Intergovernmental Operations 2023-2024
The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee met on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 and considered the following:
A motion to subpoena the Secretary of Revenue, Pat Browne for various aggregated Neighborhood Improvement Zone (Allentown) attributable taxes reported to the Department of Revenue for the period January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2023, on an annual basis and by type. The subpoena directs the information to be delivered to the General Counsel of the Republican Caucus by August 16th, 2024. Senator Costa moved to table the subpoena motion which was defeated by a party line vote: 7-4.
- The motion to subpoena passed 7-4 on a party line vote.
The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee met on Monday, November 13, 2023 and considered the following:
SR 169 (Coleman) – Directs LBFC to conduct a program evaluation to assess the effectiveness of workforce development programs administered by Commonwealth agencies. Reported as committed unanimously.
SB 259 (Mastriano) – Establishes a three-year regulatory reduction program administered by the Governor’s Office of the Budget to be implemented by pilot agencies: the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs within the Department of State and the Pennsylvania Parole Board. Reported as amended by a party line vote (7-4).
- A02903 (Coleman) – Adds the Department of Corrections as a pilot agency, sets the regulatory reduction goal at 25% of pilot agencies total regulations, reduces various reporting requirements included in the current language, corrects dates of various deadlines, and eliminates the requirement in the current language for all agencies to develop baseline regulatory catalogs. Adopted by a party line vote (7-4).
The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee held a a public hearing on Wednesday, October 25, 2023 on data sharing practices between PennDOT, Department of State and third parties.
The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee met on Monday, May 8, 2023 and considered the following:
SB 350 (Phillips-Hill) – Establishes the Permit Administration Act, requiring state agencies to submit reports to the General Assembly detailing permitting decisions and delays. The bill also requires state agencies to establish permit tracking systems and to contract with a third-party professional to review permit decision delays.
- A00483 (Rothman) – Requires agencies to approve permit applications that are not sent to the third party professional within 3 business days of being subject to permit decision delay and provides for a tolling period when an applicant resubmits a permit application to an agency through a permit tracking system. Additionally codifies in statute the Governor’s Executive Order 2023-05 establishing the Pennsylvania Office of Transformation and Opportunity and the Economic Development Strategy Group.
- Amendment adopted, 7-4 (party line)
- Reported as amended, 7-4 (party line)
SB 633 (Coleman) – Establishes the Regulatory Sandbox Program Act providing for a Regulatory Relief Office within the Governor’s Office that shall administer the Regulatory Sandbox Program. Approved participants of the Regulatory Sandbox Program shall have certain laws or regulations suspended or waived for a two-year period during which participants must offer a product or service that includes an innovation to consumers.
- An expected technical amendment was not offered as it was not shared at least one hour prior to the meeting (violating Rule 14(k))
- Reported as committed, 7-4 (party line)
The Intergovernmental Operations Committee met on Wednesday, March 8th to consider the following bills:
SB 188 (DiSanto) – Amends the Regulatory Review Act to provide for legislative approval of any “economically significant” regulation.
- Reported as committed (Vote: 7-4)
SB 190 (Brooks) – Amends the Regulatory Review Act to require that an agency review an “economically significant” regulation after it has been effect for three years.
- Reported as committed (Vote: 7-4)
Senator Christine Tartaglione
Committee Chair