Lawmakers to Unveil Legislation to Boost Transparency of PA’s State-Related Universities

Apr. 09, 2018 /

WHAT: State Reps. Aaron Bernstine (R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence), Jim Christiana (R-Beaver/Washington) and John Maher (R-Allegheny/Washington) will hold a press conference to unveil a package of legislation to boost the transparency and accountability of Pennsylvania’s state-related universities, which receive more than $560 million of taxpayer dollars annually.

Stephens to Testify on Strengthening Gun Laws

Apr. 08, 2018 /

WHAT: Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) will testify before the House Judiciary Committee on his legislation to help families and law enforcement prevent dangerous people from possessing or acquiring guns.

House Committee to Consider Self-Storage, Travel Insurance Bills

Apr. 06, 2018 /

WHAT: The House Insurance Committee, led by Rep. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna), will hold a voting meeting on two bills involving self-storage facilities and travel insurance. The bills include House Bill 504, sponsored by Rep. Alex Charlton (R-Delaware), which would enable self-storage proprietors to sell content insurance; and Senate Bill 630, sponsored by Sen. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny), which would make regulatory adjustments in the way travel insurance is sold in Pennsylvania to improve consumer protections.

House Children and Youth Committee to Consider Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Bills

Apr. 06, 2018 /

WHAT: The House Children and Youth Committee, led by Rep. Kathy Watson (R-Bucks/144th) will hold a voting meeting to consider three proposals that seek to help grandparents who are the sole caregivers of their grandchildren: House Bill 2133 would establish the Kinship Caregiver Navigator Program – an informational resource for these grandparents, both as a website and a toll-free hotline; House Bill 1539 would grant temporary guardianship to grandparents when the parents of the grandchildren are unable to care for them primarily due to substance abuse issues; and House Resolution 390 would direct the Joint State Government Commission to study the trend of grandfamilies in Pennsylvania and report its findings and recommendations to the General Assembly. An estimated 82,000 grandparents are the sole caregivers for nearly 89,000 grandchildren in Pennsylvania. That number is increasing due to the devastating opioid crisis across the Commonwealth.

Barrar and Commission Delve into Problems Facing Emergency Services

Apr. 04, 2018 /

COATESVILLE – Rep. Steve Barrar (R-Chester/Delaware) held a meeting of a bipartisan, bicameral commission at the Chester County Department of Emergency Services training facility in Coatesville to continue the conversation about how to address problems facing emergency services in the Commonwealth.

Rural Broadband to be Focus of Legislative Hearing at Elk Lake

Apr. 03, 2018 /

WHAT: Citing the lack of rural broadband as an impediment to economic development and educational opportunities, Reps. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna/Wayne) and Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) will host the House Majority Policy Committee for a legislative hearing on Thursday, April 5.

Making Our Schools Safer

Mar. 29, 2018 /

In the wake of the Florida school shootings and rash of bomb threats at southcentral Pennsylvania schools, the House Education Committee recently held a public hearing on school safety.

Ag Committee Examines Forest Conservation Easements, PENNVEST Loan, Causer Says

Mar. 28, 2018 /

HARRISBURG – The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint), held an informational meeting on Monday to discuss forest conservation easements and recent PENNVEST actions that would finance the purchase of private forestlands and place conservation easements on a portion of that land.

Ortitay Proposes Legislation to Combat Addiction

Mar. 28, 2018 /

HARRISBURG — Rep. Jason Ortitay (R-Washington/Allegheny) today introduced two bills to address the opioid epidemic, which is ravaging Pennsylvania and is evidenced by a research brief released by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4).

Rural Broadband to be Focus of Legislative Hearing at Elk Lake

Mar. 27, 2018 /

HARRISBURG – Citing the lack of rural broadband as an impediment to economic development and educational opportunities, Reps. Tina Pickett (R-Bradford/Sullivan/Susquehanna) Jonathan Fritz (R-Susquehanna/Wayne) and Karen Boback (R-Lackawanna/Luzerne/Wyoming) will host members of the House Majority Policy Committee for a public hearing on Thursday, April 5.

Grove and House Members Urge PUC to Cut Energy Rates

Mar. 26, 2018 /

HARRISBURG – More than a dozen Republican members of the House of Representatives joined Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) to issue the following letter to the Pennsylvania Utilities Commission asking it to decrease energy costs for consumers following the federal corporate tax cut was in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

House Ag Committee to Discuss Forest Conservation Easements

Mar. 23, 2018 /

WHAT: The House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, chaired by Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), is hosting an informational meeting to discuss forest conservation easements, as well as recent and pending PENNVEST transactions that finance the purchase of private forest lands and place conservation easements on a portion of that land.

Corr Proposes Select Committee on School Violence

Mar. 20, 2018 /

HARRISBURG – In the wake of last month’s school shooting in Florida, and subsequent student walkouts and outcries for change, Rep. Michael Corr (R-Montgomery) is proposing the creation of a House select committee to perform a comprehensive investigation and deliver a detailed report with recommendations about how to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Phillips-Hill Welcomes Wolf to the Statewide Internet Access Discussion

Mar. 20, 2018 /

HARRISBURG – Following her Monday morning news conference to discuss legislation dealing with Pennsylvania’s lack of statewide broadband internet access, state Rep. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York Township) issued this statement in reaction to Gov. Tom Wolf’s creation of a new office dedicated to ensuring every Pennsylvanian has access to high-speed internet:

Causer Introduces Conventional Oil and Gas Legislation

Mar. 20, 2018 /

HARRISBURG – Continuing his work to support the thousands of people employed by the conventional oil and gas industry, Rep. Martin Causer (R-Turtlepoint) has introduced legislation to ensure fair and reasonable oversight of the industry.