The Senate and House committee meeting schedules and floor Calendars will be in a state of flux due to the need to move budget bills and other legislation, but this is the snapshot we have at the moment--

Session Schedule

The Senate and House will be working in more or less continuous voting session until the state budget is done.

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

Calendars/Committees

The Senate and House committee meeting schedules and floor Calendars as we have them now due to state budget sessions--

Calendars

House (Next Voting Day): Senate Bill 356 (M.White-R-Venango) establishing the PA Center for Environmental Education in law; Senate Bill 1020 (Wonderling-R-Montgomery) updating the 1945 Conservation District Law; House Bill 2549 (Siptroth-D-Monroe) authorizing funding for unsafe high hazard dam repairs; 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 Bill 934 (Scavello-R-Monroe) authorizing counties to impose up to a $4/ton solid waste management fee to support local recycling, anti-litter programs; House Resolution 712 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) re-establishing the Forestry Task Force; House Resolution 719 (George-D-Clearfield) endorsing request for federal funding for PA river basin commissions.

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 November 15 as “Pennsylvania GIS Day” and the week of November 11-17 as “National Geography Awareness Week.”

Senate (Next Voting Day): Senate Bill 1134 (Tomlinson-R-Bucks) providing for a transition period after rate caps come off in 2010; Senate Bill 949 (Kasunic-D-Somerset) update to the Bituminous Coal Mine Safety Act; House Bill 1329 (Kessler-D-Berks) further providing for appeals and challenges to zoning ordinances; House Bill 221 (Tangretti-D-Westmoreland) establishing an Historic Preservation Incentive Program; House Bill 1742 (Pashinski-D-Luzerne) prevention of scrap material thefts; House Bill 1280 (Freeman-D-Lehigh) amending the Municipalities Planning Code to further define traditional neighborhood development.

Committees

The Senate and House will schedule meetings as needed to move budget and other legislation.

House Labor Relations Committee meets to consider House Bill 2445 (Eachus-D-Luzerne) providing for neighborhood blight reclamation and revitalization

Bills Introduced

The following legislation of interest was introduced this week—

Official Butterfly: House Resolution 810 (Eachus-D-Luzerne) memorializing the Governor to proclaim the Regal Fritillary butterfly as the Pennsylvania State Butterfly.

Fisheries Guiding Principles: House Bill 2672 (Staback-D-Schuylkill) establishing a guiding principle in fisheries and aquatic resource management decisions. (The bill was reported out of the House Game and Fisheries Committee this week.)

Biodiesel Standards: Special Session House Bill 3 (Gerber-D-Montgomery) setting biodiesel standards.

State Building Standards: Special Session Senate Bill 45 (Rafferty-R-Montgomery) requires new and renovated buildings used by state and local government to comply with Energy Star high performance building efficiency standards.

Ag Security Areas: Senate Bill 1514 (Dinniman-D-Chester) removing language providing the condemnation approval shall not be required for an underground public utility in Agricultural Security Areas.

6/27/2008