The committee held a public hearing on HB 265. Rep. Mark Mustio (R-Allegheny), prime sponsor of the legislation, said the bill would help give victims “peace of mind” and stressed that the legislation would put Pennsylvania in compliance with the Violence Against Women Act. Currently, the state is losing out on 5 percent of federal funding under the Act  which goes to programs for victims of domestic violence. The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association spoke in favor of the bill; the ACLU, the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence is against the legislation. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.

The subcommittee held a public hearing on HB 1619; the legislation would provide for the merit selection of judges to Pennsylvania’s appellate courts.  The Pennsylvania Association for Justice and the AFL-CIO spoke against the legislation. Tom Folley, speaking on behalf of the PA Association for Justice, said the organization is “extremely concerned about the lottery system being proposed to determine which groups are able to participate directly in the judicial selection process.” Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts and the Pennsylvania Manufacturers’ Association (PMA) were among the many organizations that spoke in support of the bill. Dave Taylor, Executive Director of PMA said “by combining elements of elective and appointive systems for nominating our appellate court judges, Pennsylvania can both uphold the professionalism of the courts and protect our jurists from the conflicts of interest that inevitably arise from political fundraising and campaigning.” Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.