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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2009

Senate Weekly Session Wrap

Important Harrisburg Happenings:

Senate Approves Unemployment Benefit Extension Bill

The Senate approved, as part of the legislative activities of the session week of July 27, a bill to provide seven additional weeks of unemployment compensation to workers who have exhausted their benefits, according to Senator Pat Browne (R-16).

House Bill 1770 makes a temporary change in Pennsylvania law enabling the Commonwealth to accept $145 million in federal stimulus money to extend emergency unemployment benefits for an additional seven weeks. The legislation would give most unemployed workers in the state access to a total of 79 weeks of unemployment benefits.

HB 1770 returns to the House for concurrence on Senate amendments. In addition to enactment of the bill, Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate must be certified by the Federal government before the additional benefits can be released. The process is expected to be completed in about two weeks.

Other bills approved by the Senate during the session week of July 27 include:

Senate Bill 441, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, allows a teacher’s certificate to be signed by a certified registered nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Currently, an applicant for a teaching certificate must submit a form to the Department of Education signed by a physician certifying that the applicant is neither mentally nor physically disqualified from performing the duties of a teacher.

Senate Bill 607 amends the Rural Pennsylvania Revitalization Act to add the regional campuses of the University of Pittsburgh to the list of eligible grant recipients and to increase the maximum amount of a grant from $50,000 to $60,000.

The Senate approved and sent to the Governor for enactment into law House Bill 1648, a measure creating an Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice to examine the judicial corruption case in Luzerne County.  The 11-member Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice would meet at least once a month and must submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, the state Supreme Court, the Senate and the House of Representatives by May 31, 2010.

House Bill 1654 amends Pennsylvania’s mortgage reform laws to bring them in line with federal statutes. The measure is a companion bill to Senate Bill 936, sponsored by Senator Browne, which was unanimously approved by the Senate on July 1. HB 1654 returns to the House for concurrence on Senate amendments.

Senate Committee Report:

Appropriations Committee Approves Six Bills

The Appropriations Committee approved six bills at its meeting on Tuesday, July 28:

Senate Bill 168, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, would allow municipal governments to enter into power supply and electric generation projects to get the best deal for consumers. The bill would give boroughs the authority to acquire electricity at the best value through memberships in non-profit member corporations.

Senate Bill 369, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, ensures that families of public safety employees killed in the line of duty receive death benefits.

Senate Bill 535 amends the Game and Wildlife Code to provide an exemption from licensing requirements for adult hunters who participate in a mentored adult hunting program.

Senate Bill 899 increases the income eligibility limits for an eligible pre-kindergarten student or school-age student from an annual household income of $50,000 to $60,000. It requires the Department of Community and Economic Development to adjust the income limits annually to reflect the Consumer Price Index. It also increases the income allowance for each student and dependent of the household from $10,000 to $12,000.

Senate Bill 1042, sponsored by Senator Browne, directs the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to provide semiannual reports to the Legislature of all grants it receives from Federal disaster assistance or relief funds, homeland security and defense funds, avian flu/pandemic preparedness or other public health emergency funds.

The Appropriations Committee also approved HB 1770 prior to its final passage by the full Senate.

Committee Approves Lessee Access To State Parks Bill

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee unanimously approved a bill to ensure the Commonwealth honors leases allowing groups to use state park facilities during impasses over the state budget.

Senate Bill 974 preserves the rights of any group with a valid lease to use a state park regardless of any decision by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to close, restrict access to or modify services at the facility.

DCNR Acting Secretary John Quigley submitted a letter earlier this spring containing a list of 50 potential state parks to be evaluated for closing as part of the impasse over the state budget. While the parks have remained open during the current budget impasse, previously there was some speculation that the lack of a budget could result in closures or limitations of services and hours of operation.

The committee also approved Senate Bill 1034, which adds areas adjacent to, or an expansion of, an existing coal refuse disposal site to the list of preferred sites for coal refuse disposal; and House Bill 1798, which reallocates funding available for use under the H2O PA infrastructure grant program.

Keystone Exam Compromise Receives Bipartisan Support

The Senate Education Committee, on which Senator Browne serves as a member, voted in bipartisan support of a Senate resolution and a compromise forged by the Chairman of the State Board of Education, Joseph Torsella, regarding statewide end-of-course testing requirements and voluntary Keystone Exams.

In recent weeks, Chairman Torsella announced the compromise proposal as a solution to the debate to implement end-of-course exams in the Commonwealth. Under the proposal, school districts would be able to choose to use the Keystone Exams beginning with the class of 2015.

Ten different tests would be made available to districts and would be phased in over six years, starting with English, literature, algebra and biology during the 2010-2011 school year. The exams would replace the current 11th grade Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA), pending approval by the federal government. Additionally, the tests would count as one-third of a student’s final class grade and could replace final exams if a district chooses. Districts deciding not to use the Keystone Exams would be permitted to use local assessments aligned to the state standards and appropriately validated.

If the Senate approves the Resolution, the State Board will consider adoption of the final form regulation at a future meeting. The Education Committees in both chambers of the Legislature as well as the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) will then have the opportunity to approve or disapprove of the regulation under the provisions of the Regulatory Review Act.

Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 366-2327