student to be absent from school. The new law adds “educational” as one of the excused absences.
While many school districts now approve trips that parents deem “educational,” the term “educational” is not a listed reason in the school code.
The governor signed the legislation into law as Act 40 of 2014.
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The Senate voted 47-0 to approve Senate Bill 1236, which is part of a three-bill Oil and Gas Lease Protection package dealing with natural gas drilling. The other bills are Senate Bill 1237 and Senate Bill 1238.
Senate Bill 1236 would allow royalty interest owners the opportunity to inspect records of a gas company to verify that they received proper payment for the use of their land.
The proposal has been sent to the House for consideration.
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The Senate voted 45-4 for Senate Bill 1237, which is part of a three-bill Oil and Gas Lease Protection package dealing with natural gas drilling. The other bills are Senate Bill 1236 and Senate Bill 1238.
Senate Bill 1237 would prohibit a gas company from retaliating against a royalty interest owner by terminating their lease agreement or ceasing development because a landowner questions the accuracy of the royalty payments.
The proposal has been sent to the House.
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The Senate voted 49-0 to approve Senate Bill 1238, which is part of a three-bill Oil and Gas Lease Protection package dealing with natural gas drilling in Pennsylvania. The other bills are Senate Bill 1236 and Senate Bill 1237.
Senate Bill 1238 would require a gas company to record a satisfaction piece in the county Recorder of Deeds office where the oil and gas well is located within 30 days upon expiration, termination, or forfeiture of the oil and gas lease. This action would release the gas company’s interests in the oil and gas and is said to be similar to what a mortgage company does after a mortgage is paid in full.
The proposal has been sent to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1096, which would clarify that a property owner can be reimbursed up to $4,000 “per property” that is acquired through eminent domain.
Currently, property owner can be reimbursed up to $4,000. Such payment is provided for reasonable expenses incurred for appraisal, attorney and engineering fees.
If the taking is for an easement related to underground piping for water or sewer infrastructure, the bill specifies that reimbursementwould be limited to $1,000.
The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1181, which amends the Fiscal Code to authorize a $4.2 million transfer from the Race Horse Development Fund to the State Racing Fund.
Since the Pennsylvania horse and harness racing commissions became financially insolvent by 2014, this proposal provides a short term bridge for the continued regulation and oversight of the racing industry while lawmakers work to update the Race Horse Industry Reform Act to provide long term, sustainable funding solutions.
Since many of the state’s casinos can only operate if they conduct a set amount of live racing days, continued regulation and oversight of the state’s horse racing industry is necessary so not to impact casino operations and revenues.
The bill was enacted as Act 30 of 2014.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1254, which would lower the allowable lead content in plumbing systems.
Under the bill, the state’s new definition of “lead free” would lower the maximum lead content in plumbing products from 8 percent to 0.25 percent.
The measure would comply with a 2011 federal drinking water act (effective on January 4, 2014) that also changed the definition of “lead free.”
The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 1267, which would reauthorize the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) until June 30, 2017.
Originally formed in 1986, the PHC4 is set to expire on June 30, 2014. The council is an independent state agency formed to address rapidly growing health care costs. The council’s strategy to contain costs is to stimulate competition in the health care market. In 1989, the act was amended to task the council with collecting data on the quality and cost of health care, study access issues for the uninsured and work with the legislature on reforms.
The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate voted 48-1 in favor of Senate Bill 1290, which would require wireless telecommunications service providers to disclose a wireless device’s location information in an emergency situation upon written request from law enforcement.
Called the “Kelsey Smith Act,” qualifying emergencies must involve risk of death or serious physical harm to the owner of the device. The written request would need to be approved by the Attorney General.
The bill would require wireless telecommunications service providers to come up with protocols to appropriately respond to such requests from law enforcement.
The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1154, which would remove language from a 1937 law that allowed exemptions for people involved in labor disputes from engaging in certain forms of harassment.
The bill would no longer allow those involved in labor disputes to be exempt from prosecution for the crimes of harassment, stalking, and the threat to use weapons of mass destruction.
The exemptions were originally put in place to protect union picketers who might have been targeted by unscrupulous businesses for harassment during strikes, or stalking if they called their boss during a labor dispute.
The bill now returns to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 31, which would help protect workers who report child abuse from employment discrimination.
Under the bill, which was recommended by the Child Protection Task Force (Senate Resolution 250 of 2011), if someone reports child abuse in good faith and is dismissed from their job as a result, they may file for appropriate relief under the Child Protective Services Law.
The measure, which would give the Department of Public Welfare the ability to intervene, would provide appropriate relief, which may include back pay. The bill would require the action to be filed in Common Pleas Court in the county where the alleged discrimination occurred.
The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 436, which expands and clarifies the list of mandated reporters of child abuse.
In addition to changing the list of those who must report suspected cases of child abuse, House Bill 436 clarifies a mandated reporter’s basis to report child abuse and enhances the penalty scheme for those who fail to report alleged cases.
The bill was part of an eight-bill child protection package that the governor approved on April 15 as Act 32 of 2014.
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The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1263, which requires mobile and manufactured home sellers to get a tax status certification before they can complete the sale of such a structure.
The new law is an attempt to help counties keep track of mobile and manufactured home owners who sell their dwellings and then move to other states without paying delinquent property taxes.
This will also help unsuspecting people who buy these homes and don’t learn about the back tax problem until after they become owners. In some cases, the buyer of the delinquent property can lose the home if he or she is unable to pay the late property assessments.
The governor signed the bill into law as Act 36 of 2014.
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The Senate voted 49-0 to approve Senate Bill 21, which clarifies who is a mandatory reporter of suspected child abuse in Pennsylvania.
Under the new law, all reports must first be filed with the state’s ChildLine hotline or directly to local law enforcement or child welfare personnel.
The responsibility to make a report can be triggered by direct observation of a child, or by a credible second-hand report where there is an identifiable victim. Reporters will also be trained to try to include the victim’s identity, the nature and extent of the alleged abuse, the name and relationship of the suspects, and the source of the information.
The governor signed the bill into law as Act 33 of 2014.
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