The information you need to follow legislation in the House and Senate- starting with articles and NewsClips from last week--

Senate/House Bills Moving

House

Anti-SLAPP Lawsuits: House Bill 1466 (Bizzarro-D-Erie) that would help prevent powerful interests from filing SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) lawsuits to silence citizen critics and chill free speech was given final, unanimous approval by the Senate and House and now goes to the Governor for his action  [House Summary & Fiscal Note].  Read more here.

Geologic Sequestration Of Carbon Dioxide: Senate Bill 831 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) establishing a framework for authorizing the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide through injection wells was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee and passed by the House 127 to 75.  The bill was concurred in by the Senate 37 to 12 and now goes to the Governor for his action.   Read more here.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Tax: Senate Bill 656 (Rothman-R-Cumberland) providing for an annual tax on alternative fuel vehicles was amended and reported from the House Appropriations Committee [House Summary & Fiscal Note] and passed by the House 190 to 12.  The bill was concurred in by the Senate and now it goes to the Governor for his action.

Lithium Battery Stewardship: House Bill 2241 (Siegel-D-Lehigh) providing a lithium battery recycling and stewardship was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee [House Summary & Fiscal Note] and passed by the House 115 to 86.  The bill now goes to the Senate for action.

Parks & Recreation Month: House Resolution 411 (Fleming-D-Dauphin) designating July Parks and Recreation Month was removed from the Table and passed by the House 200 to 1.

Senate

Solar For Schools Grants: House Bill 1032 (Fiedler-D-Philadelphia) establishing a grant program to support solar energy facility projects at schools was referred into and out of the Senate Appropriations Committee and passed by the Senate 42 to 7 [Senate Summary & Fiscal Note].  The bill was concurred in by the House and now goes to the Governor for his action..

Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week--

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week  [PaEN]

Bill Calendars

House (September 23): House Bill 1862, House Bill 1863 and House Bill 1864 sponsored by Matzie (D-Beaver) further providing for the acquisition of municipal water and wastewater systems House Resolution 196 (Matzie-D-Beaver) designating the week of September 18-24, 2023 Rail Safety Week; House Resolution 228 (Otten-D-Chester) designating the week of October 1 through 7, 2023, as "Climate Week" in Pennsylvania. <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (September 16): Senate Bill 1058 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) abrogating the final regulation reducing carbon pollution from power plants [RGGI].  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House

July 16-- House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee information meeting on proposed Urban Agriculture Incentive Zones - House Bill 920 (Rabb-D-Philadelphia).  Manchester Bidwell Corp, 1815 Metropolitan St., Pittsburgh.  1:30 p.m.  Click Here to watch live.

<>  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.

Session Schedule

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

House

September 23

Senate

September 16, 17, 18, 30

October 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 21, 22, 23

November 13, 14

[Posted: July 14, 2024]

7/15/2024