House passes Lentz bill to resuscitate volunteer fire and ambulance grants

The House has passed legislation introduced by Rep. Bryan Lentz, D-Delaware, that would renew for five years the state's $25 million grant program for volunteer fire companies and ambulance services. The legislation, H.B. 906, would renew the grant program through 2012, when legislators would be able to review and make changes to the program before reauthorizing it. It would also double the amount of money available for the grants to $50 million for the fiscal 2007-08 application period.

"This legislation would allow the state to continue providing vital grant money to first responders so they can update their equipment and receive the training they need to effectively protect their communities," Lentz said. "Volunteer fire and EMS companies save Pennsylvania taxpayers $6 billion each year. They have a tough job and I am proud to fight for continued funding for this grant program and to show my support for these volunteers."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Lentz to read more.

House committee moves Surra bill cutting terms of game commissioners

The House Game and Fisheries Committee this week approved legislation introduced by Rep. Dan Surra, D-Elk/Clearfield, that would cut in half the terms for future appointees to the state Game Commission. The bill (H.B. 1214) would cut the current eight-year term for game commissioners to four years. The change would take effect for future Game Commission appointees.

"The goal of this legislation is to create a better Game Commission - one that is more in step with the perspectives and concerns of current sportsmen and one that better reflects the priorities and policies of the legislature and governor," Surra said.

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Surra to read more.

Committee OKs Bishop legislation protecting renters

Legislation introduced by Rep. Louise Williams Bishop, D-Phila., has been voted out of the House Commerce Committee. The measure (H.B. 810) would allow renters in Pennsylvania to terminate residential leases in cases where they have a terminal or mental illness but were not aware of the medical condition when they signed the lease.

"When illness strikes people who are renting, the last thing they should have to think about is apartment leases," Bishop said. "My bill gives renters relief so that if they have psychological problems or terminal medical problems, they don't have to worry about finding someone to sub-let or finish out their lease."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Bishop to read more.

Shapiro bill will help Pa. attract and keep doctors

Legislation to help Pennsylvania attract and retain doctors, sponsored by Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, is one step closer to being law. The bill was voted out of the House Health and Human Services Committee this week. Shapiro's proposal (H.B. 1093), which has 42 co-sponsors, would create a medical school loan forgiveness program for doctors who promise to practice in Pennsylvania for 10 years.

"We already have world-class medical schools that attract top medical school students to Pennsylvania," Shapiro explained. "The problem is, because of a variety of factors, those students leave Pennsylvania when they graduate med school or after they complete their resident training. My legislation creates incentives to keep those doctors in Pennsylvania to practice and care for our citizens."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Shapiro to read more.

House Democrats unveil scope-of-practice legislation

House Democrats joined Gov. Ed Rendell this week to kick of National Nurses Week by announcing the introduction of legislation that would implement the scope-of-practice portion of the governor's "Prescription for Pennsylvania" health-care reform plan.

The bills would remove outdated restrictions on nurses and other allied health professionals and allow them to practice to the fullest extent of their training. The legislation is designed to expand access to health care, reduce emergency room visits and lower health-care costs in the state.

The legislative package and bill sponsors are as follows:

-- H.B. 1250 - Pharmacists - Rep. Deberah Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland

-- H.B. 1251 (Med) and H.B. 1252 (Osteo) - Physician Assistants - Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny

-- H.B. 1253 - Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners - Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington

-- H.B. 1254 - Clinical Nurse Specialists - Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Lawrence/Beaver/Butler

-- H.B. 1255 - Nurse Midwives - Rep. Ron Waters, D-Phila./Delaware

-- H.B. 1256 - Nurse Anesthetists - Rep. Marc Gergely, D-Allegheny

-- H.B. 1257 - Dental Hygienists - Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, D-Luzerne

The House Professional Licensure Committee will hold hearings on the legislation during the remainder of May.

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Sturla to read more.

Cohen introduces measure to increase voter turnout

Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would make voting more accessible for people with busy schedules or disabilities. The bill (H.B. 1229) would establish "no excuse" voting by removing the restrictions on the reasons why a voter may obtain an absentee ballot and, instead, allow any qualified voter to obtain an absentee ballot.

"With the competing commitments in people's lives, fewer and fewer can find the time to make it to the polls," Cohen said. "The state should not limit the ability of eligible residents to vote, especially by absentee ballot."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Cohen to read more.

Caltagirone reintroduces probation period bill for some police, firefighters

Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks, will reintroduce legislation that would require newly hired police officers and firefighters in third-class cities to be subject to a probationary period of one year. Unlike laws for governing many other size municipalities, the state's Third Class City Code does not require a probationary period for new hires.

"A probationary period is standard in many jobs across the Commonwealth," Caltagirone said. "It should be for our state's finest, as well."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Caltagirone to read more.

Gibbons proposes grant program to help counties pay for death-penalty cases

Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Lawrence/Beaver/Butler, has introduced a bill (H.B. 1151) that would create a grant program to reimburse fourth- through eighth-class counties in Pennsylvania for the cost of prosecuting capital murder cases. The small county prosecution support grant program would provide assistance to counties that prosecute capital murder trials by allocating a state grant of up to $500,000 as reimbursement for counties burdened by these costs.

"A singe death-penalty case could financially cripple smaller counties, and leave them no choice but to raise property taxes because their funding is drained," Gibbons said. "This is not an issue for larger counties who have financial resources to handle multiple capital murder cases in a fiscal year."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Gibbons to read more.

Solobay introduces bill to regulate sleep labs

Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, has introduced legislation that would require sleep disorder centers, sleep laboratories or other facilities that provide testing and treatment for sleep disorders to be regulated by the state Department of Health. House Bill 1264 would standardize the licensing and regulation of sleep centers, also known as sleep laboratories, by including these facilities among the health-care facilities that are overseen by the state Health Department.

"When a person has a sleep disorder, that's a major problem that can affect all aspects of his or her life. Pennsylvanians need to feel confident that the place where they seek help with sleep problems is qualified to offer treatment," Solobay said. "Regulation and licensing would take the guesswork out of finding a reputable sleep disorder center and give patients peace of mind."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Solobay to read more.

Petrone plans to make driver education classes a statewide standard

Rep. Thomas Petrone, D-Allegheny, plans to introduce legislation that would require all school districts in Pennsylvania to make driver education courses available to all students. Under the proposal, the Department of Education would be required to consult with the Pennsylvania State Police in developing criteria for driver education programs.

"Death or injury resulting from an accident is a tragedy that can be easily prevented by providing more education to our young drivers," Petrone said. "Currently, the completion of a driver education course is not a requirement to obtain a driver's license in our state. By providing young drivers with the skills they need to operate vehicles safely, we can save lives."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Petrone to read more.

Solobay joins rally at state Capitol to support nursing moms

Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, attended a rally at the state Capitol this week to show his support for nursing mothers. Solobay has introduced two bills (H.B. 1072, HB 1073) that would guarantee mothers the right to breastfeed their babies without fear of discrimination or harassment. House Bill 1072 would prevent local governments from adopting ordinances that ban breastfeeding in public or label it as indecent exposure, obscene or a nuisance. House Bill 1073 would prohibit employers from firing, withholding pay, demoting, refusing to hire or otherwise discriminating against women who breastfeed or express milk at the workplace during regular breaks.

"I'm going to be a first-time granddad in a few weeks. My little granddaughter, Ava, is due to arrive in early June," Solobay told the crowd. "And that is one of the reasons I am so determined to see Pennsylvania pass laws protecting a woman's right to breastfeed her baby. I don't want my daughter, or any woman for that matter, to feel uncomfortable just because she chooses to nurse her baby."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Solobay to read more.

Yudichak introduces funding bill for community colleges

Rep. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne, has introduced legislation that would increase funding for the state's community colleges. The bill (H.B. 978), which is part of Gov. Ed Rendell's 2007-08 education budget proposal, would help meet the needs of community colleges by providing a 3 percent increase in operational funds and an additional $2.5 million for new capital investments.

"Enrollment at community colleges has been increasing dramatically in recent years, and the need for new materials for students and campus renovations has increased in response," Yudichak said. "This bill would provide adequate funding for colleges so they can operate efficiently and keep the cost of tuition down."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Yudichak to read more.

Kortz bill would allow gift vouchers for Pa. hunting licenses

Rep. Bill Kortz, D-Allegheny, has introduced legislation that would allow the Pennsylvania Game Commission to issue gift vouchers for hunting licenses. The bill (H.B. 1116) would help increase interest in hunting in the state and allow more people to experience the sport.

"I'm an avid outdoorsman myself, so I know firsthand how a program like this could provide parents and grandparents throughout Pennsylvania with a new way to share this pastime with their children and grandchildren," Kortz said.

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Kortz to read more.

Sturla introduces bill to create statewide asthma tracking system

Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, has introduced a bill (H.B. 1223) that would create a Statewide Asthma Tracking System in Pennsylvania. Under the bill, the state Department of Health would create and administer a system to investigate and monitor factors contributing to the difference in the rates of asthma among various socioeconomic, racial and age groups in Pennsylvania. The department would be required to submit an annual report to the governor and General Assembly.

"Over the past 20 years, asthma rates have continued to steadily increase in all age groups with children being hit the hardest by this epidemic," Sturla said. "As a result, we need more research about the genetics and environmental influences associated with asthma. My bill would establish a statewide tracking system to monitor these contributing factors."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Sturla to read more.

Kessler introduces bill to save local taxpayers money

Rep. David Kessler, D-Berks, will introduce a bill that would allow townships across Pennsylvania to save taxpayer money. The bill would make it extremely difficult for parties to challenge township zoning ordinances after two years have passed. The bill is being introduced in response to a recent state Supreme Court ruling that determined under current law parties can bring procedural challenges against township ordinances at any time.

"Unless we change the law, the burdens imposed on townships and taxpayers by this decision will be overwhelming," Kessler said. "There will be expenses for filing records to prove compliance with procedural requirements for the enacting of ordinances. And since the recent Supreme Court decision effectively ends the time limit for challenging these ordinances, townships will always face the threat of legal expenses, typically well in excess of $25,000, to defend their zoning laws -- even when the townships have followed the letter of the law and the challenges are frivolous."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Kessler to read more.

Freeman introduces bill to protect Appalachian Trail from development

Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Northampton, has introduced legislation (H.B. 1281) that would require municipalities that border the Appalachian Trail to enact zoning and other land-use ordinances as part of their responsibility to protect the Appalachian Trail. The legislation was prompted by a situation in Monroe County where a developer purchased land near the Appalachian Trail with the intent of constructing a private automobile racing club and the township where the development was being proposed had no zoning in place.

"The legislature enacted legislation back in 1978 calling upon municipalities that border the Appalachian Trail to preserve the natural scenic, historic and esthetic values of the trail, but there was no requirement for them to pass land-use ordinances to enforce that," Freeman said. "My legislation will have these bordering municipalities put in place zoning and other land-use measures necessary to preserve those values."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Freeman to read more.

Bennington aims to cut arsenic to make Pa. drinking water healthier, safer

Rep. Lisa Bennington, D-Allegheny, will soon introduce legislation to reduce the amount of arsenic in drinking water and soil in Pennsylvania. Bennington said her bill would limit the amount of arsenic released in untreated poultry waste, which can spread the poisonous chemical in several ways.

"This is a public health concern that can be remedied," Bennington said. "My bill would make it illegal to release into the environment agricultural waste that contains more than 10 parts per million of arsenic."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Bennington to read more.

Cohen introduces bill to update how lottery handles unsold tickets

Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Phila., has introduced a plan that would update the Pennsylvania Lottery's procedure for destroying unsold lottery tickets. The legislation (H.B. 1299) would allow the lottery to destroy unsold tickets at its discretion. Under current law, unsold lottery tickets are deactivated and stored in a warehouse for one year before they are allowed to be destroyed.

"The current system for destroying unsold lottery tickets is outdated and wasteful," Cohen said. "The time has come to use the available technology to give the state lottery the discretion as to when unsold tickets should be destroyed."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Cohen to read more.

Caltagirone pushing for election changes

Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks, is reintroducing two pieces of legislation aimed at changing election rules in Pennsylvania. The first proposal would eliminate cross filing in primary elections for all offices. The second bill would prohibit independent candidates in a party primary where cross filing is allowed to subsequently run as third-party candidates in the general election unless they win the primary election.

"Cross filing confuses voters as to the true identity of the candidates and their positions on the issues," Caltagirone said. "It weakens our two-party system, and I am totally against it."

-- Please visit www.pahouse.com/Caltagirone to read more.