Session Weekly Wrap-Up

  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...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 31, which would toughen child abuse reporting requirements in schools. The measure would do away with the separate reporting requirement for schools and mandates that suspected child abuse be reported directly to the...

  The Senate voted 34-16 in favor of House Bill 1513, which would change the Local Tax Enabling Act to make it less ambiguous for municipalities that want to levy a business privilege tax on local companies. The bill would also delete any areas of the current law...

  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...

  The Senate voted 47-0 on Senate Bill 491, which would change Pennsylvania law dealing with local taxes. If it becomes law, the proposal would make farmer estimated tax provisions the same as those used by the state Department of Revenue, change the due date of...

  The Senate unanimously approved legislation that will allow victims of sexual abuse to file for court-ordered protection regardless of whether a criminal case is prosecuted. Under prior law, orders of protection were available to sexual assault victims only if...

The Senate voted 48-0 on Senate Bill 497, which would modernize Pennsylvania’s Third Class City Code. The legislation deletes obscure language, and updates with laws and case law that have been enacted during the past 79 years. Specifically, according to The...

  The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 777, which would continue the state’s Social Security cost of living adjustment moratorium until Dec. 31, 2015. The extension would allow many people to remain under the income limit that determines eligibility for...

  The Senate unanimously approved legislation to criminalize so-called “revenge porn.”  Senate Bill 1167 was prompted by the case of Allyson Pereira, who was 16-years-old when her ex-boyfriend published a nude photo of her online. The unauthorized photograph went...

  The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1656, which would repeal an outdated law that requires women to sign a separate consent form for the treatment of breast disease. Current law requires patients to sign a “Consent for Treatment of Breast Disease” form...

  The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 321, which would increase the sentences for those who commit child pornography crimes. The bill keeps the basic grading of offenses. Production is a second degree felony, dissemination and viewing are graded as a third...

  The Senate unanimously passed legislation that would increase penalties for those convicted of attempting to lure a child under 13-years-old into a vehicle or building. Under current law, attempted luring of a minor under 18 is a misdemeanor. House Bill 1594...

  By a vote of 43-7, the Senate approved House Bill 1060, which was amended in the Senate to include the House-passed transportation funding bill.  Senate Democrats objected to the amendment because of a provision raising the threshold for prevailing wage...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 935, which would amend Title 45 (Legal Notices), providing for electronic publication of municipal codes by the Local Government Commission. The bill would allow the Local Government Commission to publish online the...

  The Senate voted 45 to 5 in favor of House Bill 290, which would make the state’s Small Games of Chance law more flexible and accommodating for volunteer and charitable organizations would expand Some of the reforms in the legislation would: make more games...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 24, which would amend Title 23 update clearance procedures for prospective employees and establish the Statewide Database of Protective Services to manage information about suspected child abuse. The bill would...

  The Senate this week unanimously passed a package of six bills aimed at preventing child abuse and protecting children. Stemming from the Jerry Sandusky scandal, the bills are part of a child abuse package recommended by the bipartisan, bicameral Legislative...

  The Senate voted 47-0 on an amended House Bill 108, which would change the state’s insurance law by requiring the advisory council of the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, to meet twice a year instead of once. It would also remove the six-month...

  The Senate voted 33-17 in favor of House Bill 1437, the state budget bill. This legislation provides for the expenses for the executive, legislative and judicial departments as well as public schools and public debt for fiscal 2013-14. The $28.37 billion...

  By a unanimous vote, the Senate approved Senate Bill 379, which would allow health care professionals to apologize for an error without fear of legal reprisal. Under the bill, any sympathetic gesture or apology made prior to a medical liability action by a...