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 establishes a program in the Department of Health to provide grants to community-based health care clinics that provide “medical homes” for the uninsured.
The bill is with the governor for his signature.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 59, which requires that the Westmoreland County Parks Police Force to receive training from the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (MPOETC).
Under current law, MPOETC administers courses of study for basic and in-service training and provides certification for municipal police officers, the Capitol Police, deputy sheriffs in Allegheny County, campus police and street railway police. This measure would include the Westmoreland County Parks Police Force, established ion 1995, under that same requirement.
The bill now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 579, which would increase the maximum legally allowable number of enlisted Pennsylvania State Police officers from 3,940 to 4,310.
The need to increase the complement is attributed to the department’s expanding law enforcement responsibilities.
The measure would also exempt officers assigned to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, gaming enforcement and liquor enforcement from being counted as part of the complement. Finally, the bill removes the requirement that the state police provide underwater search teams in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Senate Bill 579 now goes to the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 583, which would make the bid amounts under the Economic Development Financing law consistent with the other legislation passed last session.
The bill was referred to the House Local Government Committee.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 277, which would amend the Vehicle Code to make it easier for military personnel and veterans to qualify for their commercial driver’s license (CDL) sooner.
As the law currently stands, military personnel who have two years of experience driving a military commercial vehicle are eligible to waive the skills test when certain criteria are met. One provision allows the waiver if “the applicant has legally operated, for at least two years immediately preceding application for a commercial driver’s license.”
Senate Bill 277 would remove “immediately preceding” to allow for military personnel and veterans with at least two years of military commercial driving experience to apply for a CDL with the possibility of a waiver at any time.
The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 526, which would eliminate a redundant requirement in the documentation required to exhibit animals at livestock shows.
Under current law, a person may not bring an animal to an exhibition unless the person has an established “veterinarian-client-patient relationship.” The Department of Agriculture has enforced this by requiring animal exhibitors to fill out a form self-certifying that their animal has such a relationship with a veterinarian.
Since many, if not most, animal exhibitors also have a health certificate for their animals (which is signed by a veterinarian certifying the health of the animal), the need to provide the separate veterinarian-client-patient relationship form is redundant. This measure would clarify that an animal health certificate can be accepted in lieu of a veterinarian-client-patient relationship form.
The bill is now in the House.
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The Senate unanimously passed a bill that will prevent the sunset of the state’s Wiretap and Electronic Surveillance law, currently set to expire at the end of the year.
Senate Bill 867 extends the authority of the act until December 31, 2018.
The bill now goes to the House.