Feb. 4: Pa. House Agenda for This Week

http://nazareth.patch.com/articles/feb-4-pa-house-agenda-for-this-week FROM NAZARETH PATCH The Pa. House returns to session on Monday, Feb. 4. All of House session and most committee meetings will stream live on PAHouseGOP.com. Many events also may be viewed on Facebook.com/PAHouseGOP. The governor will present his 2013-14 state budget proposal during a Joint Session of the General Assembly on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 11:30 a.m. A media availability with House (and possibly Senate) Republican leaders will take place immediately after the budget address in the Capitol Rotunda, 2nd Floor in front of the lt. governor’s office. More details to come. The Weekly Schedule Identified by bill number, the sponsors and summaries for bills scheduled to be considered in committee or on the House floor are posted below. More information regarding these bills can be found at PAHouseGOP.com by clicking on the “Research Bills” tab. Monday, February 4, 2013 Committee Meetings/Hearings STATE GOVERNMENT, 11 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building HB 35 (Rep. Stan Saylor, R-York): Moves Pennsylvania toward a performance-based budgeting process by creating the Performance, Accountability and Results Act. COMMERCE, 11:30 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building Briefing on upcoming banking legislative issues. ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES AND ENERGY, noon, Room B-31, Main Capitol HB 34 (Rep. Kate Harper, R-Montgomery): Requires the design, construction, and renovation of state-owned or state-leased buildings to comply with specified energy and high-performance building standards. CHILDREN AND YOUTH, Call of Chair, Room 60, East Wing HB 316 (Rep. Julie Harhart, R-Lehigh/Northampton): Establishes a funding mechanism to help existing Child Advocacy Centers and establish new Child Advocacy Centers. HB 328 (Rep. Sheryl Delozier, R-Cumberland): Requires that courts have a complete record regarding whether a child subject to a proceeding has been abused or is the subject of a child abuse investigation. HR 45 (Rep. Tom Caltagirone, D-Berks): Directs the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to undertake a study on the expansion and funding of Child Advocacy Centers in Pennsylvania. Session On Monday, the House will convene at 1 p.m. for legislative business. The members will vote the uncontested calendar and Rule 35 resolutions. Votes on Second Consideration HB 19 (Rep. Mauree Gingrich, R-Lebanon): Allows school districts to incorporate age-appropriate child exploitation awareness education into the existing curriculum for students in grades K-8. HB 46 (Rep. Robert Godshall, R-Montgomery): Permanently extends the organ and bone marrow donation tax credit benefits. HB 48 (Rep. Stephen Bloom, R-Cumberland): Exempts all assets of family-owned Pennsylvania businesses being transferred between family members from inheritance tax. HB 78 (Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster): Eliminates the Corporate Loan Tax. HB 86 (Rep. Nicholas Micozzie, R-Delaware): Repeals some of the medical malpractice claims-related reporting requirements. HB 88 (Rep. Ron Miller, R-York): Clarifies the current law regarding leaves of absence for members of the Pennsylvania National Guard by stating that the 15-day leave of absence is to be applied to a 24-hour day and prohibits an officer or employee from being required to return to duty within 18 hours of being relieved of federal or state active duty. HB 91 (Rep. Eli Evankovich, R-Armstrong/Westmoreland): Allows career and technical schools to be eligible for Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) programs in the same manner as other public schools. HB 107 (Rep. Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon): Establishes that a veteran holding a professional or occupational license or certificate from a Commonwealth agency will be temporarily exempt from any continuing educational requirements or in-service training requirements when called for active duty for more than 30 days. HB 108 (Rep. Nicholas Micozzie, R-Delaware): Extends the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through Dec. 31, 2015. HB 111 (Rep. James Roebuck, D-Philadelphia): Enacts updated policy directives to the State Board of Education for its adoption of a state master plan for higher education. HB 118 (Rep. Brian Ellis, R-Butler): Expands coverage of the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law to include protections to employees of nonprofits/private companies who report waste of public monies obtained by their employer for services or work. HB 185 (Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence): Expands the definition of “public body” in the Pennsylvania Whistleblower Law to include “the General Assembly and its agencies.” Votes on Third Consideration HB 124 (Rep. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster): Requires the Department of Community and Economic Development to adopt regulations to administer a certification program for the construction/installation of industrialized commercial buildings. Tuesday, February 5, 2013 Committee Meetings/Hearings GAMING OVERSIGHT, 9:30 a.m., Room B-31, Main Capitol HB 290 (Rep. Michele Brooks, R-Crawford/Lawrence/Mercer): Revises the Local Option Small Games of Chance Act to clarify definitions, permit new games and address other concerns raised by affected organizations and clubs. FINANCE, 9:45 a.m., Room 60, East Wing Informational meeting on HB 493 (Rep. Matt Gabler, R-Clearfield/Elk): Redefines the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project (RACP) program and reduces the RACP debt ceiling. LIQUOR CONTROL, 10 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building HB 121 (Rep. Curt Sonney, R-Erie): Allows for the direct shipment of wine to residents of the Commonwealth and requires that the wine shipper charge the 6 percent sales tax and the 18 percent Johnstown Flood Tax for all shipments to the Commonwealth and remit the tax to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Session On Tuesday the House will meet at 11 a.m. for legislative business. The governor will give the budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly at 11:30 a.m. Votes on Second Consideration HB 163 (Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre/Mifflin): Permits a county advancing from the fifth to fourth class to maintain the status quo of one person continuing to hold the offices of prothonotary and clerk of courts. Votes on Third Consideration HB 19 HB 46 HB 48 HB 78 HB 86 HB 88 HB 91 HB 107 HB 108 HB 111 HB 118 HB 185 Wednesday, February 6, 2013 Committee Meetings/Hearings EDUCATION, 9 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building Informational meeting with update on the transition to the Keystone Exams. FINANCE, 9:45 a.m., Room 60, East Wing HB 159 (Rep. Bryan Barbin, D-Cambria): Establishes a $4,000 annual tax credit to taxpayers that hire veterans to work at small businesses they own. HB 389 (Rep. Michelle Brownlee, D-Philadelphia): Authorizes two classes of properties in the City of Philadelphia. HB 391 (Rep. Michael McGeehan, D-Philadelphia): Allows the City of Philadelphia the ability to provide eligible Philadelphia homeowners the option to make property tax payments in installments. HB 493 (Rep. Matt Gabler, R-Clearfield/Elk): Redefines the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Project (RACP) program and reduces the RACP debt ceiling. JUDICIARY, 10 a.m., Room 205, Ryan Office Building HB 350 (Rep. Todd Rock, R-Franklin): Establishes the crime of intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing serious bodily injury to a child under the age of 12 as a first-degree felony and establishes the crime of intentionally, knowingly or recklessly causing bodily injury to a child under the age of 4 as a second-degree felony. HB 378 (Rep. Dom Costa, D-Allegheny): Seeks to implement new training in recognizing and reporting child abuse in the mandated training for both police officers and minor judiciary. HB 404 (Rep. Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin): Establishes the crime of intimidation or retaliation of a victim or witness in child abuse cases and penalties. HB 414 (Rep. Bernie O’Neill, R-Bucks): Requires that a court, in a child custody matter, has information regarding the child with respect to whether the child has been identified as a victim of child abuse by a party or a member of the party’s household. PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, 10 a.m., Room 39, East Wing HB 266 (Rep. Harry Readshaw, D-Allegheny): Allows acupuncturists to provide services to individuals who show no symptoms of a condition without a medical diagnosis and requires acupuncturists to obtain and maintain professional liability insurance coverage of at least $1 million per occurrence or claim made. HB 272 (Rep. Bernie O’Neill, R-Bucks): Allows licensed dentists from other states or countries to obtain a restricted faculty license to teach in Pennsylvania. HB 336 (Rep. Kate Harper, R-Montgomery): Authorizes the Commissioner of the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) to expunge the disciplinary record of a licensee, registrant, certificate holder or permit holder. TOURISM AND RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, 10 a.m., Room G-50, Irvis Office Building Informational meeting with update by Department of Community and Economic Development on its 2013 tourism agenda and proposal to create a Pennsylvania Tourism Commission. TRANSPORTATION, 10 a.m., Room B-31, Main Capitol HB 89 (Rep. Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin): Discontinues sales of Drug Awareness Resistance Education (DARE) license plates and transfers all money in the DARE license plate fund to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to provide grants to Child Advocacy Centers. Session On Wednesday the House will meet at 11 a.m. for legislative business. Votes on Third Consideration HB 163 Thursday, February 7, 2013 Committee Meetings/Hearings CONSUMER AFFAIRS, 9 a.m., Room 140, Main Capitol Public hearing with general overview of the Utility Industry.