These bills of interest moved in the Senate and House this week--

Senate

Landowner Liability: Senate Bill 497 (Robbins-R-Mercer) limiting the liability of landowners making property available for recreational purposes was passed by the Senate and now goes to the House.

Deep Mine Safety: Senate Bill 949 (Kasunic-D-Somerset) making the first comprehensive revisions to the Bituminous Coal Mine Safety Act in 45 years, in-part based on recommendations made after the 2002 Quecreek Mine Rescue, was amended and reported from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Diesel Idling: Senate Bill 295 (Browne-R-Lehigh) limiting diesel idling was amended to bring the bill more in line with regulations proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection and reported from the Senate Transportation Committee.

Trespass Penalties: Senate Bill 1096 (Gordner-R-Columbia) providing for the disposition of fines for trespass in an account reserved for snowmobiles and ATVs was reported from the Senate Transportation Committee.

House

Great Lakes Compact: House Bill 1705 (Harkins-D-Erie) authorizing Pennsylvania to join the Great Lakes Compact governing water withdrawals in the Lake Erie Basin was passed by the House and goes to the Senate for consideration.

Sludge Testing: House Bill 792 (George-D-Clearfield) requiring municipalities to conduct sewage sludge testing on certain lands was reported from the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and referred to the House Appropriations Committee.

State Park In-Lieu of Taxes: House Bill 1970 (DeWeese-D-Greene) requiring DCNR to make in-lieu of tax payments for State Parks from Gaming Fund revenues was amended and reported from the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Hazardous Sites Fund Reporting: Senate Bill 913 (MJ.White-R-Venango) providing for additional reporting of expenditures from the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund was amended to eliminate the funding provisions of the bill, was reported from the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and then referred to the House Appropriations Committee.

Litter Education: House Bill 1319 (Siptroth-D-Monroe) providing additional penalties for scattering rubbish and acknowledgment of littering fines at the time of application for a learner’s permit or driver’s license was reported from the House Judiciary Committee with the recommendation the bill be re-referred to the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee.

Theft of Scrap Materials: House Bill 1742 (Pashinski-D-Luzerne) the Scrap Material Theft Prevention Act was amended and is on the House Calendar for final action.

Local Planning: The House Local Government Committee amended and reported out House Bill 1812 (Gillespie-R-York) amending the Municipalities Planning Code related to mediation and then tabled.

2/1/2008