The committee met to consider seven bills. HB 2107, HB 2126, HB 2245 and HB 740 were reported as committed. HB 2065 and HB 259 were reported as amended. HB 987 was passed over. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
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This morning the House Agriculture and State Government committees held a joint hearing on food safety bill HB 174 and the consequences of the many health code violations found during a December 17th Ag Department inspection of the capitol cafeteria, which is run by Aramark. DGS Secretary Jim Creedon reported the trees planted around the cafeteria have been removed, and various holes capped off, which he believes will go a long way towards preventing future infestations. Aramark representative Bruce Walton also appeared before the committee to discuss why Aramark employees did not come forward to report the obvious presence of mice, and assure that such a situation will not be allowed to happen again. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: agriculture, capitol cafeteria, DGS, mice | Category: House Agriculture & Rural Affairs, House State Government, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
The committees held a joint public hearing on the 2010 Census. Philip Lutz, Assistant Regional Census Manager and Ben Ramos, Partnership Coordinator gave an overview of the census operation and discussed the challenges that they face including overcoming language barriers. Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee, Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York) said the census is a “critical issue” because Pennsylvania may lose additional congressional seats which would impact the amount of funding the state will receive in the future. Chairman of the State Government Committee, Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia) agreed and encouraged House members to join the Complete Count Caucus to ensure that Pennsylvania gets an accurate count. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. Posted by Matt Hess | Category: House Consumer Affairs, House Democratic Policy, House Professional Licensure, House Republican Policy, House Select, House State Government | Leave a comment | Share:
The House State Government Committee held a hearing this morning on HB 2083, which would provide for a constitutional provision that would require an Attorney General take a four-year hiatus before running for governor. Rep. Babette Josephs (D-Philadelphia), the prime sponsor of the bill, cited a potential conflict of interest on part of an acting Attorney General while campaigning for governor. She also stated that campaigning for governor could compromise an Attorney General’s time spent on serving the public. Testimony was heard from the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Commonwealth Foundation. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by PLS Intern | Category: House Select, House State Government, Public/Informational Committee Hearing | Leave a comment | Share:
House State Government met this afternoon and reported as committed three bills, including a joint resolution sponsored by Rep. Neal Goodman (D-Schuylkill) that would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution making the Insurance Commissioner an elected position. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: Harrisburg, insurance | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Select, House State Government | Leave a comment | Share:
Pennsylvania Secretary of State, Pedro Cortes, gave testimony to the House State Government Committee this morning on the Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act (MOVE). MOVE was signed into law in October by President Barack Obama as an amendment to the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voter Act (UOCAVA). The act requires states to establish procedures for military and overseas voters to request voter registration forms and for the states to send voter registration forms and absentee ballots for federal elections and primaries. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the story. The committee voted unanimously voted to report as amended HB 1880 establishing the Pennsylvania Government Accountability Portal. Reported as committed was HB 1974 requiring county boards of election to publish sample ballots on the county’s public internet website. After a lengthy discussion, the committee also unanimously reported as committed HB 1805 which gives specific guidelines for the existing Legislative Reapportionment Commission to follow when drawing districts. Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. Posted by Jeff Cox | Tags: county boards of election, legislative reapportionment, Pennsylvania Government Accountability Portal, sample ballots, travel, Treasury, Treasury Department, tuition | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Select, House State Government | Leave a comment | Share:
The committee met to consider four resolutions and one bill. HR 490, HR 491, HR 494 and HB 276Â were reported as committed. HR 426 was reported as amended. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox to read the full story. The House State Government Committee met this morning to hear testimony from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records. Terry Mutchler, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Right to Know Office, requested that the legislature not make cuts to the O.O.R. and that the legislature address the role the O.O.R. should play in the commonwealth court legal process. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. At this morning’s meeting of the House State Government Committee, Minority Chairman Kerry Benninghoff tabled his bill, HB 1887, that would require all budget meetings involving leaders from two or more caucuses to be held open to the public, following contentions from members that it would further retard the process. Rep. Bryan Barbin also tabled his legislation, HB 1952, that would amend the PA Constitution to allow the continuation of government services in the event of a budget impasse, in light of concerns from other committee members. The committee also took action on several other pieces of legislation. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: bleeding disorders, Budget, Reform, Sunshine Law | Category: Committee Voting Meeting, House Select, House State Government | Leave a comment | Share:
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