Recent legislative activity by PA House Democrats

Aug. 21, 2009

PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE

House sends Caltagirone animal cruelty bill to governor

The House of Representatives this week sent to the governor animal cruelty prevention legislation authored by state Rep. Thomas Caltagirone, D-Berks, which builds on sweeping reforms made last year to kennel and puppy mill operations by outlawing and imposing guidelines on several types of surgeries that are performed on dogs. Caltagirone's bill (H.B. 39) would strengthen the animal cruelty law by prohibiting owners and breeders from performing debarking (cutting or destroying a dog's vocal cords) and caesarean sections on the dogs in their care. Under the bill, owners would still be allowed to perform tail docking on dogs up to 5 days old, but only under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

"This legislation has been years in the making," Caltagirone said. "Cases of surgical procedures that border on torture have been investigated time and again, but what law enforcement have needed most are clear and concise definitions of the timeline under which the surgeries should be performed to cause as little pain as possible, which procedures are merited and which are not."

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PASSED THE HOUSE

House passes Solobay's prescription drug repository bill

The House of Representatives has unanimously passed Rep. Tim Solobay's bill that would establish a prescription drug repository program for state correctional facilities. House Bill 721, which now moves to the state Senate for consideration, would require correctional facilities to return to the institutions' pharmacies prescription drugs that were dispensed to an inmate, but not used. The drugs would be repackaged and redistributed to other inmates who need them.

"With the rising cost of prescription drugs, this bill could save our correctional facilities a great deal of money," said Solobay, D-Washington.

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House passes Murphy's firefighter cancer compensation bill

The state House this week passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. Kevin Murphy, D-Lackawanna, that would support firefighters who contract cancer on the job. Murphy's legislation (H.B. 1231), which would include cancer suffered by firefighters as an occupational disease, would qualify these first responders automatically for workers' compensation benefits. The bill would place the burden on employers to prove that a firefighter's job was not a major contributing cause of his or her cancer in order to withhold workers' compensation benefits.

"Firefighters risk life and limb to protect us from danger, yet we do not currently protect them under workers' compensation laws when they contract cancer on the job," Murphy said. "Firefighters who contract cancer due to on-the-job exposure to smoke, fumes and gases, or heat are not entitled to benefits unless they spend years and thousands of dollars in legal costs trying to prove that they developed cancer on the job. This bill would change that inequity, and I applaud my colleagues for their support."

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COMMITTEE ACTION

Committee OKs Boyle police, emergency responder survivor benefits bill

The state House Finance Committee has approved legislation proposed by Rep. Brendan F. Boyle, D-Phila./Montgomery, that would provide survivor benefits for the families of fallen police and emergency service personnel. Under Boyle's H.B. 1938, the surviving spouse of a paid police officer, firefighter, ambulance service or rescue squad member who dies in the line of duty would receive a monthly benefit. The benefit would be equal to the monthly salary at the time of death, and would increase annually based on the Consumer Price Index. If there is no surviving spouse, the benefits would go to the surviving children.

"Today, the families of our police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel killed in the line of duty are entitled to survivor benefits that amount to just a portion of their full salary while alive," Boyle said. "These families who have lost everything deserve better treatment from a grateful and appreciative community, and I am pleased to see my colleagues on the House Finance Committee agree that we can and should do better."