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Law & Justice 2021-2022

The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Wednesday, October 19, 2022 to vote on two bills and one amendment on each bill. All four votes were unanimous.

HB 1546 (Farry) Amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to provide for confidentiality of personal information for public safety officials and for providing penalties when the address or telephone number of a public safety official or their family member is provided to a third party that has the intention to harm the public safety official.

  • Amendment A05703 was a gut and replace amendment that increased the penalty for communicating the personal information of a public safety official from a misdemeanor of the third degree in the base bill to either:
    1. A misdemeanor of the first degree if no bodily injury occurs; or
    2. A felony of the second degree if bodily injury results from communicating the personal information.

 

HB 1988 (Owlett) – Amends Titles 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) and 53 (Municipalities Generally) concerning the definition of law enforcement officers that are required to be trained for taking and retaining of investigative audio and visual recordings and for requiring MPOETC training for PASSHE police officers.

  • Amendment A05748 provided that a school police officer with previous service with MPOETC certification from a covered police department may retain their certification if they continue to get their annual MPOETC trainings. Currently school police officers may not get or retain MPOETC certification.

The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Tuesday, June 14, 2022 and voted unanimously to refer two bills:

SB 1193 (Mastriano) – Allocates $50 million in American Rescue Plan funds to create the “Law Enforcement Recovery Grant Program” administered by the PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

SB 1251 (Regan) – Provides a tiered annuity increase based on retirement date for Pennsylvania State Police Troopers who retired prior to June 30, 2010. 

The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 to consider the following bills and amendments:

SB669 (Regan) – Provides full-time police officers with the option to purchase up to five years of pension service credit for prior part-time or full-time service.

  • Amendment A04279– Addresses two recommendations made in the IFO actuarial note. First, it requires a police officer to already be vested in order to purchase prior service. Second, it provides that existing benefits for portability and transfer of service credits between two pension plans administered by the Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement System will not be impacted.

SB1212 (Phillips-Hill) – Provides for amplified noise for liquor licenses.

  • Amendment A04282– Changes the effective date from 60 days to immediately.

The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Tuesday, April 5, 2022 to consider the following bills and amendments:

SB24 (A. Williams): Creates the “Jay Alert” for hit-and-run accidents that result in serious bodily injury or death and for reports to be made to track the hit-and-run vehicle.

SB750 (Fontana): Creates the “Green Alert” for notifying the public of missing at-risk veterans

SB1037 (Regan): Repeals the Coroners’ Education Board and creates a new board called the Coroners’ Education and Training Board for providing minimum requirements to take the office of coroner.

  • A03851 amended the bill to provide appointments to the new Coroners’ Education and Training Board to all legislative leaders and the Governor. The underlying bill only provided appointment to the Pro Tem, Speaker, and Governor.

SB1180 (Browne): Establishes the Silver Alert Program in Pennsylvania

The Senate Law & Justice Committee held a public hearing on Monday, February 28, 2022 on adult-use marijuana:

The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 to consider the following bills and amendments:

HB 1024 (Schemel): Amends the Medical Marijuana Act to update provisions with respect to caregivers, COVID-19 waivers and background checks for caregivers and licensees.

  • Amendment A01695 (Regan) – Provides that a person with a nonviolent felony over 10 years old can work for a medical marijuana organization
  • Amendment A01720 (Regan) – An omnibus amendment including technical changes, permission to provide telehealth access, an increase from 8 to 10 in the number of clinical registrants, and allows clinical registrants to sell directly to all dispensaries.
    • The amendments and bills are adopted unanimously

HB 1154 (Masser): Legislation making mixed drinks-to-go permanent.

  • Amendment A01710 (Regan) – Allows for ready-to-drink beverages and continues some of the COVID-19 related opportunities for restaurants contained in HB 425.
    • The amendment and bill were adopted by 6 to 5 votes. The 4 Democrats and Senator Yudichak voted against the measures.

 


The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 to consider the following bills and amendments:

HB 1024 (Schemel): Amends the Medical Marijuana Act to update provisions with respect to caregivers, COVID-19 waivers and background checks for caregivers and licensees.

  • Amendment A01695 (Regan) – Provides that a person with a nonviolent felony over 10 years old can work for a medical marijuana organization
  • Amendment A01720 (Regan) – An omnibus amendment including technical changes, permission to provide telehealth access, an increase from 8 to 10 in the number of clinical registrants, and allows clinical registrants to sell directly to all dispensaries.
    • The amendments and bills are adopted unanimously

HB 1154 (Masser): Legislation making mixed drinks-to-go permanent.

  • Amendment A01710 (Regan) – Allows for ready-to-drink beverages and continues some of the COVID-19 related opportunities for restaurants contained in HB 425.
    • The amendment and bill were adopted by 6 to 5 votes. The 4 Democrats and Senator Yudichak voted against the measures.

 


The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Wednesday, May 26, 2021 to vote on the following bills:

SB 194 (J Ward) – Amends the Liquor Code to allow club licensees to sell beer to go during the disaster emergency declaration.

  • One amendment was offered and another withdrawn:
    • Senator J Ward offered A01049 to permanently allow clubs to sell beer to go.
      • The amendment was adopted unanimously
    • Senator Williams withdrew A01097 which provided Philadelphia police officers all of the powers that the Liquor Control Enforcement officers currently hold under the Liquor Code
  • The Pennsylvania Federation of Fraternal & Social Organizations supports the bill and the amendment
  • The Malt Beverages Distributors Association opposes the bill and the amendment

HB 1154 (Masser) – Amends the Liquor Code to permanently allow mixed drinks to-go to be sold by restaurant and hotel licensees, except for grocery and convenience stores.

  • The bill passed 7 to 2. Senators Williams and Tartaglione cast no votes.

The Senate Law & Justice Committee met on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 to consider the following bills:

HB 425 (Dowling) – Amends the Liquor Code to allow liquor licensees that is permanently closing to sell their remaining alcohol inventory directly to other liquor licensees.

  • Amendment A00820 was offered by Senator Brewster to add additional assistance for the restaurant industry
  • The amendment and bill were adopted unanimously

HB 427 (Pyle) – Amends the Liquor Code to increase the wholesale licensee discount to 15% during the emergency declaration and for three years following. After three years, the wholesale discount will return to 10%. The discount increase is not extended to grocery or convenience stores.

  • El proyecto de ley fue aprobado por unanimidad

SB 503 (Regan) – Amends the Enforcement Officer Disability Benefits Law (aka, The Heart and Lung Act) add the following individuals to those covered by the benefits of the Act:

  • PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Rangers, Ranger Supervisors, Ranger Operations Specialists and Ranger Trainees
  • PA Department of Corrections, Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence Commissioned Police Officers
  • PA Office of Inspector General’s Investigative staff
  • Fort Indiantown Gap Police
  • Allegheny County Port Authority Police
  • Allegheny County Housing Authority Police
  • County Probation Officers in participating Counties
  • Campus police officers employed by a participating university
    • El proyecto de ley fue aprobado por unanimidad

SB 566 (Regan) – Amends the Liquor Code to provide for changes to the auctioning of liquor licenses by lengthening the time to pay for a license won at auction and allowing for licenses that are not purchased at an initial auction to be auctioned statewide.

  • Amendment A00812 was offered by Senator Williams to provide the PLCB with authority to promulgate regulations to combat stop-and-goes.
  • The amendment from Senator Williams failed by a partisan vote of 7 to 4
  • El proyecto de ley fue aprobado por unanimidad
Senador Jim Brewster

Senador Jim Brewster

Presidente del Comité