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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2009

Senate Weekly Session Wrap

Important Harrisburg Happenings:

Senate approves health care, anti-crime bills

The Senate approved several health care and anti-crime bills, and two committees approved a package of bills to increase the threshold for public bidding requirements during the Session week of March 23, according to Senator Pat Browne (R-16).

Senate Bill 89, approved by the Senate on Tuesday and cosponsored by Senator Browne, would re-enact the Health Care Cost Containment Act and re-establish the Health Care Cost Containment Council Act Review Committee with a new sunset date of June 30, 2014.

Senate Bill 189, approved by the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, would extend health insurance coverage, at the expense of policyholders, to adult dependent children up to the age of 30 who are not married, have no dependents, are residents of the Commonwealth or enrolled as a full-time student at an institution of higher education, and are not provided insurance coverage or eligible for government benefits. Insurers would be able to determine increases in the premium to cover this additional benefit.

Other Bills Approved by the Senate During the Session Week of March 23 Include:

Senate Bill 195, approved by the Senate on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, would amend the Industrialized Housing Act to regulate the construction of industrialized and commercial modular buildings. The legislation authorizes the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to enter a multistate agreement for the purpose of regulating the construction of components of industrialized and commercial modular buildings. Currently, DCED regulates and provides standards for manufactured housing.  Senate Bill 195 would establish a similar program for modular buildings used for industrial and commercial purposes.

Senate Bill 366, approved by the Senate on Monday, March 23, 2009, a measure introduced by Senator Pat Browne that would allow for the denial of bail for offenses where the maximum sentence is life imprisonment or for cases where there are no conditions other than imprisonment that will reasonably protect public safety.

"In 1998, the voters amended the Pennsylvania Constitution regarding bail.  However, the language in the Judicial Code, which corresponded to the procedure in the Pennsylvania Constitution, was not changed," Senator Browne said. "The voters made it clear that they want dangerous individuals and those charged with the most serious offenses kept off the street. This legislation would empower courts to keep those offenders incarcerated."

Senate Bill 443, approved by the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, allows insurers to withhold payments in the event of avoidable medical errors and infections. Medicare has already stopped reimbursing providers for the cost of medical-related infections and mistakes. The legislation is intended to reduce health insurance costs while pushing providers to eliminate mistakes.

Senate Bill 490, approved by the Senate on Wednesday, March 25, 2009, would transfer $174 million from the Oil & Gas Lease Fund – raised from Marcellus Shale natural gas permits -- to the General Fund to help address the state's $2.3 billion budget deficit.

Senate Committee Report:

Senate Education Committee Approved Several Bills at its Tuesday, March 24 Meeting

Senate Bill 55, a measure cosponsored by Senator Browne, establishes a lifetime ban on working in schools for those who have been convicted of serious violent offenses, including sexual violence and crimes against children.  The legislation also includes a 10-year school employment ban for those convicted of first-degree misdemeanors.

Senate Bill 56, a measure cosponsored by Senator Browne, would reform the Safe Schools Law requirement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between school entities and police.  Aside from the strengthening of the MOU which is required by the Safe Schools Act, this bill would assure that crimes occurring on school property are reported accurately to police and the Department of Education and hold administrators accountable for intentional failure to comply with the Law.

Senate Bill 213, the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children legislation cosponsored by Senator Browne, authorizes Pennsylvania to enter into the Interstate Compact as a way to make education more accessible to children of military families and make school transfers and transitions more uniform and less stressful. 

Senate Bill 287, introduced by Senator Browne, amends the Public School Code requiring the Department of Education to establish a reporting standard for the annual financial report.

Committees Endorse Increasing Bidding Thresholds for Local Governments

The Senate Local Government Committee approved a multi-bill package at its Wednesday, March 25, 2009 meeting that would update and increase the threshold for the formal bidding process for local and county governments and other public entities across the Commonwealth. The Senate Education Committee approved two bills for school districts at its Tuesday meeting. Senator Browne is a cosponsor of all of the bills in the package.

The bills would amend the various local government and school codes -- including those for counties, cities, townships, boroughs and other public entities -- by raising from $10,000 to $25,000 the level at which local governments must go through the bidding process.  Additionally, the Department of Labor and Industry would adjust the bid limit thresholds annually based upon the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers (CPI-U) -- thus negating the need to regularly address this issue.

The bills approved by the Committees include:

• Senate Bill 317 – All Counties, except Second Class and Second Class A.
• Senate Bill 318 – Third Class Cities – introduced by Senator Robbins.
• Senate Bill 319 – Second Class Townships.
• Senate Bill 320 – First Class Townships.
• Senate Bill 321 – Boroughs.
• Senate Bill 322 – Incorporated Towns.
• Senate Bill 323 -- Intergovernmental units, parking authorities, municipal authorities, metropolitan transportation authorities.
• Senate Bill 324 -- Second Class and Second Class A Counties.
• Senate Bill 325 – Flood prevention projects.
• Senate Bill 326 – Joint purchasing.
• Senate Bill 327 – Public Auditorium Authorities.
• Senate Bills 329 and 332 – Schools.

The Senate Local Government Committee also approved a bill to give local governments the option of posting legal advertisements on the internet as a way to better inform citizens about meetings and spending while saving taxpayers millions of dollars each year.

Senate Bill 419, the "Public Notice Modernization Act," would give municipalities, school districts and local authorities the option to electronically publish legal notices on the internet in lieu of newspaper advertisement as is currently required by law. 

Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 366-2327