An
update of recent legislative activity by
Pennsylvania House Democrats
July 20, 2007
SIGNED INTO LAW
New state budget reflects
Democratic priorities
House Majority
Leader Bill DeWeese and Whip Keith
McCall said this week's passage of the 2007-08 state budget (H.B.
1286, Act 8A of 2007) represents House Democrats' commitment to
establishing a responsible spending plan while tackling the weighty issues of
health care and education. The $27.16 billion budget represents a 3.2 percent
spending increase from the current year.
"House Democrats stood firm in our
belief that any austere budget also needed to address our suffering health-care
system, investments in early education and energy independence. Just as
important, the budget has no tax increases, leaves us with a healthy surplus of
cash for next year and sets us up for an even brighter future," said DeWeese,
D-Greene/Fayette/Washington.
"Throughout this budget
process we stood by the disabled, those who care for the disabled, seniors and
children, and we did so while living within our means and not raising taxes,"
said McCall, D-Carbon. "This is a budget package we can be proud of, one that
lays a strong foundation to build upon the principles that drive us. We will
remain vigilant, and continue our pledge to perform for all Pennsylvanians.
There is much more ahead to accomplish for our constituents."
-- Click here to
read more about the 2007-08 budget.
House Democratic transportation
plan passes legislature
House Majority
Leader Bill DeWeese, Whip Keith
McCall and Transportation
Committee Chairman Joe Markosek said this week's passage by the General Assembly of a comprehensive transportation plan will make fundamental improvements
to the state's roads and bridges and mass transit systems of all sizes without
raising the gas tax. The new revenue provided by the plan (H.B.
1590) will deliver an average of $946 million per year for transportation
in the state, with $411 million going to mass transit systems statewide and
$500 million going to roads and bridges, with $35 million new dollars per year
(a 10 percent increase) to counties and municipalities to repair and maintain
roads and bridges not owned by the state.
"Our roads, bridges, railways,
ports and airports are the nexus that move our workers to the job, our raw materials to factories and our goods to market, and that nexus was neglected
for far too long," said DeWeese, D-Greene/Fayette/Washington. "This plan ends
the annual funding battles for our mass transit systems and gives us the tools
we need to provide a safer, smoother ride for our entire Commonwealth."
"We have more than a
quarter-million miles of roads that need to be maintained, nearly 6,000 bridges
that are in need of immediate repair and transit systems that are facing
collapse. The time to act was long overdue," said McCall, D-Carbon. "Our
economy can't move without a quality transportation system, so investing in
transportation is investing in businesses and job creation."
"It's easy to be misled when
you're talking about mass transit," said Markosek, D-Allegheny. "Some people
think that mass transit only means Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but there are dozens of smaller systems around the state that are a literal lifeline for people to
get to work, to school and to the doctor – especially for our seniors who
depend on shared ride programs in rural counties. Before today, these transit systems had to roll the dice every year hoping for funding, but now we've
created a stable funding plan that gives the largest percentage increases to
systems in rural areas that are struggling to survive."
-- Click here to
read more about the House Democratic transportation plan.
Governor signs Hornaman
alternative energy bill
Legislation introduced by Rep. John Hornaman, D-Erie, as
part of the state's Energy Independence Strategy was signed into law by the
governor this week. The law (H.B.
1203, Act 35 of 2007) will increase the Commonwealth's use of clean energy
by requiring electrical suppliers to speed up their transition to alternative
energy sources such as solar, hydro and wind power. The law also requires
electric companies to square up accounts with net-metered customers on an
annual basis, establishes alternative-energy credit trading incentives and
rules for expanding local power sources, and boosts oversight of power
companies to ensure compliance with clean- and alternative-energy requirements.
"These initiatives will help to
make Pennsylvania an energy and economic powerhouse," Hornaman said. "The goal
is to build a homegrown energy industry that provides cleaner power and
high-tech jobs statewide while reducing our reliance of foreign sources of
energy. I look forward to working getting the other components of Pennsylvania's Energy Independence Strategy passed during this fall's
special session on energy."
-- Click
here to read more.
Governor signs Readshaw
physician assistants bill
The governor has signed into law two bills sponsored by Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny,
designed to make medical care more accessible and less costly for
Pennsylvanians. The votes on both bills were unanimous. The measures (H.Bs.
1251, 1252)
allow the number of physician assistants working under the supervision of a
physician to be increased from two to four. The increase is expected to make
health care, including preventative medicine, more accessible in underserved
rural and urban areas of the state and to alleviate the burden of minor
emergencies that greatly increase the costs of operating emergency facilities.
"It is neither cost-effective nor
practical to have highly trained emergency room physicians tied up on minor
procedures like pulling a splinter or diagnosing a sore throat when there is a backlog of emergency patients, some of them likely with more serious injuries or
illnesses," Readshaw said. "The use of physician assistants would help
hospitals deal with people who seek treatment of everyday medical issues in the emergency room because they have no health insurance and can't
get in to see a general practitioner through an office visit."
-- Click
here to read more.
Solobay's bill expanding
duties of nurse practitioners becomes law
Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, that
expands the scope of practice for certified registered nurse practitioners has
been passed by the House and Senate and has been signed into law by the governor. The bill (H.B.
1253) is a key component of Gov. Ed Rendell's "Prescription for Pennsylvania" health-care reform initiative. It would allow certified nurse practitioners
to order home health and hospice care, order durable medical equipment, make
respiratory or occupational therapy referrals, perform disability assessments
for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and make physical therapy and dietitian referrals.
"This bill is about increasing
access to health care and reducing costs," said Solobay, D-Washington. "Allowing our certified nurse practitioners to shoulder some of the burden of patient care will help to alleviate waiting times in emergency rooms and doctors'
offices. Also, these well-trained professionals can offer many of the same
services currently provided by doctors, but at a lower cost."
--
Click here to read more.
Governor approves Gibbons'
bill to certify clinical nurse specialists
Rep. Jaret
Gibbons, D-Lawrence/Beaver/Butler, said the House has agreed with the Senate on several key components of the Prescription for Pennsylvania plan and the governor has signed the legislation. The package includes legislation introduced by Gibbons
(H.B.
1254) that would require licensure for clinical nurse specialists in Pennsylvania and reserve the title for health-care professions who meet certification
qualifications and state education and training standards.
"These bills will not only expand
access to care for all Pennsylvanians, but also reduce costs to the health-care system and health-care consumers," Gibbons said.
"I am proud of my colleagues for their help in getting my bill and all of these
measures passed. This effort was long overdue."
-- Click
here to read more.
Governor signs Waters
bill expanding midwives scope of practice
A
bill introduced by
Rep. Ronald G. Waters, D-Phila./Delaware, to expand the scope of practice
for Pennsylvania’s nurse midwives by giving them prescriptive power has been
signed into law by Gov. Ed Rendell as part of his Prescription for Pennsylvania
package. The legislation (H.B.
1255) improves health care in Pennsylvania by allowing nurse midwives to
prescribe prenatal vitamins and other prescriptions that are vital for healthy
pregnancies.
"Nurse midwives have already been
trained to prescribe these medications, Waters said. This new law simply
changes outdated regulations to let nurse midwives practice to the full extent
of their training and ability. There's no reason why nurse midwives shouldn't be
able to prescribe medications. It's an unnecessary limit that only serves to
restrict access to health care."
-- Click here to read more.
Legislature passes bill to
reduce health-care associated infections
The House and Senate have passed legislation (S.B.
968) that includes a measure introduced by Rep. Tony DeLuca, D-Allegheny, that
would protect patients in medical facilities from hospital-acquired infections.
The governor has signed the bill into law. The legislation will put benchmarks
in place to allow the Pennsylvania Department of Health to determine the progress that hospitals and other medical facilities are making on decreasing incidents of
patient infections. It's the first requirement of its kind in the nation.
"It's a matter of saving lives,
and saving our health-care system billions of dollars," DeLuca said. "My measure
will place Pennsylvania at the forefront nationally in the fight to reduce
health-care associated infections at medical facilities and hospitals."
-- Click
here to read more.
Petrone bill for removal
of abandoned vehicles signed by governor
Rep. Thomas
Petrone, D-Allegheny, announced today that the governor has signed into law
his bill to require the city of Pittsburgh to remove abandoned vehicles from
city streets within a specified amount of time. The law (H.B.
202, Act 33 of 2007) will allow Pittsburgh to investigate, report on and
ultimately remove abandoned vehicles within a specified time period. Current
law grants that authority only to Philadelphia. The law will require the city to investigate any report of abandoned vehicles within five days. If the investigation finds that a vehicle has been abandoned, the police or an authorized salvager
would have to remove the vehicle within 10 business days. After removal, notice will be sent to the last known registered owner of the vehicle. If an investigation finds that the abandoned vehicle is more than 90 days out of registration or inspection, the vehicle must be removed from the streets immediately.
"It is with great pride that I
announce my legislation to get abandoned vehicles and the problems they create
removed from Pittsburgh city streets has been signed into law," Petrone said.
"The city of Pittsburgh will reap immense benefits by eliminating these eyesores
and hazards from our streets more efficiently and quickly."
-- Click
here to read more.
Bit of Pa. bubbly with
those Pa. blueberries and string beans
The governor has signed legislation (H.B.
896, Act 34 of 2007) sponsored by Rep.
Tim Solobay that allows the sale of Pennsylvania wine at farmers' markets
in the state. Pennsylvania wine makers currently can sell at their establishment and a limited number of off-site locations, but farmers' markets previously
were not approved as off-site locations.
"This is a great day for Pennsylvania farmer's markets, Pennsylvania's wineries and consumers as we add local wines
to the list of agriculture products being sold at farmers' markets," said
Solobay, D-Washington. "Every other agriculture product is available at
farmers' markets; it just makes sense to include Pennsylvania wines to that
list."
-- Click here to read more.
Landmark gun measure
signed into law
The governor has signed a landmark firearm tracing bill into
law. The measure (S.B.
623, Act 41 of 2007) contains language first proposed by Rep. John Myers, D-Phila., in a
separate bill (H.B.
24) that he amended into the Senate bill during its first round of action
in the House. The Myers provision requires police to trace the source of firearms illegally possessed by anyone under 21. The illegally possessed guns
confiscated by police will be traced through the Federal Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"I know that Harrisburg has been
centered so much in the last couple weeks with the complexities and politics of
the budget, but getting this bill to the governor's desk was the number one
topic for me," Myers said. "It's not going to stop the shootings, it's not a
cure-all, but it is a big first step, and not just rhetorically. This law is
going to begin to reduce the avenues for guns to hit the streets. Even if it is
a drop in the bucket, lives will be saved."
-- Click
here to read more.
PASSED THE HOUSE AND SENATE
Gerber's 'Smoke-Free Pa.' bill clears House intact
The Smoke-Free Pennsylvania Act, sponsored in the House by
Rep. Michael Gerber, D-Montgomery,
passed its final vote in that chamber this week. Gerber remarked that getting
his bill through the House without a laundry list of amendments required a
tough fight, but was a fight worth fighting. The bill (S.B.
246) would provide a smoke-free environment in all public places across Pennsylvania, protecting people from the hazardous effects of secondhand smoke and
potentially reducing smokers' intake while saving millions of dollars in
health-care costs. Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, is the prime sponsor
in the Senate and a close family friend of Gerber's. He too prefers few
exceptions to the ban.
"Our success thus far is due to
the passionate support of my colleagues who care deeply about protecting the
health and well-being of Pennsylvanians from the dangers of secondhand smoke.
This has been a true bipartisan effort," Gerber explained. "I thank and commend
all of my colleagues who chose to put public health above the economic concerns
of special interests."
-- Click
here to read more.
PASSED THE HOUSE
House passes bill allowing
public review of personal care home records
Rep. Tony DeLuca,
D-Allegheny, said the House of Representatives has passed legislation he
introduced that would require personal care homes to inform the state and the public when injuries, abuse or other incidents occur in the facilities.
DeLuca's legislation (H.B.
83) would require personal care homes to reveal information on staffing and
to report certain health-care related events to the state Department of Public
Welfare. In turn, DPW would be required to post that information on its Web
site.
"Our constituents should be able
to easily access information on the Internet regarding personal care homes
across the state so they do not have to play guessing games about which
facility to choose for their family member or friend," said DeLuca, chairman of
the House Insurance Committee.
-- Click
here to read more.
House passes Kessler bill
to save taxpayers money
A bill that Rep.
David Kessler introduced to save taxpayers money has passed the House of Representatives unanimously. Kessler's bill (H.B.
1330) was prompted by a quarry business in Berks County winning its legal
challenge against a long-standing township zoning ordinance based on an
allegation of a procedural defect in its enactment. The state Supreme Court
ruled that such a challenge to an ordinance can be brought at any time.
Procedural defects can include such minor omissions as posting public notice
signs every 310 feet instead of every 300 feet. Kessler's legislation would
make it extremely difficult for parties bringing a challenge two years or more
after adoption of an ordinance to prove that a township or borough failed to
comply strictly with statutory procedural requirements. The bill also would
provide that proof of public reliance on an ordinance creates an irrebuttable
presumption that the ordinance was enacted properly.
"The recent decision by the state Supreme Court threatens to impose an unlimited drain on taxpayers," Kessler said.
"The
court effectively ended the time limit for challenging local zoning ordinances,
so townships and boroughs and their residents face the threat of legal
expenses, typically well in excess of $25,000, to defend their zoning laws --
even when the municipalities have followed the letter of the law and the challenges are frivolous. That money would be coming out of people's
property taxes."
-- Click
here to read more.
Hanna bill to ensure
accuracy of parking meters passes House
Rep. Mike Hanna,
D-Clinton/Centre, said the House of Representatives has passed legislation he
sponsored that would require local governments to test and inspect parking
meters for accuracy. The bill (H.B.
1423) would require local governments, such as cities, boroughs, townships
or towns, to test and inspect the parking meters within their jurisdiction at
least once every three years to guarantee that the meters are working properly.
"Parking meters provide a lot of
revenue for local governments, and that revenue goes towards all kinds of
transportation improvements and other important projects," Hanna said. "More
and more people are getting out of paying parking tickets by saying that
because the meters haven't been inspected within the appropriate time frame, the tickets should be invalid. This bill would ensure that inspection occurs in a timely fashion
and that the meters are in good working order."
-- Click
here to read more.
BILL INTRODUCTIONS
Cohen wants to limit fires
caused by cigarettes
Rep. Mark Cohen,
D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would require all cigarettes sold in the Commonwealth to be fire-safe. Cohen said if Pennsylvania were to adopt his legislation (H.B.
1740), the state would join eight others, including New York, that require
cigarettes to be fire-safe. Fire-safe cigarettes are less likely to burn if
left unattended by employing a technology in which cigarette manufacturers wrap
cigarettes with two or three thin bands of less-porous paper that act as speed
bumps to slow down a burning cigarette. If a cigarette is left unattended, the burning tobacco will hit a speed bump and self extinguish, Cohen said.
"Cigarette manufacturers have the capability of making the cigarettes sold in Pennsylvania self extinguishing," Cohen said.
"However it seems the companies are unlikely to employ such practices unless
they are mandated to do so."
-- Click here to read more.
