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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2009

Senate Weekly Session Wrap

Important Harrisburg Happenings:

Browne's Bill Easing Burden on Schools Clears Senate

The Senate approved legislation to ease the administrative burden on local schools during the session week of June 15, according to Senator Pat Browne (R-16).

Senate Bill 287, legislation introduced by Senator Browne (R-16), will simplify annual financial reporting requirements to prevent duplication with the annual audit filed by local education agencies.

"There are several methods through which school districts in the Commonwealth are held accountable for the operating and budgeting within their schools," Senator Browne said.  "Senate Bill 287 will decrease the current duplicative reporting requirements as well as save districts time and money without diminishing the financial information collected by the state Department of Education."

Other bills approved by the Senate during the session week of June 15 include:

Senate Bill 112, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, would consolidate in Title 61 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, the acts relating to prisons, probation and parole, and make conforming amendments to the Judicial Code.

Senate Bill 301 reduces the required number of days of consecutive active military service overseas needed to be eligible for the annual $1 fishing license for deployed military from 180 to 60 days.

Senate Bill 302, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, reduces the consecutive days of required overseas service for a $1 National Guard Hunting License from 180 to 60 days.

House Bill 985 protects employees in the banking industry from retaliation if the employee makes a good faith report of a violation of law or cooperates in an investigation. House Bill 985 is similar to Senate Bill 171, a measure co-sponsored by Senator Browne, which passed the Senate (48-0) on March 17, 2009.

Senate Committee Report

Finance Committee approves Senate Bill 1

The Senate Finance Committee approved Senate Bill 1, legislation intended to fundamentally reform Pennsylvania's budgeting process while increasing transparency and accountability in state government, according to Committee Chairman Senator Pat Browne (R-16).

The legislation, introduced by Senator Browne, would establish a Legislative Fiscal Office (LFO), a non-partisan bi-cameral agency with expertise in financial matters.  The LFO would have access to the same agency and department financial information as the Governor's Budget Office.

"The LFO established under Senate Bill 1 would develop the framework for serious discussions about the state budget, outside the realm of partisan politics. It would provide parity among the co-equal branches of government and accountability on the part of programs and departments," Senator Browne said. "The end result will be that we will conclude each budget session more expeditiously with a pragmatic and realistic spending plan that most closely meets the expectations of all of the citizens of the Commonwealth."

While the Governor and Legislature must agree on spending during budget negotiations, the Administration currently has sole discretion over setting the revenue projection for the upcoming fiscal year. Under Senate Bill 1, the LFO would submit a preliminary revenue estimate during the second week of February, a week after the Governor traditionally presents his budget request for the upcoming fiscal Year. The LFO would then submit a binding revenue estimate for the upcoming fiscal year by June 15.

Senate Bill 1 also requires state agencies and departments to submit their budget requests to the LFO at the same time they submit them to the Office of the Budget. Pennsylvania is currently one of only eight states where the Legislature does not receive the agency budget requests.

The LFO would also develop performance measures for state programs and departments and evaluate the performance reviews of those programs and departments as reported by the Administration. "This will enable the General Assembly to more thoroughly and objectively evaluate the effectiveness of our many public programs," Senator Browne said.

Other bills approved by the Finance Committee include:

Senate Bill 122, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, would increase the employer Job Creation Tax Credit from $1,000 to $3,000 for each new job created between the effective date of this bill and June 30, 2010.

Senate Bill 639, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, would provide for permanent tax exempt status for volunteer firefighter relief associations. Under current law, relief associations must renew their tax exemption every five years.

Senate Bill 778 would change the deadline by which homeowners must apply for a property tax exemption to between the time the building permit is issued and six months following the date of the initial occupancy of the property.

Senate Bill 892, sponsored by Senator Browne, is a companion bill to Senate Bill 1. This legislation amends the Administrative Code, provides that the General Assembly is authorized to stipulate that the performance measurements recommended and developed by the Legislative Fiscal Office must be undertaken and reported on by each executive agency as a condition to receiving its prospective appropriation.

House Bill 1182 would add convictions for two additional offenses, "Institutional Sexual Assault" and "Contraband" to the list of offenses which triggers the forfeiture of pension benefits for public employees.

Committee approves measures to protect state park services

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee unanimously approved legislation that would ensure funding for services at state parks is not reduced as a result of budget constraints.

The measures would permit the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to utilize funding from the Environmental Stewardship/Growing Greener Fund (Senate Bill 962) and Key '93 realty transfer tax revenue (Senate Bill 963) for the operation and maintenance of Pennsylvania's 117state parks.

Non-profit and local government organizations, which typically receive funding from these programs, will continue to benefit from the $625 million Growing Greener Bond approved by voters and the General Assembly in 2005.

The committee also unanimously approved two additional bills:

Senate Bill 235 authorizes the state Department of Environmental Protection to implement flood protection measures using nonstructural alternatives including acquisition of land and structures; demolition, removal, relocation, elevation and flood proofing of structures; and floodplain clearance and restoration.

Senate Bill 880, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, authorizes the Secretary of Environmental Protection to enter into redevelopment agreements with developers who remediate brownfield sites. Developers may be eligible to receive a reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the remediation costs.

Appropriations Committee approves "Safe School" legislation

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved five bills during its meeting on Monday, June 15, 2009:

Senate Bill 55, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, establishes a lifetime ban on working in schools for those who have been convicted of serious violent offenses, including sexual violence and crimes against children. The legislation also includes a 10-year school employment ban for those convicted of first-degree misdemeanors.

Senate Bill 56, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, would reform the Safe Schools Law requirement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between school entities and police.  Aside from the strengthening of the MOU, which is required by the Safe Schools Act, this bill would assure that crimes occurring on school property are reported accurately to police and the Department of Education and hold administrators accountable for intentional failure to comply with the Law.

Senate Bill 303, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, establishes the Volunteer Emergency Service Partnership Grant Program Act. This five-year program will provide incentives to encourage volunteer emergency service organizations to consolidate, merge or form partnerships to provide emergency services in a more effective manner.

 Senate Bill 574, co-sponsored by Senator Browne, would require a special permit for fishing in waters that flow into the tributaries of Lake Erie or Presque Isle Bay. The permit fee would be $8 or $6 if a trout/salmon stamp is also purchased. Proceeds from the fees, anticipated at $3,000 to $4,000 annually, will be used for protecting or improving fish habitat on Lake Erie, Presque Isle Bay and their tributaries.

Senate Bill 783 amends the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Funding Act to change the date the annual report on the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund is due from August 31 to December 31.  The bill was amended to also require any fines imposed under the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act (HSCA) be deposited into the HSCA Fund.

Contact:

Matt Moyer
(610) 366-2327