Session Weekly Wrap-Up

The Senate voted 34-16 in favor of Senate Bill 5, which would prevent local ordinances from superseding state law on firearms and ammunition. An individual would be authorized to file a lawsuit against a municipality that enacted firearm ordnances that are more...

Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 227, which would amend the Public School Code to reduce the number of days a school board has to decide whether or not to renew a contract with a superintendent or assistant superintendent. The bill would trim the number of days...

  The Senate voted 47-2 in favor of Senate Bill 30, which would amend Title 30 (Fish) to enable the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission to set its own fees. Currently, fees for fishing licenses, boat registrations and titles are established by the legislature. ...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 123, which would allow for the use of falconry techniques for hunting on Sundays. This bill would allow Pennsylvania’ hunters to use birds of prey to hunt on Sundays. With the exception of hunting foxes and coyotes,...

The Senate voted 32-18 in favor of Senate Bill 3, which would amend the Abortion Control Act to provide for the definition of “dismemberment abortion.” This bill would reduce the gestational limit for abortions from 24 weeks to 20 weeks and prohibits dilation and...

  The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 69, which would amend a portion of the Crimes Code to establish “Cordelia's Law.” The measure would make abusing horses a first degree misdemeanor under the animal cruelty laws. It’s currently a first degree...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1496, which would toughen penalties against felons who illegally possess guns. Under the bill, it would be a first degree felony (10-20 years) rather than a second degree felony (5-10 years) if it is a second offense; or the...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 49, which adds a $100,000 death benefit to members of the Pennsylvania Civil Air Patrol. The Emergency and Law Enforcement Personnel Death Benefits Act already provides $100,000 in death benefits to law enforcement officers,...

The Senate voted 43-2 in favor of House Bill 380, which reduces the amount of time required to establish that a marriage is “irretrievably broken.” This measure reduces from two years to one the amount of time a married couple must be separated before their marriage...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 59, which requires health care providers to offer hepatitis C testing to people born between 1945 and 1965. The measure requires medical personnel to offer hepatitis C screening test and treatment to individuals who were born...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 342, which would amend the Election Code to change the number of required signatures for minor party candidates to get on the ballot. The bill would also amend the amount of time major and minor parties have to circulate...

The Senate voted 45-2 in favor of House Bill 147, which would make amendments to the Pennsylvania Constitution with respect to homestead property. This legislation extends the General Assembly’s authority to grant homestead exclusions, which cannot exceed 100 percent...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 57, which amends the Public Utilities Code to enable natural gas distribution companies to give refunds and recover costs associated with providing natural gas at competitive prices. This legislation allows natural gas...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 150, which amends the Vehicle Code to allow PennDOT to issue a “Share the Road” license plate to help bring awareness to bicycle safety. Individuals may apply for this new plate for their car or truck (weighing less than...

The Senate voted 26-22 for House Bill 805, which would have amended the Public School Code to allow school districts to furlough employees based first off of performance evaluations and then by their seniority.  The bill would have also allowed the district’s...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 12, which amends Domestic Relations Law to simplify divorce procedures for spousal abuse victims. This legislation enables abuse victims to divorce their spouse without needing the spouse’s consent.  This legislation also...

The Senate unanimously voted for House Bill 1340, which brings the Pennsylvania Uniform Planned Community Act and the Uniform Condominium Act into compliance with federal standards and clarifies the language for planned communities. The Federal Housing Administration...

The Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1326, which provides a means to determine the value and operational costs of water and wastewater systems. Public and privately owned water and wastewater utilities are in need of repairs across the state. To pay for these...

In a near party-line vote, the Senate voted 31-18 in favor of House Bill 1801, which is the Republican crafted supplemental budget bill for the 2015-16 fiscal year. This legislation appropriates additional funding to House Bill 1460, which is the General Appropriation...

The Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 489, which would amend the Check Casher Licensing Act of 1998 by lowering the fee for cashing a government check or government assistance check. The bill would also require that fees be posted for public viewing and to allow...