The House Appropriations committee heard testimony from Auditor General Jack Wagner to discuss appropriations for the Fiscal Year 2010-2011. Auditor General Wagner fielded a variety of questions from members on issues such as the special performance audit of the Department of Welfare’s Special Allowance program, the sale of a state building in Pittsburgh and the “swaps” issue. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
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The committee conducted a public hearing on HB 10 which amends The Fourth to Eighth Class and Selective County Assessment Law by adding language specifying that “rights held pursuant to a lease or other agreement” under Act 60 of 1979 relative to the extraction, removal or recovery of gas, oil, or coal bed methane are subject to taxation. The legislation was introduced by Rep. William DeWeese (D-Greene) in response to a 2002 state Supreme Court decision concluding there was no specific authority in statute to levy real estate taxes on oil and gas interests. The County Commissioners Association, the School Boards Association, the Boroughs Association and the Township Supervisors Association all testified in favor of bill while opposition was expressed by the Independent Oil & Gas Association of PA. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Tags: boroughs, Counties, mineral extraction, property reassessment, property taxes, school boards, townships | Category: House Finance, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The House Appropriations Committee heard testimony from State Treasurer Robert McCord to discuss Treasury Department appropriations for the Fiscal Year 2010-11. McCord stressed the need for upgrades to the Treasury’s IT infrastructure and informed the committee the mainframe of the IT system has been in place since President Nixon held Office. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the complete story. Posted by Joe McGarrity | Tags: Treasury Department | Category: Budget Hearing, House Appropriations | Leave a comment | Share:
The House Appropriations Committee continued their 2010 budget hearings today, beginning with a question and answer session about the budget submitted by the Attorney General. The Attorney General asked for a 2% overall increase in the budget to help account for fixed costs and contractual agreements. Concerns of the legislators focused around drug enforcement, witness relocation, gun control, and staffing concerns. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story and continuing detailed coverage of the 2010 budget hearings. The American Heart Association was joined by lawmakers for a press conference this afternoon to kick off America Heart month. Jennifer Ebersole, Executive Director of Advocacy for the American Heart Association of Pennsylvania said the organization is calling on all Pennsylvanians to “join the battle against cardiovascular diseases and strokes.” She said heart disease is the “number one killer” of Pennsylvanians each year and discussed the steps individuals can take to improve their cardiovascular health. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. At a joint hearing of the House Gaming Oversight and Senate Community, Economic and Recreational Development committees this morning, representatives from the Department of State, Common Cause PA, PAGR, as well as the Pennsylvania Casino Association (PCA) itself discussed current lobbying disclosure laws and how they pertain to the activity of the PCA. PCA Board Chairman and Counsel Richard Sprague maintained PCA is a trade association and has not done anything under current law to trigger a requirement to register as a lobbying entity. Sprague revealed the PCA board is looking at various lobbying firms to represent the association, and advised upon hiring a firm the association will register under the lobbying disclosure law. He offered to register anyway if the joint committee were to acknowledge that PCA is guilty of no wrongdoing. Chairwoman Jane Earll (R-Erie) said a consensus opinion from members on that point is unlikely to be forthcoming, and told Sprague that at this point the burden is on them to register, or not. Check the Capitol Toolbox later on for the full story on the joint hearing. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: gaming, lobbying disclosure | Category: House Gaming Oversight, Public/Informational Committee Hearing, Senate Community, Economic & Rec. Development | Leave a comment | Share:
The committee met to consider four bills. HB 933, SB 87, SB 960 were reported as committed. SB 1076 was reported as amended with three Senators voting in the negative. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the details. Posted by Jason Gottesman | Tags: nurses, state-related universities, veterans | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness | Leave a comment | Share:
The Senate Local Gov’t Committee met to consider a lengthy agenda of 18 bills, all of which were drafted by the Local Government Commission. The entire package was reported with minimal discussion; HBs 1515-1520 were amended to match a Senate package of similar bills relating to ADA compliance and the remaining agenda was reported without amendments. Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox early this afternoon. Posted by Kim Collins | Tags: Local Government | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, Senate Local Government | Leave a comment | Share:
GOVERNOR SAYS PA HOSPITALS WILLING TO TREAT SEVERELY INJURED HAITIANS Governor Rendell was joined by Department of Health Secretary Everette James and Carolyn Scanlan, president and CEO of the Hospital and Health Association of Pennsylvania for press conference yesterday to announce that “Pennsylvania is ready to provide medical and humanitarian care for some critically injured earthquake victims.” The governor sent a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary which said that several Pennsylvania hospitals are “willing to accept patients immediately despite a lack of clarity regarding federal reimbursement for services and how and when that will be provided.” Governor Rendell indicated that Florida is already treating some Haitian patients but the demand has caused the U.S. Transportation Command to reach out to additional states to help care for the victims. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox for the full story. ONORATO LEADS IN FUNDRAISING According to an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, with the filing of campaign-finance reports by all gubernatorial candidates yesterday, Dan Onorato strongly fortified the widespread perception that he is the front-runner in the four-way Democratic primary for the office. The Allegheny County executive reported having nearly 10 Continue reading Eye Opener – February 2, 2010 |
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