Review

HEALTHNET PA ADVANCES: THREE BILLS APPROVED BY COMMITTEE

Three bills in the Senate Republican HealthNET PA package to improve health care access and coverage were approved Tuesday by the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, chaired by Sen. Don White (R-Indiana).

Sen. Argall Takes Oath of Office, Joins 30-20 Senate GOP Majority

Sen. David Argall (R-Schuylkill) was sworn into office for his first term representing the 29th Senatorial District at a Capitol ceremony Tuesday.

Senator Argall said his main focus in the Senate would be on economic development and community revitalization in downtowns and industrial areas. Prior to his election to the Senate, he spent 24 years as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, where he served terms as Republican Whip, Appropriations Committee Chairman and Caucus Secretary.

The 29th Senatorial District includes all of Schuylkill County and portions of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton counties. With the election of Senator Argall, voters have provided a 30-20 Senate GOP majority for the 2009-10 session, and have elected a Republican Senate majority in every General Election since 1980.

Senator Argall said: "It has been a great honor to serve residents of the 124th House District over the past two decades, and I am grateful that residents of the 29th Senatorial District have given me the opportunity to represent them in the Senate. I am committed to providing all district residents with the highest level of constituent service, and I would encourage district residents to contact me if I can help with any state issue or any problems with a state agency." (For more on Senator Argall, please see In the Spotlight, below.)

Senate Passes Measures Targeting Mortgage Fraud

The Senate passed two bills sponsored by Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster) aimed at protecting consumers from mortgage fraud.

Senate Bill 170 would prohibit a mortgage broker or originator from being the exclusive recipient of communications to a consumer. The legislation would prevent brokers from withholding information about interest rates, fees or monthly payments, and it would ensure that consumers are informed of the terms of their mortgage.

Senate Bill 171 would help to prevent fraud by protecting mortgage company employees that report illegal activities or take part in an investigation, hearing or inquiry. The legislation would prevent an employer from taking actions such as reducing an employee’s salary or benefits, changing the terms of employment, or firing an employee.

Both bills were sent to the House of Representatives for consideration. 

THREE MORE HEALTHNET PA BILLS MOVE FORWARD

Legislation that would expand access to community health care, physicians and medicine across Pennsylvania was approved by the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware).

The committee approved the following HealthNET PA bills Tuesday:

Senate Bill 5, sponsored by Senator Erickson, would establish the Community-Based Healthcare Program for the expansion and site development of health care clinics across Pennsylvania. This would provide “medical homes” for 175,000 working poor clients and ease pressure on hospital emergency rooms.

Senate Bill 314, sponsored by Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster), creates the Keystone Care Program, a network through which doctors, hospitals, nurses, physician assistants and others would be encouraged to volunteer their services, offering expanded health care capacity and access to specialty services for those with a demonstrated need. The program would provide grants to an approved health care resource network.

Senate Bill 335, sponsored by Sen. Chuck McIlhinney (R-Bucks), would make low-cost prescription drugs available through the state’s community-based health care clinics. The program would link low-income adults who lack prescription drug coverage to the appropriate free or low-cost prescription assistance programs, and direct the state Department of Welfare to maintain a registry of free and low-cost prescription drug programs and make the information available online.

The HealthNET PA plan would expand access to health care and medicine to more than 500,000 uninsured and low-income working Pennsylvanians. It would utilize information technology to control costs and reduce health care-associated infections, and provide expanded insurance options for employers and families, and will incorporate the concepts of disease prevention and wellness. 

Sen. Brubaker Introduces Stimulus Oversight Legislation

Legislation that would provide transparency and oversight of all federal stimulus dollars spent in Pennsylvania was introduced by Sen. Mike Brubaker (R-Lancaster).

Pennsylvania will be eligible for an estimated $9.5 billion in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act through 2011, including $5.5 billion to supplement current state spending for transportation, education, health care and other economic development and infrastructure projects.

Senate Bill 6 would create a bipartisan nine-member commission to provide oversight and accountability for all stimulus funds distributed to Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania Commission on Stimulus Accountability will be required to track, monitor and report on all monies received from the federal government as part of the stimulus package.  The reports and transcripts will also be available online in a database accessible to the public, as well as searchable information on how stimulus dollars are being spent.

News Conference
 Senator Brubaker
 Senator Scarnati
 Senator Alloway

Lawmakers ACT to rein in Gaming Control Board Expenses

Sen. Jane Orie (R-Allegheny) led a group of lawmakers Wednesday demanding answers from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) regarding its travel expenses, namely trips to Italy and Las Vegas, after the governor imposed an out-of-state travel ban.

In September 2008, Gov. Ed Rendell enacted an out-of-state travel ban for state employees.  Despite this executive decision, board members proceeded to attend conferences in Las Vegas and Rome, Italy, on the state's dime. The senator will introduce legislation to create a searchable database for all state travel.

Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) is introducing legislation that would require an annual report by the Auditor General that would examine the Gaming Board’s financial statements, and a second measure prohibiting the board from leasing vehicles and requiring it to use the state’s fleet of vehicles if they must have a car to carry out the duties of their employment.

It was also discovered that David Kwait, former director of the PGCB's Bureau of Investigation, went on a state-paid trip to a gaming conference in Las Vegas last fall after announcing his plans to retire.  Kwait now works for the law firm of Ruben & Aronson, LLP, located in Bethesda, Maryland. The firm represents MTR Gaming, which owns casinos in West Virginia and Erie.

Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming) has introduced legislation to impose a two-year waiting period for employees who are responsible for the awarding of state contracts – or the development of policies or requirements relating to these contracts – and who want to work for a company to which their agency has awarded a contract. A similar two-year waiting period would apply to private-sector employees who want government jobs inside an agency their company has contracted with.

For more on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s travel and expenses, please see Fast Facts, below.

 News Conference
 Senator Orie
 Senator Ward
 Senator Yaw

Committee Approves Transfer of Funds to Ease Budget Deficit

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, chaired by Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango), approved seven bills last week, including measures to transfer much needed revenue into the state’s General Fund budget, and resolve disputes over coal bed methane wells.

The bills approved by the committee Tuesday included:

Senate Bill 490, sponsored by Senator Mary Jo White, which would transfer $174 million from the Oil and Gas Lease Fund to the General Fund to help address the state’s $2.3 billion budget deficit.

Senate Bill 275, sponsored by Sen. Don White (R-Indiana), which is designed to ease disputes for landowners on the placement of coal bed methane wells.

Senate Bill 205 , sponsored by Sen. John Pippy (R-Allegheny), which authorizes municipalities to use public funds to improve private lateral sewer lines connected to public lines when private laterals contribute significantly to wet weather overflow problems.

Senate Bill 84, sponsored by Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R-Montgomery), extending liability protection to nonprofit corporations created by a redevelopment authority.

Senate Bill 328, sponsored by Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair), increasing the threshold for bidding requirements of the Water and Power Resources Board.

 Sen. Don White

Sen. Folmer, Colleagues Introduce Personal Privacy Legislation

Senator Mike Folmer (R-Lebanon) and fellow legislators announced plans to introduce a legislative package to protect the personal privacy and liberties of Pennsylvanians.

Senator Folmer’s legislation would exempt Pennsylvania from compliance with the unfunded mandate of a national identification card, REAL ID.  The federal REAL ID Act mandates that states turn driver’s licenses into a national identification card. Under REAL ID, state driver’s licenses will not be accepted for federal purposes – including boarding an aircraft or entering a federal facility – unless they meet numerous criteria. REAL ID also requires states to share motor vehicle databases, which will in effect, create a single, national database.

Eleven states, including South Carolina, New Hampshire, Maine, Montana, and Virginia, have already enacted statutes precluding their compliance with the federal REAL ID Act, passed by Congress in 2005 in response to recommendations from the 9-11 Commission. 

As a member of the House of Representatives, Senator Argall was instrumental in the creation of the Main Street job creation program and the Elm Street neighborhood investment program. He has been a leading advocate for property tax reform, introducing legislation that would give voters a stronger voice in the property tax debate.

The senator has also played a vital role in conservation and environmental protection initiatives across the state. He helped earn legislative approval of the Growing Greener program, and he authored the Waste Tire Recycling Act of 1996, which has helped to clean up more than 24 million tires from waste piles across the state.

Senator Argall earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Studies from Lycoming College and a master’s degree in American Studies at Penn State’s Harrisburg campus. In May of 2006, Senator Argall earned his Ph.D. in Public Administration from Penn State.  He lives in Rush Township with his wife, Beth, and their children, A.J. and Elise.