Weekly Wrap
As the dust settled from last week's Primary Election, the House of Representatives and Senate made their way back to Harrisburg for three session days this week.
Monday, the House Insurance Committee reported out H.B. 2585 (Pickett, R-Bradford), which would prohibit the Department of Human Services (DHS) from utilizing bidding or service zones that limit a health service corporation or a hospital plan corporation contractor from submitting a bid for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The companion bill, S.B. 1235 (DiSanto, R-Dauphin), was reported from the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday.
Furthermore, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported out S.B. 811 (Fontana, D-Allegheny), which would give Pittsburgh the ability to acquire property at sheriff's sale by bidding an amount equal to the total amount of all municipal claims and liens regardless of bids by other parties.
The Senate finally passed S.B. 848 (Mensch, R-Montgomery), which will now be considered in the House. The bill would create the position of Chief Nursing Officer of the Commonwealth.
On Tuesday, the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee voted to send a letter to the Independent Regulatory Review Commission, the Environmental Quality Board, and Department of Environmental Protection regarding a proposed rulemaking that would set drinking water standards for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonicacid (PFOS).
The House Judiciary Committee reported out two bills of note: H.B. 1393 (Struzzi, R-Indiana), which would legalize fentanyl strips for use; and H.B. 2527 (Quinn, R-Delaware), which would provide Good Samaritan immunity and widespread availability of the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone/Narcan.
The Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee reported out S.B. 1237 (Vogel, R-Beaver), which would extend the expiration of the existing horse racing temporary regulations by three years and give the State Horse Racing Commission the authority to issue temporary regulations to comply with provisions required under a new federal law. The companion bill, H.B. 2520 (Causer, R-McKean), unanimously passed in the House on Wednesday and will head to the Senate for consideration.
One resolution was reported from the Senate Aging and Youth Committee. S.R. 288 (Ward, R-Blair), would direct the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study of long-term care facilities' impact relating to Medicaid funds. In addition, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee reported out H.B. 2419 (Pickett, R-Bradford), which would allow required psychiatric time to be provided either in-person or through the use of telebehavorial health technology.
The Senate Education Committee reported out S.B. 1244 (Martin, R-Lancaster), which would offer students a temporary graduation pathway if they were affected by the COVID-19 testing waiver. Also, the Senate Finance Committee reported out S.B. 321 (Bartolotta, R-Washington), which would increase the amount available under the Film Production Tax Credit from $70 million to $125 million.
The Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee reported out two nominations that will now be considered by the full Senate: NazAarah Sabree for Small Business Advocate and Patrick Cicero for Consumer Advocate.
On the House floor, S.B. 291 (Hughes, D-Philadelphia) passed finally and was signed by the Governor on Thursday. The bill provides for the maximum amount of additional debt to be incurred for capital budget projects. Additionally, the House passed the following bills that will now be considered by the Senate:
- H.B. 398 (Owlett, R-Tioga), which would require a non-custodial parent of a child seeking Medical Assistance to enroll the child in their own health insurance;
- H.B. 2139 (Warner, R-Fayette), which would require E-ZPass account holders to be notified if a flat fee was charged due an issue with the transponder;
- H.B. 2441 (Klunk, R-York), which would require the Department of Health to disclose vital statistics information to government agencies; and
- H.B. 2550 (Mehaffie, R-Dauphin), which would establish the Traffic Signal Modernization Pilot Program.
Wednesday, the House Consumer Affairs Committee held a public hearing on H.B. 2202 (Mercuri, R-Allegheny), which would require technology companies to present what type of personal information is bought and sold, remove the data if requested, and allow consumers to opt out of future usage of their data.
Moreover, the House Local Government Committee reported out S.B. 275 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would prohibit a municipality from restricting or prohibiting certain types of energy sources.
The House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee reported out H.B. 2434 (Causer, R-McKean), which would require an increase in the reimbursement rates under Medicaid for emergency medical services.
Three bills of note were reported from the State Government Committee:
- H.B. 2087 (Hershey, R-Juniata), which would prevent a public agency from requiring individuals or 501(c) non-profit charitable organizations to provide personal information except as required under law
- H.B. 2385 (Labs, R-Bucks), which would establish a regulatory sandbox program within the Independent Regulatory Review Commission to review an agency's application for a regulation waiver; and
- H.B. 2480 (Grove, R-York), which would establish grant accountability and transparency by requiring the establishment of uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for state and federal pass-through awards to non-federal entities.
Likewise, the Senate State Government Committee reported out three bills, each would amend the state Constitution:
- S.B. 1127 (Yaw, R-Lycoming), which would change the way president judges are selected;
- S.B. 1182 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would select a random judge to be the chairman of the Legislative Reapportionment Commission; and
- S.B. 1209 (Argall, R-Schuylkill), which would prohibit the Legislative Reapportionment Commission from adjusting the population data for any group quarters population (ex: state inmates).
Finally for committees, the Senate Transportation Committee reported out: S.B. 1093 (Gebhard, R-Lebanon), which would allow for energy efficient lighting to be installed on outdoor advertising devices; and S.B. 1199 (Robinson, R-Allegheny), which would modernize the composition of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission Board.
Two bills of note passed finally in the House and were sent to the Senate. First, H.B. 1644 (Struzzi, R-Indiana), which would require DHS to establish policies and procedures for Medical Assistance (MA) behavioral health managed care organizations to establish care transition units responsible for working with hospitals and behavioral health crisis centers to identify post-acute placements for MA recipients awaiting transfer. Second, H.B. 2530 (Silvis, R-Westmoreland), which eliminate the practice of "prudent payment" where DHS pays 90 percent of clean MA claims within 30 days of receipt but no sooner.
Last but not least, H.B. 889 (Miller, R-Lancaster) passed finally in the Senate and will head to the Governor's desk. The bill would permit international graduates to take the nursing licensure exam.
The Week Ahead
There is no session next week due to the Memorial Day holiday. "Budget season" kicks off in June, as the Senate returns to session on June 6 and the House on June 7.
A full list of committee meetings can be found here:
In Other News
- Acting Secretary of State Lehigh Chapman issued notice that she will order a statutorily required statewide recount in the May 17 Republican primary race for U.S. Senate between Dr. Mehmet Oz and David McCormick.
- Governor Wolf announced that Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Patrick McDonnell will leave his position on July 2 and Ramez Ziadeh to serve as Acting Secretary.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
