An update of recent legislative activity by
Pennsylvania House Democrats

Feb. 9, 2007

 

Democratic leaders optimistic about new budget plan

Majority Leader Bill DeWeese and Whip Keith McCall expressed cautious optimism about this week's bold $27.3 billion state General Fund budget proposal offered by Gov. Ed Rendell.

 

DeWeese and McCall said the budget makes smart investments for all Pennsylvanians, but the state must balance the investments with the sacrifices that residents and businesses are asked to make. The House Appropriations Committee begins its four-week public hearing schedule Feb. 14. The schedule can be accessed here.

 

"Governor Rendell laid out an ambitious plan that accelerates property tax cuts for every homeowner, reinvents and reforms the state's health-care system and builds on already historic investments in education," DeWeese said. "At the same time, the governor proposed an important initiative to develop an Energy Independence Fund that focuses on conservation and economic development to make Pennsylvania a nationwide leader in alternative energy."

 

"The governor also offered important solutions to address the public transportation funding crisis, which is a statewide problem that affects everyone, not just those in our largest cities," McCall said. "In the coming weeks, members of the House Appropriations Committee will dissect and discuss the budget during important televised public hearings with every state agency."

 

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Democratic lawmakers work
to protect health insurance customers

 

The House Insurance Committee has approved legislation introduced by Reps. Todd Eachus and Phyllis Mundy that would help protect consumers when large health insurance companies consolidate. The proposal (H.B. 112) would allow lawmakers and state officials to examine pending mergers and consolidation and make sure that the public good is always at the forefront. The legislation now goes to the full House for consideration.

 

"When large insurance companies merge, or one company purchases a smaller one, too often the families paying for coverage are lost in the shuffle," Mundy said. "House Bill 112 will give the state needed oversight to make sure that consumers get needed protection without putting an undue burden on insurance companies."

 

"Several years ago one of the 'Blues' bought six smaller insurance companies and the state could do nothing but stand by and watch," Eachus said. "When one company buys up all the competition and creates a monopoly, there's no competition to give consumers options when it comes to services and price, and that's not good for the public."

 

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Majority Policy Committee to get public input
on Pa.'s health-care crisis

 

Rep. Todd Eachus, chairman of the House Majority Policy Committee, said the committee will be traveling to locations all around the state in upcoming weeks to hold hearings focusing on issues impacting health care in the Commonwealth.

 

Hearing topics will include, but not be limited to: increasing patient protection by reducing medical errors; helping small businesses to offer affordable coverage to employees; improving drug plan coverage for all Pennsylvanians; addressing the long-term care funding crisis and how best to provide care to a growing population of seniors; and promoting wellness and prevention.

 

"Right now there are nearly 800,000 people without health coverage, and millions more struggling with access to quality, affordable health care," Eachus said. "It's time to get our lawmakers out there to examine the entire health-care system as a whole. We're going to get the facts from the experts and the patients so we can craft common-sense legislation that will bring ideas from House Democrats to the forefront as well as possibly enhance and supplement the governor's health-care plan."

 

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Caltagirone announces hearings on crime,
violence and gun legislation

 

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Thomas Caltagirone, D-Reading, has announced his committee will hold a series of hearings across Pennsylvania to get citizen input on issues and proposed legislation related to crime, violence and gun policies.

 

The hearings, to be held in Berks County, Erie, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Scranton, will culminate in April with a final major policy hearing in Harrisburg. The statewide hearings will give people from various interest groups the opportunity to be heard by the committee.

 

"The chorus of voices asking the legislature to take action and address crime, violence, drugs and guns grows louder each day," Caltagirone said. "I want the Judiciary Committee to do more than hold hearings on individual pieces of legislation; I want the committee members to have a broad understanding of these issues. And I want us to hear directly from people around Pennsylvania about how these issues impact their communities."

 

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Lawmakers offer relief from campaign 'robo-calls'

 

Rep. Mike McGeehan, D-Phila., and Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, have introduced bills as part of a package that would expand the state's "Do Not Call" list to include automated phone calls from political candidates and campaigns.

 

McGeehan's bill (H.B. 295) would prevent automated phone calls from political candidates or campaigns from being made to households that are enrolled on the state's Do Not Call list, which was created to allow residents to restrict unsolicited calls from telemarketers. DePasquale's legislation (H.B. 293) would require a message at the beginning of each automated call to reveal the name of the organization or candidate funding the call.

 

"When used in moderation, so-called 'robo-calls' can play a positive roll in informing voters, but last fall, the level-headed messages were swept along in a tidal wave of intrusive, obnoxious, repetitious, aggravating and sometimes outrageously misleading calls," McGeehan said. "Our bills would not be arbitrary restrictions on free speech in the political process. Rather, they would put control in the hands of telephone consumers."

 

"Robo-calls have been an instrument used by politicians or interest groups to try and destroy people's reputations - with no accountability," DePasquale said. "I agree with Representative McGeehan that the 'Do-Not-Call' list needs to be respected for political calls, as well; however, for those not on that list, they have a right to know who is paying for the call. My legislation seeks to do just that. If someone is going to try and pull a dirty trick, they should at least acknowledge who is paying for it."

 

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Mundy takes aim at Pa.'s costly health-care arms race

 

Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Luzerne, introduced legislation this week designed to hold down health-care costs by reintroducing a certificate of need program in Pennsylvania that would require approval from the state before purchasing expensive medical equipment or opening physician-owned surgical facilities.

 

The legislation (H.B. 305) would create local review committees to review certificate-of-need applications and make recommendations to the Department of Health; require applicants to show there is not a more appropriate, less costly or effective alternative of providing the proposed service; require the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council to assist the Department of Health in the application review process; create a "look back" provision to require the Department of Health to monitor the quality of new surgical facilities one year after a certificate has been issued; and ban physicians from referring patients to any facility in which they have a financial interest.

 

"There is a saying, 'If you build it, they will come.' But at what cost?" Mundy said. "The number of MRI units and ambulatory surgical facilities owned by physicians in Pennsylvania is growing by leaps and bounds, impacting the efficiency, quality and cost of health care. Having a certificate of need process is a common-sense way to save on health-care costs. Currently, more than 30 states use this process or other regulatory measures to review health facilities, or services or both. It's time Pennsylvania rejoined them."

 

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Vitali introduces bill to fund local
global warming action plans

 

Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, has introduced legislation that would offer financial assistance to local governments in Pennsylvania to develop and implement local greenhouse gas inventories and climate change action plans.

 

Vitali's legislation (H.B. 334) would create a Municipal Climate Change Grant program in Pennsylvania. The program, to be administered by the Department of Environmental Protection, would provide grants of up to $20,000 to help local governments move forward on inventorying their greenhouse gas emissions and creating municipal climate change action plans.

 

"Global warming is the most important environmental issue facing the planet today, and it will take every level of government to ensure we are taking the right steps to limit our greenhouse gas emissions," Vitali said. "Governor Rendell has offered the administration's commitment to addressing the global warming issue on the state level, and the federal government has finally acknowledged the need to provide federal policies regarding this issue. The bill I introduced would allow local entities to do their part in helping solve this crisis."

 

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Youngblood legislation aims to increase handgun safety

           

Rep. Rosita Youngblood, D-Phila., announced the introduction of legislation (H.B. 291) that would require increased safety performance and manufacturing standards for handguns.

 

Requirements under Youngblood's bill include: handguns would have to be personalized so that they could only be fired when operated by the authorized user or users; personalized handgun technology would have to be incorporated into the design of the handgun and be part of its original equipment, not an accessory; and no personalized handgun could be manufactured to permit the personalized characteristics to be readily deactivated.

 

"Crimes involving handguns are increasing at an alarming rate," Youngblood said. "My legislative goal is to increase public safety by developing stricter handgun safety standards and by requiring the Pennsylvania State Police to develop safety regulations that meet specific criteria."

 

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Buxton proposes earlier presidential primary in Pa.

 

Rep. Ronald Buxton, D-Dauphin, has introduced legislation (H.B. 63) that would move Pennsylvania's primary election date ahead to March 4 in 2008, and move deadlines for circulating and filing nomination petitions, challenging candidates, and mailing absentee ballots, as well.

 

"This bill would significantly increase Pennsylvania's impact on the outcome of the next presidential primary election," Buxton said. "It would give Pennsylvania voters a stronger voice at the national level, allow more time to circulate nomination petitions and present court challenges, and meet the federal requirement to send out absentee ballots."

 

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Bill would end age restrictions on seeking justice
for child sexual abuse

 

Rep. Louise Bishop, D-Phila, has introduced a bill that would remove current time limits in Pennsylvania law on the criminal or civil prosecution of child sexual abuse. Bishop's measure (H.B. 140) would remove provisions in current Pennsylvania law that impose time-period and age restrictions on when adults may prosecute or sue for abuse that happened to them when they were children.

 

"I'm sure adults who were abused as children still carry the pain and suffering caused by these assaults," Bishop said. "Often they are unable to bring themselves to contact the authorities immediately. They still deserve a chance to pursue justice."

 

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Josephs: Double cigarette tax, increase other tobacco taxes to save lives

 

Rep. Babette Josephs, D-Phila., is putting forward a proposal to increase the state's cigarette tax and implement a tax on all other tobacco products in an effort to discourage people from smoking and generate additional state revenue to pay for health care.

 

Josephs' bill would increase the cigarette tax by $1.35 per pack and place a tax on other tobacco products, such as cigars and chaw. The tax on most non-cigarette tobacco products would be set at 50 percent of the wholesale price; the tax on cigars would be capped at 75 cents to avoid unfair taxation on expensive cigars. Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that does not tax tobacco products other than cigarettes.

 

"Tobacco consumption, most notably non-cigarette tobacco use, is one of the fastest-growing detrimental health habits in Pennsylvania," Josephs said. "By making these products more expensive, we can make children less likely to purchase them and save lives."

 

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Preston wants to create 2-1-1 telephone service in Pa.

 

Rep. Joseph Preston, D-Allegheny, will introduce legislation that would create a 2-1-1 abbreviated dialing code in Pennsylvania, similar to the 4-1-1 and 9-1-1 telephone systems.

 The 2-1-1 system would be used for everyday inquiries about such needs as unemployment compensation, health-care coverage and information about the state's Women, Infants and Children's program.

 

"It can be frustrating when people with an urgent problem have to flip through the telephone book trying to locate a telephone number and contact an office only to find out they have called the wrong agency," Preston said. "With the 2-1-1 dialing code, the process is simplified and people don't tie up 9-1-1, which is intended for emergencies only."

 

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Grucela bill would exempt all disabled vets
from property taxes

 

Rep. Rich Grucela, D-Northampton, has introduced legislation that would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to allow the state to exempt all honorably discharged, permanently disabled veterans from residential property taxes. Currently, the State Veterans' Commission must determine on a case-by-case basis if a disabled veteran qualifies for a property tax exemption based on his or her financial need. There are more than 7,250 permanently disabled veterans in Pennsylvania.

 

"High property taxes are a burden for everyone in the state," Grucela said. "But until we can find a feasible way to lower those payments for everyone, we have to protect our most vulnerable. As we have done for our seniors, so too should we help permanently disabled veterans."

 

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Cohen proposes legislation to fill critical
gaps in WIC funding

 

Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would fill critical gaps in funding for the federally administered Women, Infants and Children program.

 

WIC targets low-income, nutritionally at-risk women who are pregnant or have young children, and provides them with benefits including supplemental nutritious foods, nutrition education and counseling at WIC clinics, and screening and referrals to other health, welfare and social services. Cohen's bill would create supplemental state funding for the program in order to provide more women and children with food and nutrition education.

 

"Every child deserves a good start in life," Cohen said. "WIC has done an admirable job, but its federal funding falls short and does not allow it to reach every child who needs it."

 

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Preston proposes to re-establish
information security committee

 

Rep. Joseph Preston, D-Allegheny, will introduce legislation that would re-establish the Select Committee on Information Security that was created during the 2005-06 legislative session.

 

The committee would continue to review the policies, procedures and practices of state agencies in protecting the personal and financial information it holds on file - electronic and otherwise - about Pennsylvania residents and businesses. The legislation recommends that the select committee submit its findings to the state legislature no later than Nov. 30, 2008.

 

"The state is a repository of all types of personal and business information," Preston said. "Whether that information is on paper or on computers we want to ensure that the Commonwealth continues to employ the best practices in securing and protecting that information from potential identity theft or other misuse."

 

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