Veterans’ Affairs & Emergency Preparedness 2017-2018

The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Tuesday, June 19, 2018 and took the following action::

Reported as Amended:

SB 1079 (Brooks) – Amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in Commonwealth services, providing for online training for firefighters.

Reported as Committed:

SR 394 (Browne) – Designating the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Purple Heart State and recognizing August 7th as Purple Heart Day in Pennsylvania.

HB 980 (Boback) – Amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) to exclude veterans’ compensation benefits from income calculations for Commonwealth programs.

SB 575 (Dinniman) – This legislation amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) to establish a Volunteer Firefighters Length of Service Award Program (LOSAP).

SB 933 (Baker) – This legislation amends Titles 18 (Crimes and Offenses) and 51 (Military Affairs) to earmark fines collected to be placed in the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Trust Fund.


The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Wednesday, June 13, 2018 and took the following action::

Reported as Amended:

SB 1019 (Vulakovich) – The legislation amends Title 35 (Health and Safety) a rewrite of the Emergency Management Code

Reported as Committed:

HB 247 (Sainato) – House Bill 247 amends Titles 51 (Military Affairs) & 75 (Vehicles) changing the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Memorial Trust Fund to the Pennsylvania Veterans’ Monuments and Memorial Trust Fund and shall be administered by the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA).


The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 and took the following action:

Reported as Amended:

SB 1157 (Vulakovich) – The legislation amends the Fiscal Code to authorizes the Office of the Auditor General to conduct an audit regarding the implementation of a statewide radio network for law enforcement and emergency responders in the commonwealth. The amendment requires the audit begins from the year 1996. The bill was approved unanimously.

SB 1172 (Vulakovich) – The legislation amends Act 133 of 2006 know and the Price Gouging Statute which takes effect upon the issuance of emergency declarations by the Governor or municipal officials pursuant to Title 35 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. The amendment was technical in nature. The bill was approved unanimously.


The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Tuesday, April 17, 2018 and took the following action:

Reported as Amended:

SB 1073 (Vulakovich) – The legislation amends the Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law, commonly known as the “Heart and Lung Act” to add several classes of officers to the provisions of the act.


The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 and took to following action:

Reported as Committed:

SB 239 (Vulakovich) – This legislation proposes an amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution by exempting veterans who are more than fifty percent or greater disabled from paying real estate property tax.

SB 1021 (Yudichak) – This legislation amends Title 51 (Military Affairs), by providing a 90-day period to veterans who were eligible for benefits prior to Act 180 of 2014 to submit a benefit application to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs.

SB 1041 (Bartolotta) – This legislation amends Title 51 (Military Affairs), by directing the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to create logos to be used to promote veteran-owned and disabled veteran-owned businesses in the Commonwealth.

SR 260 (Vulakovich/Costa) – A joint resolution extending the SR 6 Commission from its June 30, 2018, deadline to November 30, 2018.


The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Tuesday, October 17, 2017 and took the following action:

Reported As Committed:

SB 798 (Alloway) – The legislation amends the Pennsylvania Military Community Enhancement Commission by further providing for the membership of the commission.

HB 1231 (Solomon) – The legislation establishes a veteran’s registry for the purposes of providing outreach and information on available veteran programs. It directs DMVA to collaborate with other state agencies that encounter veterans for the purposes of including them on the registry.

Reported As Amended:

SR 5 – (Boscola) – The concurrent resolution establishes a Task Force on Women’s Veterans’ Health Care.


The Senate Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee met on Wednesday, January 25, 2017 and took the following action:

Reported As Committed:

SB 137 (McGarrigle) – This legislation amends Title 51 (Military Affairs) by having the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs operate as liaison for the Civil Air Patrol and supervise the expenditures of state funding as well as the maintenance and use of Commonwealth facilities used by the Civil Air Patrol.

Reported As Amended:

SR 6 (Vulakovich) – This resolution would establish a Special Commission to study Fire and EMS issues. Amendment A00037 was adopted in committee, it is purely technical in nature.

Senator Jay Costa

Senator Jay Costa

Leader

43rd District: Allegheny County
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Chair of Rules & Executive Nominations

Serves on Appropriations and Intergovernmental Operations