The next scheduled voting session day is February 2 for the Senate and House members.

Session Schedule

Here's the House and Senate session schedule through June 2009--

House

February 2 (non-voting), 3, 4, 9, 10, 11

March 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31

April 1, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29

May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13

June 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 20

Senate

February 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11,

Budget Hearings: Feb. 23, 24, 25, 26 – March 2, 3, 4, 5

March, 9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31

April 1, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 29

May 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13

June 1, 2 , 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30

You can watch the Senate Floor Sessionand House Floor Sessionlive online.

Committees

The following Committees have meetings this week--

House: the Game and Fisheries Committee has two meetings, one to consider House Bill 92(Staback-D-Schuylkill) authorizing an electronic license transition fee of no more than $1 and a second tohear the Fish and Boat Commission's annual report;theEnvironmental Resources and Energy Committee meets to adopt rules on committee operation; theConsumer Affairs Committee holds three informational meetings, one to adopt rules and discuss a Committee agenda, a second on water and wastewater industry and the third onelectric utilities; theLocal Government Committee meets to consider House Bill 42 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) establishing the Historic Preservation Incentive Program and House Bill 102 (Freeman) extending the duration of Main Street Program Grants; theAgriculture and Rural Affairs Committee meets to adopt rules and discuss future Committee activities; theTransportation Committee informational briefing on the federal economic stimulus proposal.

Senate: the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee considers the nomination of Everette James as Secretary of Health.

Bills Introduced

These bills of interest were introduced this week--

Pharmaceutical Disposal: House Bill 33 (O'Brien-D-Philadelphia) providing for the acceptance and collection of pharmaceuticals for proper disposal.

Historic Preservation Grants/Tax Credits: House Bill 42 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) providing for historic preservation grants and tax credits.

Green Building Tax Credit: House Bill 43 (Harper-R-Montgomery) establishing a High-Performance Green Buildings Tax Credit.

Hazardous Materials Response: House Bill 86 (Fairchild-R-Union) amending the Hazardous Material Emergency Planning and Response Act to clarify requirements for certifying hazardous material response teams and adding provisions requiring a review of existing standards.

Fisheries Management: House Bill 96 (Staback-D-Schuylkill) providing for guiding principles in fisheries and aquatic resource management decisions.

Main Street Program: House Bill 102 (Freeman-D-Northampton) extending the duration of grants under the Main Street Program.

Utility Service Shutoff: House Bill 98 (Thomas-D-Philadelphia) revising requirements for shutting off utility services.

Growing Greener/Community Conservation Partnership Program Evaluation: House Resolution 17(Harper-R-Montgomery) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to evaluate the Growing Greener and Community Conservation Partnerships Programs.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative: House Resolution 30 (M.O'Brien-D-Philadelphia) urging the Governor to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

Stony Creek Wild and Scenic River: Senate Bill 66 (Piccola-R-Dauphin) amending the Stony Creek Wild and Scenic River Act to limit the sale or use of state-owned land within the designated corridor.

Land Recycling - Lenders: Senate Bill 84 (Greenleaf-R-Montgomery) amending the Environmental Liability Protection Act to provide for economic development agency liability and add defenses.

EQB Counsel: Senate Bill 85 (Musto-D-Luzerne) authorizing the Environmental Quality Board to hire legal counsel.

Infrastructure Bond Fix: Senate Bill 86 (Musto-D-Luzerne) making a technical correction to the Water and Sewer Systems Assistance Act which authorized the successful $400 million bond issue passed by voters last November.

EQB Petitioning Changes: Senate Bill 114 (M.White-R-Venango) amending the Environmental Quality Board rulemaking petition process.

1/30/2009