The following bills of interest saw action this week in the House and Senate--

House

Storage Tank Cleanup: Senate Bill 1398 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) extending the Storage Tank Cleanup Program was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee and passed by the House without amendment.  A summary and House Fiscal Note are available.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Energy Assistance: House Bill 1991 (Cutler-R-Lancaster) further providing for eligibility screening for energy conservation assistance was reported from the House Appropriations Committee and passed by the House.  A summary and House Fiscal Note are available.  The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Nuclear Fuel Storage: House Resolution 750 (Godshall-R- Montgomery) memorializing the President and Congress to provide for the storage of used nuclear fuel was reported from the House State Government Committee and is on the House Calendar for action.

Low-RVP Gasoline: Senate Bill 1386 (Vogel-R-Beaver) evaluating alternatives to low-RVP gasoline in Pittsburgh and repealing Stage II vapor controls was removed from the Table and is now on the House Calendar for action.

Uniform Permit Reviews: House Bill 1659 (Pyle-R-Armstrong) providing for a uniform permit review and consideration process within DEP was removed from the Table, amended on the House Floor after extended debate and many amendments and was referred to the House Appropriations Committee.

Permit Extensions: House Bill 2470 (Evankovich-R-Armstrong) amending the Fiscal Code to further provide for government permit extensions was reported from the House Finance Committee and referred to the House Rules Committee.

Senate

BioEnergy Crops: House Bill 608 (Brooks-R- Crawford) providing for the use of bioenergy crops in mine reclamation was passed by the Senate without amendment.  A summary and Senate Fiscal Note are available.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Regulatory Review: House Bill 1349 (Pickett-R-Bradford) providing for small business impact as part of regulatory review was amended on the Senate Floor and passed unanimously by the Senate and concurred in by the House.  A summary and House Fiscal Note are available.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

“The complexity of state regulations, along with the undue hardships that sometimes follow many regulatory mandates, hamper the success of small businesses to compete in the business world, and it is time that the voice of small businesses be considered when forming regulations,” said Rep. Tina Pickett, a former small business owner. “This legislation gives small businesses a seat at the table so their input and experience are considered when regulations are drafted, debated and approved. This type of input is valuable to improve our business climate in Pennsylvania and attract more job creators.

“Ensuring that we have the proper regulations in place to protect the public is an important part of our role in state government, but we must also achieve a reasonable balance to ensure that the benefit of the regulation isn’t outweighed by unreasonable cost, bureaucratic red tape or redundancy,” she said. “Instead, this legislation allows a business to be given more flexibility in meeting paperwork deadlines or submitting paperwork electronically instead of through the mail.”

Biofuels Compliance: House Bill 807 (Sonney-R-Erie) further providing for the definition, content, registration and enforcement of the Biofuel Development and In-State Production Incentive Act was passed by the Senate.  A summary and Senate Fiscal Note is available.  The House then concurred in Senate amendments and sent the bill to the Governor for his action.

Mandatory Recycling: House Bill 1934 (F.Keller-R-Snyder) further providing for mandatory recycling was reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Calendar for action.

Private-Public Transportation Projects: House Bill 3 (Geist-R-Blair) providing for private-public transportation projects was amended and reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee and is on the Senate Calendar for action.  A summary and Senate Fiscal Note is available.

Emissions Inspection: Senate Bill 1532 (Vogel-R-Beaver) exempting certain vehicles from the vehicle emissions inspection program was reported from the Senate Transportation Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Business Permitting Portal: House Bill 2022 (Peifer-R-Monroe) providing for a PA Business Permitting Portal within DCED was amended and reported from the Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development Committee and is now on the Senate Calendar for action.

Alternative Energy: Senate Bill 1544 (Wozniak-D-Cambria) authorizing DCNR to lease lands for wind, solar and other renewable energy projects was reported from the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Emergency Shut-Offs: House Bill 728 (Barrar-R-Bucks) setting new standards for emergency shut-off values for facilities dispensing flammable liquids was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Mine Drainage Reuse: Senate Bill 1346 (Kasunic-D-Somerset) encouraging the use of mine drainage water for fracking and other purposes was referred to the Senate Appropriations Committee.

6/25/2012