Here are the Senate and House Calendars for the next voting session day and Committees scheduling action on bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

Bill Calendars

House (April 19): House Bill 763 (B-Miller-R-Lancaster) would require PennDOT to develop a list of native vegetation species that can be used in roadside work that is done throughout the state.. <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar. 

Senate (April 19): Senate Bill 251 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) which sets standards for the application of fertilizer to turf, provides for the certification of professional fertilizer applicators and for labeling and an education program;  Senate Bill 435-- encouraging the development of clean transportation infrastructure to support electric, natural gas and hydrogen vehicles. <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings  This Week

House:   <>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate:   <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Bills Pending In Key Committees 

Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.

Bills Introduced 

The following bills of interest were introduced last week-- 

DEP Permit Applicant Is Always Right: House Bill 604 (Fritz-R-Susquehanna) adding more bureaucracy to the DEP permit review process, declaring in law the applicant for an environmental permit is always right and eliminates public comment periods.  Read more here.

Rolls Back Environmental Protection Standards For Conventional Oil & Gas Wells: House Bill 1144 (Causer-R- Cameron) rolls back environmental protection standards for conventional oil and gas wells.  This legislation was vetoed by Gov. Wolf in 2020.  Read more here. 

Rolls Back Environmental Protection Standards For Conventional Oil & Gas Wells: Senate Bill 534 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) rolls back environmental protection standards for conventional oil and gas wells.  This legislation was vetoed by Gov. Wolf in 2020.  Read more here.

Killing Regulations By Doing Nothing: Senate Bill 520 (DiSanto-R-Dauphin) killing economically significant regulations by doing nothing.  Read more here.

Universal Testing Of Children For Lead: Senate Bill 522 (Baker-R-Luzerne,Yudichak-I-Luzerne) requiring the testing of children and pregnant women for lead levels (sponsor summary).

Adding Solar Panels To Broken E-Waste Recycling Program: Senate Bill 530 (Dush-R- Jefferson) requiring the recycling of solar panels through the broken state electronic waste recycling program to drive up solar energy costs.  Read more here.

Kills Public Participation In Agency Rulemaking/Policy Making During A Declared Emergency:  Senate Bill 533 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would prohibit any public participation in state agency rulemaking and policy making processes during a declared emergency and prohibits agencies from adopting regulations.  Read more here.

Adding More Bureaucracy To Permit Review Process: Senate Bill 535 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) would add more bureaucracy to the DEP permit review process by requiring third-party permit reviews.  Read more here.

Letting Companies Decide When To Report Pollution: Senate Bill 545 which allows companies to decide when to report spills that pollute receiving streams and harm public health (sponsor summary).  Read more here.

House and Senate Co-Sponsorship Memos

House: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos

Senate: Click Here for all new co-sponsorship memos

Session Schedule

Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--

Senate

Senate Budget Hearings Start March 8

April 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28

May 10, 11, 12, 24, 25, 26

June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30

House 

April 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28

May 3, 4, 5, 24, 25, 26

June 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 30

September 13, 14, 15, 27, 28, 29

October 4, 5, 6, 25, 26, 27

November 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17

December 13, 14, 15

4/12/2021