The Senate and House will return to voting session April 7, 8 and 9 and then break until after the April 22 Primary Election.

You can watch the Senate Floor Session and House Floor Session live online.

The Senate and House published committee schedules for next week and floor Calendars for April 7—

Calendars

House (April 7): House Bill 1078 (Hanna-D-Clinton) establishing the Elk Damage Fund providing for deterrent fences for deer, bear and elk and payment of claims for elk damage; House Resolution 546 (George-D-Clearfield) urging Congress to investigate gas and energy prices; House Resolution 627 (George-D-Clearfield) urging federal government to provide more heating assistance funding; House Resolution 642 (Levdansky-D-Allegheny) which would direct the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to do an audit of the Game Commission’s Deer Management Program.

Special Session House Bill 13 (Bennington-R-Mifflin) amends the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act to provide for increased use of energy efficiency, extends the compliance period from 15 to 21 years and provides additional milestones for the use of alternative energy; Special Session House Bill 17 (McIlvaine Smith-D-Montgomery) excluding purchase price of hybrid electric vehicles from sales and use tax; Special Session House Resolution 6 (Thomas-D-Philadelphia) designating the week of November 11-17 as “National Geography Awareness Week.”

Senate (April 7) House Bill 1214 (Surra-D-Elk) changing the terms of Game Commissioners from eight to four years; Senate Bill 1020 (Wonderling-R-Montgomery) updating the County Conservation District law.

Committees

House: the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 949 (Kasunic-D-Somerset) updating the Bituminous Coal Mine Safety Act and House Bill 2198 (Bennington-D-Allegheny) banning the use of plastic bags in stores; the Transportation Committee holds a hearing on Senate Bill 295 (Browne-R-Lehigh) limiting the idling of diesel engines; the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee holds a hearing on House Bill 2347 (Kessler-D-Berks) establishing the Organic Agriculture Development Act in Oley, Pa.

Senate: the Local Government and Urban Affairs and Housing Committees holds a hearing on multi-municipal planning and shared services in Greensburg.

Bills Introduced

These environmental bills of interest were introduced this week—

Lyme Disease: House Resolution 684 (Rubley-R-Chester) declaring May as “Lyme Disease Awareness Month.”

Allegheny National Forest: House Resolution 685 (Rapp-R-Warren) affirming the consent of the Commonwealth to the acquisition of Allegheny National Forest lands by the United States is conditioned on the preservation of state and privately owned property interests.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells: Special Session House Bill 60 (Milne-R-Chester) establishing a hydrogen fuel cell collaboration program to promote the development and use of hydrogen fuel cells.

Coal Methane: Senate Bill 1330 (D.White-R-Indiana) establishing a Coal Methane Review Board to resolve disputes between property owners over coal bed methane wells.

Sewer/Water Infrastructure: Senate Bill 1341 (Musto-D-Luzerne) authorizing a $1 billion bond issue for the repair and upgrade of drinking water and wastewater treatment systems.

Energy Markets: Senate Resolution 267 (Rhoades-R-Schuylkill) urges Congress to enact legislation to require greater transparency in energy commodities markets (not yet online).

Legacy Sediments: Senate Resolution 283 (Brubaker-R-Lancaster) recognizing the accomplishments of Franklin & Marshall College Professors Robert Walter and Dorothy Merritts for their research into legacy sediments.

4/4/2008