June 15, 2009

Pennsylvania Senate Republican News Brief

"Of all the desperation tactics we have seen in regard to state spending cuts and Senate Bill 850, the effort to scare veterans and their families is the most unfortunate and most indefensible."

-- Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) on erroneous claims that the Senate-passed budget plan will cut care for veterans.

Preview

REDUCED FISHING AND HUNTING FEES FOR NATIONAL GUARD MEMBERS

This week, the Senate is expected to consider two bills that would reduce from 180 to 60 the number of days members of the Pennsylvania National Guard must be deployed overseas to qualify for free or reduced-price hunting and fishing licenses.

Senate Bill 301 is sponsored by Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland) and Senate Bill 302 is sponsored by Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne).

The Senate could also consider Senate Bill 572, sponsored by Senate Law and Justice Committee Chairman John Rafferty (R-Montgomery).  Among the changes to the Administrative Code, it corrects the complement cap to 4,310 members, which was already established by the General Assembly in 2001. It also clarifies that in addition to troopers assigned to the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, troopers assigned to the Delaware River Toll Bridge Commission, Gaming Enforcement and Liquor Control Enforcement are not counted in the overall trooper complement.

COMMITTEES: BUDGET REFORM, STATE PARKS FUNDING

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is expected to act on legislation drafted by Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), committee chair, which would fundamentally reform Pennsylvania's budgeting process to expedite the procedure while increasing transparency and accountability in state government.

Senate Bill 1 establishes a Legislative Fiscal Office, a non-partisan, bicameral agency with expertise in financial matters.  The LFO would have access to the same agency and department financial information as the Governor's Budget Office.

On Tuesday, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, chaired by Sen. Mary Jo White (R-Venango), is expected to take up two bills sponsored by Senator White to ensure that services at state parks are not reduced as a result of budget constraints.  The measures would permit the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to utilize funding from its existing grant programs.

HEALTHNET PA: IMPROVING HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Erickson (R-Delaware), will consider HealthNET PA legislation Wednesday establishing a Health Information and Technology Program. Under Senate Bill 700, sponsored by Sen. Rob Wonderling (R-Montgomery), the program would provide loans to health care providers and health information centers to implement health information technology systems.

Review

HEALTHNET PA: THREE MEASURES INCREASING ACCESS, REDUCING ERRORS BECOME LAW

Three initiatives promoted by Senate Republicans as part of the HealthNET PA package to improve access to health care and reduce medical errors have been signed into law.

Senate Bill 189 (Act 4 of 2009), sponsored by Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre), will extend health care coverage for young adults under their parents' insurance plans. The extension will be paid by policyholders who choose it and cover adult dependents up to the age of 30 who are not married, have no dependents, and meet other criteria.

House Bill 1089 (Act 2 of 2009), is identical to legislation sponsored by Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Chairman Don White (R-Indiana) that would create a Mini-COBRA Small Employer Group Health Plan. The law will extend continuation of group health insurance policies for former employees and dependents, making the option available to approximately 150,000 individuals who work for employers with two to 19 employees and who change jobs.

House Bill 84 (Act 1 of 2009) permits health insurers to withhold payment to providers in the event of a preventable serious adverse event. It is similar to legislation spearheaded by Senator White, Senate Bill 443.

Also signed into law was Senate Bill 89 (Act 3 of 2009), sponsored by Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland), reauthorizing the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council until 2014. The council collects data from hospitals, freestanding ambulatory surgery centers and some managed care plans.  Comparative data is then released to the public so that consumers can make educated health care decisions and providers can evaluate the quality of their services.

For a list of pending HealthNET PA bills, please see Fast Facts, below.
 Senator Corman
 Senator White

Senate Approves Measure to Block Costly New Graduation Tests

The Senate on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved legislation that would halt implementation of a costly new graduation test across Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 281, sponsored by Sen. Jane Orie (R-Allegheny), would prohibit the state Department of Education from imposing any new statewide requirement for high school graduation without legislative approval.

Senator Orie introduced Senate Bill 281 to put a halt to a $201 million contract that the Department of Education signed with an out-of-state company to develop a new end-of-year test called the Keystone Exams.  Under the department's original proposal, all students would be required to pass ten subject area tests in order to graduate.

The Senate also approved Senate Bill 736, sponsored by Senator Orie, which would allow students with severe allergies to carry epinephrine medication -- such as EpiPen auto-injectors -- upon approval by the student's physician and parents.

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

Senate Acts to Modernize State's Emergency Medical Services Law

The Senate approved legislation Wednesday that would modernize, standardize and improve Pennsylvania's Emergency Medical Services Law to ensure high levels of patient care and greater public safety.

Senate Bill 240, sponsored by Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne), would replace the existing Emergency Medical Services Law with one that is more coordinated and responsive to the current EMS needs of the state.

Senator Baker said: "Over the past 25 years, emergency response has evolved rapidly, but there is a problem. The EMS provisions in state law no longer reflect what is happening in communities across the commonwealth.  In this fast-response, high-tech, crisis-centered world, Pennsylvania is stuck with an outdated law."

For more on Senate Bill 240, please see In the Spotlight, below.

Legislation Protecting Tax-Exempt Status of Charter Schools Approved

Legislation introduced by Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) to protect the tax-exempt status of charter schools was approved Tuesday by the Senate, 49 to 0.

Senator Pileggi noted that charter schools are public schools and should be treated as such. In most of Pennsylvania, there is no confusion on this point. Unfortunately, some local charter schools have received real estate tax bills and were forced to go to court to fight this inequity.

Senate Bill 687 explicitly states that all school property owned by a charter school or an associated non-profit foundation, or leased to a charter school at or below fair market value, which is used for public school purposes is exempt from taxation.

Last year, the Avon Grove Charter School in London Grove Township, Chester County, received real estate tax bills totaling about $500,000. If forced to pay the bill, the school was at risk of shutting down. The school opened in 2002, but did not receive any tax bills until 2008. At least two other charter schools in Chester County have received similar tax bills.

Senate Bill 687 was sent to the state House of Representatives for consideration.

SENATE VOTES TO EXPAND Gas Well Reporting Requirements

Legislation that would expand requirements for reporting gas well data to the Department of Environmental Protection was unanimously approved by the Senate on Monday.

Pennsylvania law requires annual well reporting, but stipulates that this information be kept confidential for five years. However, many states, such as Texas, already post this information online on a regular basis.

Senate Bill 297, sponsored by Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming), would require a six-month report and an annual report of all oil and natural gas well production to be posted on the DEP website.

Senator Yaw said: "The Commonwealth and our region are home to one of the largest natural gas deposits in the world.  An open reporting process would spur a substantial amount of interest into the amount of natural gas produced throughout the state and it will allay fears that gas companies are not candid in their reporting."

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration.

In the Spotlight

Pennsylvania's system of emergency medical services  is made up of 53,000 EMS providers operating 1,014 ambulance services.  Those providers responded to more than 1.8 million patient encounters in 2008 – or a dispatch every 18 seconds.

In the 1980s, most EMS organizations were adjuncts of local fire companies.  But today, only about a third are volunteer.  She said changes in workforce, technology and service configurations have all made it necessary to revamp the existing law to reflect current practices and protocols.

Senator Baker's legislation has been ten years in the making, and incorporated countless revisions to reflect considerable input from providers and concerned organizations.  She said it adopts national education standards and allows for new provider certification levels to ensure a high level of patient care and public safety.  It also establishes clear regulatory authority for the Department of Health and the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

Senator Baker said: "The revamped law prevents confusion, promotes cooperation, provides certainty in standards, and helps those in the business of saving lives do their work efficiently and effectively."

Fast Facts

Questions or Comments?

Contact the Senate Republican Communications Office or call 717-787-6725.

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