General Assembly Ends Productive Sine Die Session

 

HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania General Assembly has concluded a successful Sine Die Session, passing dozens of important bills for the governor to sign.

 

Remaining consistent, the legislature’s top Sine Die priorities included a fix to the faulty slots law; a relief package for the fiscally challenged City of Pittsburgh; sewer and water funding; telecommunications reform; public transportation assistance; and Megan’s Law.

 

The legislature dealt with the priorities of Pennsylvania without the massive tax and fee increases sought by the administration.  The Rendell Administration spent the two-week session insisting on a $110 million permanent tax/fee increase for a temporary fix for public transportation and tax increases for every home and business in the state for his proposal to increase spending to Gov. Tom Ridge’s Growing Greener program.

 

Republican legislators tried to address dedicated funding for public transit during the 2004-2005 budget process (only to be stopped by the governor) and will attempt to do so again in 2005-2006 budget process.

 

As agreed to by the administration, House and Senate leaders formed the Green Ribbon Commission to study state programs impacting the environment and develop recommendations for possible program consolidation and improvements; that work is not yet complete.  While legislative leaders were ready to negotiate an environmental ballot question for the spring during Sine Die, the Administration chose instead to insist on a full suite of increased fees and taxes to pay for the bond issue – before even knowing whether or not it would be approved by the voters.

 

Below is a partial list of significant Sine Die legislative accomplishments.

 

Gambling Reforms

 

• Closing the ownership loophole for members of the General Assembly, expanding the ability of the Attorney General to investigate gambling-related crime, and making so-called “slots distributors” optional – SB 1209 (Pippy)  Vetoed by the Governor

 

Environmental Improvements

 

• Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards – SB 1030 (Erickson)

• Water and sewer infrastructure implementation – SB 1102 (Gordner)

• Alternative fuels incentives and grants – SB 255 (Tomlinson)

• Waste cleanup in state parks – HB 2227 (Rubley)

• Continuing the Senior Environmental Corps volunteer program – SB 1041 (Pippy)

• Establishment of Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education Program – HB 2775 (Zug)

 

Health and Human Services

 

• One-year extension of the MCARE abatement – HB 1211 (Micozzie)

• Personal needs allowance increase – HB 1211 (Micozzie)

• PACENET moratorium – SB 1167 (Conti)

• Pilot programs for persons with disabilities – HB 2270 (Vance)

• Health care power of attorney – SB 492 (Greenleaf)

• Mental health power of attorney – HB 2036 (Kenney)

 

Economic Development and Revitalization

 

• Chapter 30 / telecommunications law – HB 30 (Adolph)

• Various tax reforms – HB 176 (Scavello)  Vetoed by the Governor

• Pittsburgh Package – HB 850 (Steil), HB 197 (DeLuca), HB 1113 (Weber)

• Highway-Railroad and Highway Bridge Capital Budget Act – HB 2745 (Baldwin)

 

Law and Justice

 

• Megan’s Law – SB 92 (Greenleaf)

• Mandatory sentencing for drug offenses involving guns – HB 447 (Nailor)

• Improved confidentiality protections for victims of domestic violence – HB 1262 (True)

• DNA law recodification – HB 835 (Maitland)

• Uniform crime reporting and college campus crime reports – SB 668 (Costa)

• Making criminal history record reports free for nonprofits – SB 356 (Erickson)

• Protecting children from pornography on the Internet – HB 2262 (Egolf)

• Closing tobacco settlement loopholes – SB 1149 (Rafferty)

# # #