Session Weekly Wrap-Up

  The Senate approved Senate Bill 150, by a vote of 38-9, to change how information is collected and used in Pennsylvania’s DNA database. The bill was approved by the Senate after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is constitutional for police to collect DNA...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 334, which would eliminate the Philadelphia Traffic Court from the Judicial Code and transfer its duties to the Philadelphia Municipal Court. The legislation was prompted by a 2011 ticket-fixing scandal in which nine current...

The Senate approved Senate Bill 1, which would increase Pennsylvania’s annual transportation investment by $2.5 billion by lifting the cap on the Oil Company Franchise Tax and increasing fees for vehicle registration and drivers licenses. The legislation would provide...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 5, which would establish a community-based health care program within the Department of Health. This legislation is designed to expand and enhance existing resources to provide health care for the uninsured, and it...

The Senate unanimously passed legislation that would compel the state Department of Community and Economic Development to create standards for construction, installation and inspection of commercial modular buildings. House Bill 124 instructs the DCED to develop the...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 436, which would amend the election code to remove the sunset date for the voting standards adopted by the Voting Standards Development Board. The board was created following passage of a federal law that requires each state...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 37, which would allow Pennsylvanians to register to vote online. The measure would also allow voters to change their party registration, address, or name online. Under the proposal, citizens could register to vote anytime....

The Senate unanimously approved a bill that would create a Special Education Funding Commission to identify the most effective and equitable way to distribute special education funding to school districts or charter schools. Under House Bill 2, the commission would...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 620, which would provide additional protections for third parties who act in good faith in power of attorney matters. The bill also provides additional protections for principals who name an agent to handle their affairs....

By a vote of 46-2, the Senate passed a measure that would allow drivers to operate small electric vehicles on some roads. Senate Bill 83 would allow the use of Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV), four wheeled electric vehicle with a maximum design speed between 20...

The Senate unanimously passed legislation that would standardize and improve training for county directors of Veterans Affairs. Under currently law, county commissioners appoint the director, with minimal guidance on standards and requirements. Senate Bill 302 would...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 259, which would invalidate drilling leases unless the lessor is guaranteed at least a one-eighth royalty of all severed natural gas or oil. The legislation also would require that the lessor’s check stub include detailed...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 66, which would put the three-member State Tax Equalization Board under the purview of the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Established in 1947 to compensate for the lack of assessment uniformity...

By a 33-16 vote, the Senate approved a special education and charter school reform bill that would have implemented several changes to the law. Under Senate Bill 1115, a Special Education Funding Commission would have been established to explore ways to fund special...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 991, which would require those who sell a service contract that includes an automatic renewal provision to disclose that provision to the consumer. Under the bill, notification must be provided to the consumer not less than...

The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 728, which would require emergency shut-offs to be installed on all fuel dispensing systems. Under the legislation, the shut-offs would be between 20 and 100 feet from the fuel dispenser, with the farthest fuel dispenser no...

The Senate voted 48-1 for House Bill 761, which makes numerous tax code changes, including an initiative that provides $1.7 billion in tax credits to Royal Dutch Shell to build an ethane cracker plant in Beaver County. Under the bill, the tax credit is capped at $66...

In a largely party line 27-21 vote, the Senate approved legislation aimed at helping the growing number of school districts in fiscal distress. Under House Bill 1307, the Secretary of Education could declare a school district to be in financial recovery status if one...

The Senate unanimously passed House Bill 1913, which would allow local taxing bodies to decrease real estate taxes for properties substantially affected by the September, 2011, flooding. This bill would allow a county assessment office to decrease, credit or refund up...

The Senate voted 46-1 for legislation that would amend the Public School Code to establish a new funding formula for special education funding and an accountability system to ensure effective investment of resources. Special education funding is currently distributed...