SB 353, PN 283 (Dush) – The bill requires a school entity to display the preamble to the Pennsylvania Constitution. A vote of 42-8 was recorded.
SB 456, PN 436 (Dush) – The bill requires a school entity to display the preamble to the United States Constitution. A vote of 42-8 was recorded.
HB 735, PN 1739 (Warren) – The Establishes the Flood Insurance Premium Task Force to study the administration of flood insurance and make recommendations for public education and strategies to combat high premiums.
Amendment A02638 (Pittman) – The amendment would:
Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force (Base Bill)
Establishes the Flood Insurance Premium Assistance Task Force to review and analyze the law, procedures, practices, processes and rules relating to the administration of floor insurance.
The Task Force shall be made up of: the Insurance Commissioner (or a designee), the Secretary of Banking and Securities (or a designee), one member appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, one member appointed by the Speaker of the House, and one member appointed by the Minority Leader of the House.
The Task Force shall complete a report within six months of the effective date. The report shall include:
- Potential programs that provide premium discounts;
- Potential programs that create incentives for local governments to undertake or continue flood mitigation efforts;
- The implementation of necessary changes in statutes or practices relating to the administration of flood insurance;
- How to educate residents about the risk of flooding and ways to mitigate flood occurrences;
- Steps that should be taken to inform residents about options available when purchasing flood insurance; and
- How to increase the number of people that purchase flood insurance.
The Task Force shall expire 30 days after the report is submitted to the General Assembly.
These provisions will take effect in 60 days.
Child Support Fee
Reimposes the $35.00 fee on $550.00 or more of child support in a Federal fiscal year. For those cases in which the annual child support is between $550.00 and $1,999.99, the $35.00 fee shall be paid by the Commonwealth. For child support amounts equal to or above $2,000.00, the custodial parent in the case shall be responsible for the $35.00 fee. The imposition of this fee is required by the Federal Government and the Commonwealth’s collection of the fee expired on July 15, 2023. The fee and the amount the Commonwealth is responsible are the same as they were under the previously expired provision.
These provisions will take effect immediately.
Judicial Fees
Reimposes the surcharge of $10.00 charged and collected by the Courts and deposited into the Judicial Department Operations Augmentation Account. This fee will expire on July 31, 2025. This surcharge expired on July 31, 2023.
Reimposes the surcharge of $11.25 charged and collected by the Courts and deposited into the Judicial Department Operations Augmentation Account. This fee will expire on July 31, 2025. This surcharge expired on July 31, 2023. This change also removes the prohibition on this surcharge to be charged on traffic violations.
These provisions will take effect immediately.
The amendment passed by a vote of 50-0 and the bill went over in its order as amended.
SB 7, PN 1174 (Aument) – The bill amends the Public School Code to add a section on “Parental Control Relating to Instructional Materials and Books Containing Sexually Explicit Content”.
Amendment A02667 (Cappelletti) – The amendment guts the bill and replaces it with a prohibition of the removal of certain types of materials from public school libraries and classrooms when the removal would constitute an unsupported book ban.
The amendment also requires public school entities to adopt a policy of inclusion and continual retention of materials and information that presents all points of view for current and historical issues.
Sen. Aument motioned to table the amendment and the motion passed by vote of 28-22. A vote of 29-21 was recorded on the bill.
SB 340, PN 1101 (Mastriano) – The amends the Public School Code to require school entities to post online and update all textbooks, course syllabi, and academic standards for every course offered, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. A vote of 28-22 was recorded.