Capitol Recap AROUND THE ROTUNDA Volume 5 Number 412 PLS coverage of Capitol events including press conferences, bill signings, & media availabilities September 24, 2018 LEGISLATORS, GUN SAFETY GROUPS PUSH HB 2060 CONTENTS AROUND THE ROTUNDA 1 By Mike Howells, Pennsylvania Legislative Services | September 24, 2018 COMMITTEE NEWS 6 NEW LEGISLATION 32 Gun safety advocacy group Moms Demand Action and a bipartisan group of legislators LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS 36 today rallied in support of HB 2060, scheduled to be voted later in the day on the House UPCOMING MEETINGS 56 Floor. The measure would require subjects of Protection from Abuse orders to immediately relinquish their firearms. SESSION STATUS At 5:12 p.m. on Monday, HB 2060 was scheduled to be voted in late June but was postponed at the time. Marybeth September 24, 2018 the Christiansen, Pennsylvania state legislative lead for Moms Demand Action, said in the inter- Senate stands in recess vening twelve weeks 37 people in the commonwealth have been killed in domestic violence until Tuesday, September gun deaths. 25, 2018 at 1:00 p.m., unless sooner recalled by “This bill must be voted on today,” she said. “We don’t want to return here yet again, citing the President Pro Tempore. more statistics.” Christiansen emphasized HB 2060 would not have averted all 37 deaths in the time since At 5:06 p.m. on Monday, it was last scheduled for a vote, nor would it prevent all future domestic violence shootings. September 24, 2018 the However, she said, “This bill would have made a difference.” House stands adjourned until Tuesday, September “Today better be the day,” she remarked, thanking Speaker of the House Mike Turzai (R- 25, 2018 at 9:30 a.m., Allegheny) for scheduling the vote. “These victims are counting on us.” unless sooner recalled by the Speaker. Rep. Marguerite Quinn (R-Bucks) said in June advocates were left “justifiably frustrated and even angry,” that a vote was delayed. She added however that in the interim that anger was channeled into productive outreach, and education on what the bill does and what it does not. Rep. Quinn said the groups allied against the bill have been “very vocal and very misleading” UPCOMING SESSION DAYS in their opposition. House “This bill only applies to those who are convicted of a crime of violence against their spouse, September 25, 26 partner or children,” she said. “This bill only applies to those who have had a final PFA order October 1 (NV), 2 (NV), 9, entered against them by a judge.” 10, 15, 16, 17 November 13 She emphasized it does not apply “to any responsible gun owner.” Senate Sen. Tom Killion (R-Delaware), sponsor of companion legislation in the Senate, said it is September 25, 26 “crunch time” to move legislation before the current session concludes. October 1, 2, 3, 15, 16, 17 November 14 He credited the work of advocates over the past two years, and particularly the past summer, getting out the message on the legislation. Rep. Dan Miller (D-Allegheny) discussed the domestic violence suffered by his mother dur- ing his youth, and the psychological scars it left on her. He called the legislation an important Provided by Pennsylvania Legislative Services step in improving how PFAs are managed in the judiciary. 240 N. 3rd St. 6th Floor Harrisburg, PA 17101 Rep. Miller cited recent episodes of violence in western Pennsylvania rooted in domestic 717.236.6984 phone violence, and questioned “how many times does it take” for such cases to occur before 717.236.5097 fax things are changed. www.mypls.com “Due process is important,” he said. “So are lives.” Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny), co-chair of the PA Safe Caucus and the Women’s Health Caucus, said the measure is a priority of anyone who shares the goals of those groups. Rep. Frankel outlined the inadequacies of the current law, in which individuals have 60 days to relinquish their guns follow- ing an order. He said that defies common sense, and opposition to correcting that flaw is “mind-boggling.” Rep. Warren Kampf (R-Chester) agreed “this is absolutely common-sense reform.” He credited the bipartisan nature of the legislation, and added he was heartened over the summer “watching Moms Demand Action in action.” “This bill is about saving lives,” he said. “I don’t know how anyone could credibly say otherwise.” Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Montgomery), co-chair of the PA Safe Caucus, said the caucus works on the issue of curbing gun violence, “not taking guns away from responsible people.” Rep. Dean acknowledged that in her view the bill is not perfect, but emphasized the need to make an effort when at least one life might be saved. “We must not let the perfect be the enemy of saving lives,” she said. Rep. Eric Roe (R-Chester) recounted a violent spree last week in his district, in which an estranged husband shot at his ex- wife, missed, drove on to his parents’ retirement community and killed them before killing himself. “Domestic violence is everywhere,” he said. Rep. Fred Keller (R-Snyder) emphasized “every right has a responsibility.” A lifetime member of the NRA and enthusiastic gun owner, Rep. Keller said not everyone behaves as responsibility as he and many others do. “We need to show the people of the commonwealth that we’re serious about how we go about protecting life,” he said. Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) recounted his time as a firearms prosecutor before joining the legislature and said one of the final cases he worked “was an absolute atrocity,” in which a woman, among other things, was nearly drowned in Lysol, but was not killed “because her abuser did not have access to a firearm.” “There is no question in my mind that Moms Demand Action has moved the needle and set the tone over the past year,” he said. Rep. Tom Murt (R-Montgomery) discussed the need to improve mental health services in conjunction with measures like HB 2060 to help families. He also credited the bipartisan fashion in which it has moved forward. Shira Goodman, executive director of Ceasefire PA, said “this bill makes sense,” and that a vote in opposition is a vote for endangering lives. Goodman said it has worked in other states and that delaying the vote costs lives. “It’s not about guns, it’s not about the second amendment, it’s about ‘will we protect the people who sent you here and trusted you,’” she remarked. Julie Bancroft, chief public affairs officer for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Violence, said HB 2060 would reduce the number of lives lost to domestic violence. “Today, we’re counting on members of the House,” she said. Deb Marteslo, head of the Pennsylvania chapter of Moms Demand Action, urged legislators to “pass this lifesaving bill.” 2 Marteslo said HB 2060 was created with the input of numerous stakeholders, including gun rights representatives. She lamented the factionalization that has resulted as the bill has progressed, which has threatened its passage. She said for some it has become about “winning versus losing,” and said there needs to be only one winner, domestic abuse victims. MARIJUANA ADVOCATES RALLY FOR DECRIMINALIZATION, LEGALIZATION By Mike Howells, Pennsylvania Legislative Services | September 24, 2018 At a Capitol rally today pro-cannabis advocates pressed for the decriminalization and legalization of the substance. Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia), Rep. Ed Gainey (D-Allegheny), and Auditor General Eugene DePasquale were among the elected officials on hand to support the move. Les Stark, speaking on behalf of the Keystone Cannabis Coalition, reported that polling shows more than 60 percent of Pennsylvania residents support legalization of marijuana. Stark said cannabis supporters owe Gov. Tom Wolf “a debt of gratitude” for presiding over the enactment of medical marijuana, as well as expansion of industrial hemp development. By comparison he said Wolf’s opponent in the gubernatorial election, Scott Wagner, has been clear in his opposition to lessening marijuana laws. Stark warned that opposition is one of the reasons Wagner stands to “lose, and lose big” in November. With eight cities in the commonwealth having already decriminalized marijuana and a ninth – Lancaster – set to vote on the issue tomorrow, “The time for change is not some time in the distant future, but now,” Stark said. Recalling the 1933 passage of the original marijuana ban in Pennsylvania, Stark said 85 years “is long enough to know that cannabis prohibition is a colossal failure.” He added that while a wait-and-see approach was a valid philosophy four years ago on the part of lawmakers, it is no longer. DePasquale said marijuana legalization makes sense on many levels, including from the standpoints of criminal justice reform, combating opioid abuse, job creation, and state revenues. He estimated annual recurring revenues of $680 million were cannabis taxed and regulated. “The idea that we are still trying to put people in jail for this is insane,” he said. DePasquale lamented the “human toll” of the commonwealth’s marijuana laws and encouraged advocates to support legislators on both sides of the aisle who are getting in front of the issue. Former Braddock mayor and Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor John Fetterman said that when running for Senate in 2016 he was the only such candidate in the country who endorsed legalization. He contended there are many reasons to decriminalize marijuana but chief among them said current policies are unjust to people of color. Sen. Street advised he intends to introduce a complete decriminalization bill in the Senate, and said there is an unequal enforcement of marijuana laws that unfairly targets minorities.