Other bills moved this week as well and new bills were introduced. Here’s the rundown….

Senate

Open Space: House Bill 183 (Ross-R-Chester) providing more local taxing options for preserving open space was amended and reported out by the Senate Local Government Committee.

Historic Preservation: The Senate Community and Economic Development Committee reported out Senate Bill 1232 (Piccola-R-Dauphin) establishing the Historic Preservation Incentive Grant Program and was then referred to Senate Appropriations Committee.

House

State Energy Office: House Bill 2253 (George-D-Clearfield) which would create a State Energy Office and Energy Advisory Council within the Department of Environmental Protection was passed by the House and now moves to the Senate. NewsClip: House Approves Creation of PA Energy Office.

Open Space Bond: House Bill 2793 (Petri-R-Bucks) proposing a $150 million bond issue for voter approval to fund open space preservation and flood hazard mitigation projects was amended and passed by the House and now goes to the Senate.

Purchasing Flood Hazard Properties: House Bill 2795 (Petri-R-Bucks) authorizing the Commonwealth and local government to purchase property subject to flood hazards was passed by the House and now moves to the Senate.

Disaster Assistance: House Bill 2794 (Petri-R-Bucks) establish a disaster assistance program to provide low-interest loans to victims of natural and manmade disasters was passed by the House and now goes to the Senate.

Fluoridation: House Bill 1588 (Tigue-D-Luzerne) providing for the fluoridation of public water was amended and passed by the House and now moves to the Senate.

Flood Insurance: House Bill 243 (Semmel-R-Berks) to provide premium assistance for property owners eligible for federal flood insurance was amended and passed by the House. NewsClip: Bill Seeks to Lower Flood Insurance Costs

Mine Families First: House Bill 2619 (Bastian-R-Somerset) establishing the Mine Families First Program was reported out of the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and was referred to House Rules Committee.

Reducing Mercury Emissions: Senate Bill 1201 (MJ.White-R-Venango, Musto-D-Luzerne) that would reduce mercury emissions from power plants in Pennsylvania by 86 percent by 2018 was referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Bills Introduced

Methane Recovery: House Bill 2836 (Yewcic-D-Cambria) amends the Surface Mining Conservation and Reclamation Act to require agreements for compensation between a landowner and potential extractor of methane or other gas found in a coal formation.

Weatherization Tax Credit: House Bill 2841 (George-D-Clearfield) establishing a Weatherization Tax Credit for public utilities providing weatherization assistance.

Geospatial Council: House Bill 2871 (Fairchild-R-Union) establishing the Geospatical Coordinating Council and the Pennsylvania Mapping and Geospatical Technologies Fund.

Mineral Rights Purchase: House Bill 2882 (Yewcic-D-Cambria) provides surface rights owner right of first refusal in purchase of mineral rights.

Hunting & Fishing Day: House Resolution 746 (E.Taylor-R-Chester) designating September 23 as National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Coal Miner’s Day: House Resolution 795 (DeWeese-D-Greene) designating December 19 as Coal Miner’s Day.

Gasoline Price Investigation: House Resolution 815 (Barrar-R-Chester) establishing a task force to conduct an in-depth investigation into gasoline prices, oil companies’ pricing formulas and profits.

Flood Maps: House Resolution 819 (Hanna-D-Clinton) urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to review and update flood maps every ten years.

Rail Transportation Preparedness: House Resolution 824 (Gannon-R-Delaware) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a study of rail transportation preparedness in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist attack or hazardous materials incident.

National Energy Policy: House Resolution 826 (M.Wright-R-Bucks) memorializing Congress to adopt a federal energy policy to reduce dependency on foreign oil and increase use of natural or alternative fuel sources.

Home Energy Assistance: Senate Bill 1270 (Robbins-R-Mercer) establishing the Home Energy Assistance in Time of Need Program to provide home heating energy help.

Recycling Tax Credit: Senate Bill 1275 (Browne-R-Lehigh) exempts the salvaging, recycling or reclaiming of used materials to be recycled in a manufacturing process from state Sales and Use Tax.

Nuclear Reactor Fees: Senate Bill 1276 (D.White-R-Indiana) amending the Radiation Protection Act to increase fees on nuclear reactors.

7/2/2006