(The Center Square) – The state has passed the 100 day mark without a budget, but that doesn’t mean the House hasn’t been hard at work.
Here’s a look at what legislation has moved this week.
A bill providing unemployment benefits to striking union members passed down party lines Tuesday. You can find the story in more detail here.
A bipartisan Senate bill from Republican Sen. Jarrett Coleman of Allentown passed the house with near unanimous support. The bill requires school districts to inform parents and guardians when weapons have been brought onto school grounds or to other school-related activities. Currently, while many districts employ their own policies and communication channels, they are only required to report to the Department of Education.
Another school bill passed that would require the state to create a school facility inventory within the Department of Education to track the status and safety concerns of many of the state’s aging school buildings. Critics of the bill argued that the list was redundant as many districts already conduct independent facilities reviews.
A bill to protect Pennsylvania’s native insects squeaked by on party lines. Currently, wild native terrestrial insects like monarch butterflies are not under the purview of any state agency. The bill would include them in Pennsylvania’s Wild Resource Conservation Act.
“Pollinators in particular such as the bumblebee and the monarch butterflies are in declines across the country and here in Pennsylvania, threatening the health of our ecosystems,” said the bill’s prime sponsor Rep. Chris Pielli, D-West Chester, who noted the insects are essential for the state’s crops, and therefore, humans.
The state’s practice of allowing waste from food processing to be applied to farmland has led to dumping by out-of-state producers and contamination in the water supplies of farming communities. Currently, the state’s only oversight on the matter is a publication, the Food Processing Residual Management Manual. Bipartisan legislation with the support of the Department of Environmental Protection would create a certification and training program for haulers and brokers of the waste within the state.
Currently, restaurants and bars are only allowed to store premixed cocktails for a single 24-hour period. New legislation passed 150-53 that would allow kegs of premixed cocktails to be used on tap.
A bill allowing Transit Revitalization Investment Districts to continue receiving financial support after termination passed the House 143-60. The additional funds would come from increased property tax revenue in the district.
Partisanship was apparent in a 104-99 vote bill that would require PennDOT and the Department of Environmental Protection to develop best practices for treating roadways with salt. The state currently uses over 800,0000 tons of corrosive and environmentally damaging salt annually.
A bill to increase the time to appeal E-ZPass violations for rental car companies received a rare unanimous vote from the House Tuesday. The legislation extends the time window from 30 to 60 days, giving companies time to contact renters and file appeals.
A bipartisan bill to update the state’s safety requirements for personal watercraft passed the House Monday. The new regulations come in light of new vessels like jetboards and efoils and are in line with federal guidance.
Lastly, Back in July we took a look at House Resolutions and asked a few lawmakers the reasoning behind their no-votes on seemingly straightforward issues like designating September International Underground Railroad Month.
This week, we noticed that a few of the representatives who have vowed to vote no on resolutions they see as wastes of valuable House time, like this week’s passage of a resolution recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month, broke from their stances to support “VFW Day” and “Agent Orange Awareness Month.”
The Center Square followed up with those lawmakers to better understand their reasoning.
Rep Wendy Fink, D-Red Lion, told The Center Square that she thinks resolutions usually “call attention to good issues” but take up unnecessary time as they require being “run through the legislative process.”
“While I oppose most resolutions, I will make exceptions for those which recognize veterans and other heroes,” said Fink. “Veterans have sacrificed their time, skills, and in many cases, their lives, for this great country. I will honor them at every opportunity, including by supporting resolutions that pertain to them.”
Fink added, “It’s October and we don’t have a budget yet. This is really our only responsibility. Instead of tackling this critical issue for the people of Pennsylvania, the General Assembly is spending its time engaging in political theater and passing resolutions that do not carry the force of law. This is ultimately what I’m opposed to. We need to reach a responsible budget agreement.”
Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-Cranberry Township, expressed a similar sentiment.
“I do not believe we should be voting on resolutions when we do not have a budget as a matter of practice,” said Scialabba. “However, I will always support our veterans.”
