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

House

General Fund Budget: House Bill 1437 (Adolph-R-Delaware) FY 2013-14 General Fund Budget was signed into law as Act 1A.  A summary and Senate Fiscal Note are available.  Click Here for an “enhanced” FY 2013-14 budget fact sheet from the Governor’s office. Click Here to view a Senate Republican spreadsheet comparing FY 2012-13 and new FY 2013-14 appropriations.  Click Here for the agency-by-agency budget spreadsheet which compares current year funding, the Governor’s request and the agreed-to budget numbers.  Click Here for House Democratic FY 2013-14 budget spreadsheet.  Click Here for House Republicans budget spreadsheet.  The bill was signed into law by the Governor as Act 1A.

Tax Code: House Bill 465 MacKenzie (R-Berks) amends the Tax Code was amended with a dozen new provisions, including: extending the Wild Resource Conservation Tax Checkoff until 2018, repeals the never used Coal Waste and Ultraclean Fuels Tax Credit.  A summary and House Fiscal Note are available.  The House amended the bill and returned it to the Senate which concurred in House amendments.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Fiscal Code: Senate Bill 591 (Vulakovich-D-Allegheny) budget-related amendments to the Fiscal Code was amended and reported out of the House Appropriations Committee and was passed by the House.  The bill includes provisions related to eliminating General Fund appropriations to DEP for the Consumer Energy Program for FY 2012-13 and FY 2013-14, appropriates $150,000 for independent research regarding natural gas drilling to DEP, gives priorities to municipalities in counties of the sixth, seventh and eighth class with approved applications for Sewage Facilities Planning Grants, extends the payback of the Storage Tank Fund to July 2029, $3 million was appropriated to the Commonwealth Financing Authority for water and sewer projects costing between $50,000 and $150,000, directing DCNR to enter into an agreement to manage Washington Crossing Historic Park with the PA Historical and Museum Commission.  The bill returns to the Senate for a concurrence vote.

Oil & Gas Royalties: Senate Bill 259 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) further providing for the reporting of royalties from oil and gas wells and combining gas leases for horizontal drilling was concurred in by the Senate. A summary and House Fiscal Note are available. The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

NewsClips:

Landowners Angered Over Bill Combining Leases

Gas Drilling Royalty Owners Oppose New Bill

Senate

Stormwater: Senate Bill 351 (Erickson-R-Delaware) authorizing municipal authorities to undertake stormwater projects was passed by the House and returned to the Senate which concurred in House amendments.  A summary and House Fiscal Note are available.  The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Permit Extensions: House Bill 784 (Evankovich-R-Armstrong) extending permit pending and approved in the Department of Environmental Protection and other agencies through July 2, 2016 was reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee, amended on the Senate Floor and passed by the Senate. A summary and Senate Fiscal Note are available.  The bill returned to the House which concurred in Senate amendments. The bill now goes to the Governor for his action.

Emissions Inspection: Senate Bill 332 (Vogel-R-Beaver) intends to exempt vehicles of up to 10 years old from the emissions inspection program was Tabled by the Senate before they adjourned for the summer.

Marcellus Health Advisory Panel: Senate Bill 555 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson) establishing the Health Advisory Panel on Shale Gas Extraction and Natural Gas Use was Tabled by the Senate before they adjourned for the summer.

State Forest Wind Farms: Senate Bill 684 (Wozniak-D-Cambria) relating to leasing state forest land for wind farm development was Tabled by the Senate before they adjourned for the summer.

7/8/2013