Elimination of Philadelphia Traffic Court on House Agenda Next Week

The House returns to session on Monday, June 3. Live web streams of House session and the majority of committee meetings are available at PAHouseGOP.com. Important information and events may also be viewed by visiting Facebook.com/PAHouseGOP.

Philadelphia Traffic Court

Ticket-fixing. Federal criminal investigation. Indictments. Some guilty pleas. A clear problem needing to be fixed.

The House is scheduled to vote Monday on Senate Bills 333 and 334 (Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-Delaware County) to effectively eliminate the Philadelphia Traffic Court and transfer its duties to Philadelphia Municipal Court. The bills were overwhelmingly approved by the House Judiciary Committee by 24-1 votes.

Senate Bill 333, a constitutional amendment, would eliminate references to Philadelphia Traffic Court throughout the Pennsylvania Constitution. To become law, a constitutional amendment must be approved in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly and then by the electorate.

Senate Bill 334 would establish a traffic division within the Philadelphia Municipal Court. Traffic court judges, including any elected this year, and the two judges who are still sitting and who have not been charged criminally, would be phased out under this legislation. The bill was amended to establish two more Municipal Court judgeships to accompany hearing officers.

In January, nine elected judges along with three other individuals were charged in a 77-count indictment alleging frequent and pervasive “ticket-fixing” at the Philadelphia Traffic Court. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendants participated in a widespread culture of giving breaks on traffic citations to friends, family, the politically-connected and business associates. Three of the nine judges entered guilty pleas.

The Weekly Schedule

Identified by bill number, the sponsors and summaries for bills scheduled to be considered in committee or on the House floor are posted below. More information regarding these bills can be found at PAHouseGOP.com by clicking on the “Research Bills” tab.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Committee Meetings/Hearings

FINANCE, 10:30 a.m., Room 60, East Wing

Informational meeting on property tax reform.

EDUCATION, 11 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building

HB 618 (Rep. Joe Emrick, R-Northampton): Allows each school district to include Public School Employees’ Retirement System contributions in the list of budgeted expenditures withheld by school districts in their payments to cyber charter schools.
HB 980 (Rep. Mike Fleck, R-Blair/Huntingdon/Mifflin): Places a three-year moratorium on the review and approval process by the Department of Education of new cyber charter schools and also places new limits on the unassigned fund balances held by charter school entities.
HB 1207 (Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver): Increases funding for the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program from $100 million to $125 million.

STATE GOVERNMENT, 11 a.m., Room B-31, Main Capitol

HB 1247 (Rep. Jerry Stern, R-Blair): Releases certain Project 70 restrictions on land situate in Piney Creek Springs, Woodbury Township, Blair County, and imposes restrictions on land conveyed to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission in Woodbury Township.
HR 249 (Rep. RoseMarie Swanger, R-Lebanon): Urges the President and Congress to support the continued and increased production and use of American oil and natural gas and urges the United States Secretary of State to approve the keystone pipeline project.

URBAN AFFAIRS, 11 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building

HB 128 (Rep. Kevin Haggerty, D-Lackawanna): Lifts the three-year time frame within which members of the pension systems must begin working for the City of Scranton in order to be eligible for purchasing credit for time spent while in the armed forces.
HB 131 (Rep. Kevin Haggerty, D-Lackawanna): Lifts the three-year time frame within which members of the police and fire pension systems must begin working for the City of Scranton in order to be eligible for purchasing credit for time spent while in the armed forces.
HB 1319 (Rep. Mike Tobash, R-Berks/Schuylkill): Restricts the use of employment contracts by public housing authorities.
HB 1363 (Rep. John Taylor, R-Philadelphia): Amends the Abandoned and Blighted Property Conservatorship Act and clarifies conservatorship provisions to encourage private investment in efforts to remediate blight.

CHILDREN AND YOUTH, Noon, Room 205, Ryan Office Building

HB 1075 (Rep. Dan Moul, R-Adams/Franklin): Requires counties to conduct a family-finding process for children who receive services from a county children and youth agency.
HB 1076 (Rep. Dan Moul, R-Adams/Franklin): Requires counties, within five years, to implement family conferencing for children and families receiving children and youth social services.
HB 1101 (Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin): Amends the Public Welfare Code relating to Children and Youth with purpose clarifications; provisions for certain educational cost reimbursements to counties; and requirements for counties that elect to contract with private agencies to provide services to children.
HR 163 (Rep. Julie Harhart, R-Lehigh/Northampton): Directs the Joint State Government Commission to study child abuse and neglect prevention programs in Pennsylvania and nationwide.

HEALTH, Call of Chair, Room G-50, Irvis Office Building

HB 461 (Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Berks/Schuylkill): Expands the Human Services Block Grant Program from 20 counties to at least 30 counties.

HB 1249 (Rep. Rosemary Brown, R-Monroe/Pike): Requires regulation of establishments performing body art services, specifically body piercing, tattooing and permanent cosmetics.

HR 57 (Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, D-Philadelphia): Urges support for youth tobacco prevention initiatives.

Session

On Monday, the House will convene at 1 p.m. for legislative business. The members will vote the uncontested calendar and Rule 35 resolutions.

Votes on Second Consideration

HB 26 (Rep. William Keller, D-Philadelphia): Authorizes the Department of Labor and Industry to supplement federal funding for administration of the Unemployment Compensation system with a portion of employees’ Unemployment Compensation tax contributions.
HB 892 (Rep. Seth Grove, R-York): Restricts motorcycle learner’s permit reapplications to only three times in a 10-year period.
HB 1067 (Rep. Michele Brooks, R-Crawford/Lawrence/Mercer): Applies a Social Security cost-of-living adjustment moratorium to the Property Tax and Rent Rebate Program.
HB 1157 (Rep. Ron Miller, R-York): Extends the expiration date for the income tax check-off for the Wild Resource Conservation Fund to Jan. 1, 2018.
HB 1171 (Rep. George Dunbar, R-Westmoreland): Repeals the Alternative Energy Production Tax Credit.
HB 1359 (Rep. Marcy Toepel, R-Montgomery): Allows the Perkiomen Valley School District and the Methacton School District to annually charge the Commonwealth a fixed payment for tax-exempt forest land that bisects the two districts.
SB 333 (Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-Chester/Delaware): Eliminates the Philadelphia Traffic Court.
SB 334 (Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-Chester/Delaware): Transfers responsibilities of the Philadelphia Traffic Court to the Philadelphia Municipal Court.

Votes on Third Consideration

HB 284 (Rep. Deberah Kula, D-Fayette/Westmoreland): Prohibits the use of both tobacco and nicotine-based products in schools.
HB 1002 (Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Fayette/Greene/Washington): Bridge designation: Lieutenant General William M. Keys Bridge.
HB 1048 (Rep. Joseph Petrarca, D-Amstrong/Westmoreland): Bridge designation: Veterans Memorial Bridge.
HB 1121 (Rep. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe): Bridge designation: Sheriffs Forrest B. Sebring and Todd A. Martin Bridge.
HB 1164 (Rep. Tom Murt, R-Montgomery/Philadelphia): Requires colleges, universities and institutions of higher learning in Pennsylvania to provide current military service personnel and honorably discharged veterans with priority registration.
HB 1188 (Rep. John Payne, R-Dauphin): Changes the current interest rate structure associated with recovery of purchased gas costs; eliminates the migration rider charged to customers who switch to a competitive supplier; and provides for recovery of costs incurred to implement customer choice.
HB 1236 (Rep. Timothy Krieger, R-Westmoreland): Amends the Procurement Code by establishing various parameters applicable to contingency fee legal services contracts.
HB 1262 (Rep. Sid Kavulich, D-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Susquehanna/Wyoming): Bridge designation: 109^th Infantry Bridge.
HB 1361 (Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester): Expands definitions, updates fees and charges, and clarifies conditions for licensing in the Check Casher Licensing Act.
HB 1362 (Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester): Requires a minimum of 10 business days for a loan contract in the Consumer Discount Company Act.

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Committee Meetings/Hearings

EDUCATION, 9 a.m., Room 60, East Wing

HB 1141 (Rep. Stan Saylor, R-York): Allows a school district to reopen its annual budget for a period of 30 days after the state budget is enacted to reflect the appropriations enacted by the state budget.
HB 1424 (Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks): Allows public schools to offer Holocaust and genocide instruction.
HR 338 (Rep. Hal English, R-Allegheny): Calls on the Secretary of Education and the State Board of Education to review their policies relating to the adoption of state academic standards for K-12 education.

SB 470 (Sen. Patrick Browne, R-Lehigh/Monroe/Northampton): Creates a legislative commission to recommend a formula to distribute state funding for special education.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, 9 a.m., Room 39, East Wing

HB 343 (Rep. Ron Miller, R-York): Establishes statewide private water well construction standards.

HUMAN SERVICES, 9 a.m., Room B-31, Main Capitol

HB 806 (Rep. Gene DiGirolamo, R-Bucks): Repeals the Human Services Block Grant Program and allows for a less costly method for counties to reallocate unexpended human services funds at the local level.

AGRICULTURE AND RURAL AFFAIRS, 9:30 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building

HB 920 (Rep. Curt Sonney, R-Erie): Allows the installation of wind power generation systems on preserved farmland, with limitations on the amount of preserved acreage that can be used for such a system.
HB 1196 (Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery): Requires dog owners to provide rabies vaccination records when boarding their dogs in kennels.
HB 1377 (Rep. Michele Brooks, R-Crawford/Lawrence/Mercer): Clarifies licensing and inspection authority for restaurants in state office buildings.
SB 155 (Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Bucks/Montgomery): Grants exemption from vaccination against rabies for dogs and cats with existing medical conditions.
SB 526 (Sen. Michael Waugh, R-York): Clarifies acceptable documentation required to exhibit animals at livestock shows.

HUMAN SERVICES, 9:30 a.m., Room B-31, Main Capitol

Informational meeting on the RAND report on Medical Assistance (MA) expansion.

FINANCE, 9:45 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building

HB 1138 (Rep. Matt Gabler, R-Clearfield/Elk): Applies sales and use tax exclusions to the timber and logging industries.
HB 1315 (Rep. Robert Matzie, D-Allegheny/Beaver): Adds crushing, milling and sizing of fused aluminum to the definition of “processing” in the Tax Reform Code.
SB 4 (Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Chester/Lancaster): Amends the Pennsylvania Constitution regarding standards and qualifications for institutions of purely public charity.

JUDICIARY, 10 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building

HB 164 (Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery): Establishes the offense of “possession of animal fighting paraphernalia” as a third degree-misdemeanor.
HB 397 (Rep. Mark Keller, R-Franklin/Perry): Provides limited immunity from civil liability for owners and operators of farm-related tourism activities.
HB 1202 (Rep. Mike Regan, R-Cumberland/York): Closes a loophole in state law by clarifying that a person ordered by police to pull his vehicle over must remain with or inside the vehicle.
HB 1356 (Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery): Extends Pennsylvania’s Wiretap Act to December 13, 2018.
SB 419 (Sen. John Gordner, R-Columbia/Dauphin/Luzerne/Montour/Northumberland/ Snyder): Validates deeds and mortgages dated after 2005 and prior to 2013 that have acknowledgements containing technical errors.
SB 865 (Sen. John Gordner, R-Columbia/Dauphin/Luzerne/Montour/Northumberland/ Snyder): Amends the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act by establishing penalties for illegal possession of liquefied ammonia gas, precursors and chemicals.

Session

On Tuesday the House will meet at 11 a.m. for legislative business.

Votes on Second Consideration

HB 1052 (Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton): Amends the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to provide for the manner in which recreational fees are used.
HB 1122 (Rep. Mauree Gingrich, R-Lebanon): Amends the Uniform Planned Community Act by extending the time limitation on withdrawal or conversion of real estate within flexible planned communities.
HB 1223 (Rep. Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery): Amends the First Class Township Code regarding removal of elected township officers.
HB 1225 (Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester): Provides that the Local Government Commission may publish, maintain and update electronic copies of municipal codes.
HB 1228 (Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton): Amends the Incorporated Towns law regarding removal of elected officers.
HB 1229 (Rep. Robert Freeman, D-Northampton): Amends the Second Class Township Code regarding removal of elected township officers.
HB 1287 (Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster): Requires the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare to implement an electronic approval process for use by physicians to secure approval of all preferred and nonpreferred drugs, and exempts preferred and nonpreferred drugs prescribed by licensed physicians specializing in psychiatry from prior authorization requirements.
SB 196 (Sen. Donald White, R-Armstrong/Butler/Clearfield/Indiana/Westmoreland): Expands eligibility for funding from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) to groups other than municipalities.
SB 679 (Sen. John Wozniak, D-Cambria/Centre/Clearfield/Clinton/Somerset): Highway designation: Lt. Col. B.D. Buzz Wagner Memorial Highway.

Votes on Third Consideration

HB 26 (W. Keller)
HB 892 (Grove)
HB 1067 (Brooks)
HB 1157 (Miller)
HB 1171 (Dunbar)
HB 1359 (Toepel)
SB 333 (Pileggi)
SB 334 (Pileggi)

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Committee Meetings/Hearings

COMMERCE, 9 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building

HB 942 (Rep. Sandra Major, R-Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming): Addresses the recording and indexing of blanket lease assignments and mortgage assignments presented to recorders of deeds for filing and provides standards for recording documents.
SB 304 (Sen. Stewart Greenleaf, R-Bucks/Montgomery): Amends the Associations Code to complete the codification of the Nonprofit Corporation Law.
SB 371 (Sen. Mike Brubaker, R-Chester/Lancaster): Repeals the entire savings association statute and requires the four existing savings associations to covert to savings banks.

JUDICIARY, 9:30 a.m., Room 200, Ryan Office Building

Informational meeting on mental health issues within the criminal justice system.

INSURANCE, 10 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building

SB 194 (Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Berks/Chester/Dauphin/Lancaster/Lebanon): Lifts certain Insurance Department requirements regarding medical malpractice claims reports.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT, 10 a.m., Room 39, East Wing

HB 1177 (Rep. Greg Lucas, R-Crawford/Erie): Clarifies language relating to the formation of a local government study commission to study consolidation or merger of municipalities.
HB 1230 (Rep. Chris Ross, R-Chester): Amends the Real Estate Tax Law regarding the maintenance of certain properties held by the county tax claims bureau.
SB 583 (Sen. John Eichelberger, R-Bedford/Blair/Fulton/Huntingdon/Mifflin): Amends the Economic Development Financing Law to increase non-bid contract maximums and to provide for the annual indexing and adjusting of the figures for inflation.
SB 591 (Sen. Randy Vulakovich, R-Allegheny/Butler): Increases the amount that small municipalities may borrow for equipment and facility upgrade through the Local Government Capitol Project Loan Fund.

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, 10 a.m., Room B-31, Main Capitol

HB 612 (Rep. Mark Mustio, R-Allegheny): Provides for licensure of Naturopathic Doctors under the State Board of Medicine.
HB 776 (Rep. Seth Grove, R-York): Allows pharmacists the ability to immunize patients over the age of 7 with parental consent and allows licensed pharmacy interns to immunize under the direct supervision of a pharmacist who possesses an immunization license.
HB 1348 (Rep. Curt Sonney, R-Erie): Amends the Medical Practice Act regarding requirements for physician review of patient records by physician assistants.
HB 1351 (Rep. Curt Sonney, R-Erie): Amends the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act regarding requirements for physician review of patient records by physician assistants.

TOURISM AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, 10 a.m., Room 60, East Wing

HB 1215 (Rep. Jerry Stern, R-Blair): Creates an independent Pennsylvania Tourism Commission to serve as the state’s official tourism promotion and marketing agency.
HB 1216 (Rep. Jerry Stern, R-Blair): Establishes a tax credit for tourism marketing and promotion.

Session

On Wednesday the House will meet at 11 a.m. for legislative business.

Votes on Third Consideration

HB 1052 (Freeman)
HB 1122 (Gingrich)
HB 1223 (M. Daley)
HB 1225 (Ross)
HB 1228 (Freeman)
HB 1229 (Freeman)
HB 1287 (Cutler)
SB 196 (White)
SB 679 (Wozniak)

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Committee Meetings/Hearings

HUMAN SERVICES, 9 a.m., Room 60, East Wing

Public hearing on medical assistance expansion.

LABOR AND INDUSTRY, 10 a.m., Shawnee Inn, 100 Shawnee Inn Drive, Shawnee On Delaware

Public hearing on HB 858 (Rep. Sandra Major, R-Susquehanna/Wayne/Wyoming): Exempts organized summer camps from paying unemployment taxes on the full-time students they employ.

SELECT COMMITTEE FOR SCHOOL SAFETY, 10 a.m., Robert M. Smith Student Center, Theatre, Room 315, 1 Morrow Way, Slippery Rock

Public hearing on school safety and security.

Friday, June 7, 2013

Committee Meetings/Hearings

LABOR AND INDUSTRY, 9 a.m., Shawnee Inn, 100 Shawnee Inn Drive, Shawnee On Delaware

Public hearing on the Contractor and Subcontractor Payment Act.

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