The Senate, followed by the House Wednesday put a new Fiscal Code bill-- House Bill 1589 (Causer-R- Cameron)-- on the Governor’s desk by veto-proof margins.  The bill contains a new formula to distribute basic education funding, cuts Environmental Stewardship (Growing Greener) funding by $15 million and takes $12 million from CFA’s High Performance Buildings Program and transfers it to fund a new program to expand natural gas infrastructure.

The bill also contains provisions that earmarks existing DCNR funding for the operation of Washington Crossing Historical Park and directs funding to sewer and drinking water projects for specific legislators.

A House Fiscal Note and summary is available.

A spokesperson for Gov. Wolf said he will review the legislation in its entirety and has not decided whether to sign or veto the bill.  He repeated the Governor's position that a new funding formula for basic education should not go into effect until after full funding is restored to schools.

It does NOT contain the provisions from the last Fiscal Code bill-- House Bill 1327 (Peifer-R-Pike)--  delaying Pennsylvania plan to meet the Clean Power Climate Plan rule and killing DEP’s final conventional oil and gas drilling regulations.

Those provisions were included in separate bills reported out of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and are on the Senate Calendar.  Those bills are--

-- Senate Bill 1011 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) killing DEP’s final drilling regulations covering conventional oil and gas wells and starting the rulemaking process over; and

-- Senate Bill 1195 (White-R-Indiana)  to further delay a Pennsylvania plan for meeting EPA’s Clean Power Climate Plan rule by changing the General Assembly’s review dates under Act 175 of 2014.

Both bills are on the Senate Calendar awaiting action for when the Senate returns on May 9.

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4/18/2016