Capitol Recap February 4, 2019 THE PLS REPORTER CONTENTS Special bonus coverage from the PLS Reporter, included each Monday in the Capitol Recap THE PLS REPORTER 1 AROUND THE ROTUNDA 2 Senate advances bill expanding pension forfeiture requirement COMMITTEE NEWS 11 NEW LEGISLATION 16 Nicholas Martino, who made headlines across the state last year when the state Department LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 37 of Transportation employee was accused of soliciting and accepting bribes from a contractor, UPCOMING MEETINGS 41 pleaded guilty to related charges last week. SESSION STATUS At 4:26 p.m. on Monday, But Martino would not necessarily be compelled to give up his pension under current law, February 4, 2019 the according to Sen. John DiSanto (R-Dauphin). Senate stands in recess until Tuesday, February 5, The senator said there were over 600 similar cases which have arisen since the General 2019 at 11:00 a.m., unless Assembly last broadened the crimes for which state employees could lose their pension. A sooner recalled. bill introduced by DiSanto and approved by the Senate Monday would change this, triggering pension forfeiture for any felony conviction related to their position. At 3:19 p.m. on Monday, February 4, 2019 the “Its unfathomable to me that, as a state employee executing your job duties, you commit House stands adjourned felonies and you can get fired, convicted and still keep your state pension,” DiSanto told the until Tuesday, February 5, PLS Reporter last week “This will address that.” 2019 at 11:00 a.m., unless sooner recalled. DiSanto added that he believed his bill could save the state “millions of dollars” going forward. UPCOMING SESSION DAYS House “I think it’s a significant number [of employees],” he said. “That if these pensions were Feb. 5, 6, 19, 20, 21 taken it would be a significant amount of money … that we could potentially return back Mar. 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, to the citizens of Pennsylvania and use for programs that have a good use, as opposed to 25, 26, 27 supporting convicted felons.” April 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30 The bill is virtually identical to one introduced last session. That proposal also cleared the May 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, Senate but came up short in the House - waylaid, DiSanto said, by the “machinations of the 22, 23 budget.” June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24-28 This time, the proposal was one of the first taken up in the new session. Approved by both Budget hearings: Feb. 11 the Senate Finance and Appropriation Committees unanimously, the bill also was approved - Mar. 7 by a 49-0 margin by the full Senate. Senate Feb. 5, 6 It now heads to the House, where there is not yet a firm timeline for the bill’s consideration. Mar. 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27 Rep. Frank Farry (R-Bucks) has introduced a companion bill in that body. DiSanto said that April 8, 9, 10, 29, 30 while he hoped his bill would be the one to move forward, the primary concern should be to May 1, 6, 7, 8 address what he sees as an important issue. June 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 24-28 Budget hearings: Feb. 19 “They’ve indicated that they’re going to try and keep moving the bill along and get it across - Mar. 7 the finish line,” he said. “This is moving relatively quickly now and I think everybody would like to have some successes, on both sides of the aisle, before we go into a difficult budget season.” Provided by Pennsylvania Legislative Services 240 N. 3rd St. 6th Floor Harrisburg, PA 17101 717.236.6984 phone The PLS Reporter provides original news, insight and in-depth analysis on current topics and 717.236.5097 fax proposals moving through the state legislature. For more information about adding the PLS Reporter www.mypls.com to your subscription, please email us at [email protected]. AROUND THE ROTUNDA PLS coverage of Capitol events including press conferences, bill signings, & media availabilities COALITION RELEASES A “BLUEPRINT FOR GROWING PENNSYLVANIA’S ECONOMY” By Jeff Cox, Pennsylvania Legislative Services | February 4, 2019 Members of the Coalition for Labor Engagement and Accountable Revenues (CLEAR) and supporters from the General Assembly today held a news conference in the Main Capitol Rotunda to release the group’s Blueprint for Growing Pennsylvania’s Economy, which they say will “create higher wages, more jobs and revenue for critical investments in quality K-12 and technical education; affordable access to higher education; and adequate funding for other core services and programs.” Kenneth Mash, president of the Association of Pennsylvania State Colleges and University Faculties (APSCUF), explained, “The blueprint identifies $3.5 billion in new revenue and savings that could be put to use for our joint prosperity.” He said, “The bottom line is that we believe these proposals will provide more than one million Pennsylvanians with additional money in their pockets, create jobs, better our public schools, make higher education more affordable, make our tax system more fair and honest, and fix our deficit.” The main proposals in the blueprint include: • raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour, • imposing a 2.4 percent shale tax, • closing the “Delaware loophole” and institute combined reporting, • increasing efficiencies in state government operations. Sen. Arthur Haywood (D-Montgomery), a leader in the effort to increase the minimum wage, said, “I want to highlight that all of the states around us have a higher minimum wage than we do.” He continued, “It means we are lagging behind all the other states surrounding us. Those who say raising the minimum wage is going to cost jobs, all I ask is look to New York, look to New Jersey, look to Ohio, look to Delaware, look to West Virginia.” Sen. Haywood asserted, “All those states have a higher minimum wage and there have not been any reports of job loss.” According to Sen. Haywood, raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour will “generate $9.1 billion of new revenue for spending.” He argued the increase will benefit business and “hardworking men and women.” Rep. Patty Kim (D-Dauphin), a leader in the House for a minimum wage increase, said, “We have to come together to move this forward.” She argued the increase is “long overdue.” Jeff Ney, treasurer for the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), told reporters, “Our plan is about investing in people and making sure corporations pay their fair share.” He stated, “By raising the minimum wage, we can make sure that every hardworking Pennsylvanian who plays by the rules can earn a family-sustaining wage.” Ney continued, “Enacting a shale tax will bring in the revenues we need to invest in the next generation, building a stronger economy now and for years to come.” Marc Stier, director of the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, said, “For too long in this state, our policy has been guided by a right-wing corporate agenda that says the way to prosperity is to cut taxes for the rich, cut spending for everyone else, and although they say this quietly, keep wages down.” He asserted, “It is time to reject that agenda and adopt a different agenda.” Stier said, “One in which we, first of all, raise peoples’ wages and benefits, create the buying power that drives our economy forward, and invest in our people.” He described the blueprint as “the core of a new vision for our state; one that can create prosperity for everyone, can lift up poor people, encourage working people and rebuild our middle class.” 2 LAWMAKERS, ADVOCATES DISCUSS PEDIATRIC CANCER By Robert Cochran, Pennsylvania Legislative Services | February 4, 2019 In recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, lawmakers, advocates and families of children diagnosed with pediatric cancer gathered this morning to discuss efforts to combat the disease. Sen. Scott Martin (R-Lancaster) said cancer is the leading cause of death among children in the United States, and that 90,000 children die each year from cancer worldwide, which is approximately one-third of Pittsburgh’s population. “We need to keep fighting for ongoing awareness and exposing the inequity in funding research for childhood cancers,” the Lancaster County senator said. Sen. Martin indicated the commonwealth needs to do a better job organizing resources to combat pediatric cancer. Overall, only four percent of cancer funding was awarded for childhood cancer research, he stated. Sen. Martin added that last year, the General Assembly approved legislation to allow residents to voluntarily donate $5 to the Pediatric Cancer Research Fund when electronically renewing a driver’s license, photo identification card or vehicle registration. The Republican senator highlighted upcoming legislation which would create a tax credit for donations made to pediatric cancer research centers, which will later be introduced as SB 74. Sen. Martin also mentioned another upcoming proposal which would help intermediate units purchase equipment to allow homebound students to interact with their classes remotely. Rep. Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre) recognized the efforts of parents who help their children cope with cancer and the medical institutions in Pennsylvania focused on pediatric cancer research. The Republican representative said 600 children in Pennsylvania are diagnosed with cancer annually. Rep. Benninghoff said he would continue to work on passing right-to- try legislation in the commonwealth. Sen. Andrew Dinniman (D-Chester) said both sides of the legislature are working to combat pediatric cancer, mentioning last year’s achievement of passing legislation regarding inducements. The Democratic senator indicated the proposed right-to- try legislation would take care of a child’s medical expenses.