Here are the Senate and House Calendars and Committee meetings showing bills of interest as well as a list of new environmental bills introduced--

Bill Calendars

House (June 20): House Resolution 60 (Emrick-R-Northampton) directing the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct a comprehensive review of the state’s program to regulate the beneficial use of sewage sludge; Senate Bill 307 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) providing for an independent counsel for the Environmental Quality Board; Senate Bill 562 (Gordner-R- Columbia) amending the Regulatory Review Act to give the General Assembly additional time to review agency regulations.  <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (June 22): Senate Bill 289 (Fontana-D-Allegheny) funding to assist homeowners with deteriorating private sewer laterals (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 1041 (Schwank-D-Berks) amending Act 101 to authorize all local governments to charge a recycling service fee (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 1011 (Hutchinson-R-Venango) killing DEP’s final drilling regulations covering conventional oil and gas wells and starting the rulemaking process over (unneeded with the passage of Senate Bill 279 (Hutchinson-R-Venango)); Senate Bill 1166 (Stefano-R-Fayette) providing for the adopting of fees by the Game Commission; Senate Bill 1168 (Eichelberger-R- Blair) providing for the adoption of fees by the Fish and Boat Commission; House Bill 577 (Moul-R-Adams) providing for the appointment of alternates on the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (House Fiscal Note and summary); House Bill 1394 (Mustio-R- Allegheny) authorizing boroughs to charge stormwater management fees; House Bill 1605 (James-R-Butler) establishing DCNR’s Heritage Areas Program in law (House Fiscal Note and summary); House Bill 1661 (Mustio-R- Allegheny) authorizing first class townships to charge a stormwater management fee; House Bill 1712 (R.Brown-R-Monroe) establishing a Private Dam Financial Assurance Program (House Fiscal Note and summary); House Bill 1895 (Metzgar-R-Bedford) changing the membership of the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Board from appointments only by the Governor to appointments by both the General Assembly and the Governor; House Resolution 872 (Causer-R-Forest) urging federal and state regulatory agencies to use science-based, peer-reviewed data when evaluating modern agricultural technology tools and developing regulations (sponsor summary).  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

Note: It’s budget season. Senate and House committee meetings happened without warning.

House:   <>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate: the Public Health and Welfare Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 16 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) establishing a Task Force On Lead and the Hazards Of Lead Poisoning (sponsor summary); the Labor and Industry Committee meets to consider House Bill 568 (Evankovich-R-Allegheny) changing the adoption process for the PA Construction Code Act (House Fiscal Note and summary).  <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule. 

Bills Pending In Key Committees 

Check the PA Environmental Council Bill Tracker for the status and updates on pending state legislation and regulations that affect environmental and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania.

Here are links to key Standing Committees in the House and Senate and the bills pending in each--

House

Appropriations

Education

Environmental Resources and Energy

Consumer Affairs

Gaming Oversight

Human Services

Judiciary

Liquor Control

Transportation

Links for all other Standing House Committees

Senate

Appropriations

Environmental Resources and Energy

Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure

Community, Economic and Recreational Development

Education

Judiciary

Law and Justice

Public Health and Welfare

Transportation

Links for all other Standing Senate Committees

Bills Introduced

The following bills of interest were introduced this week--

Expedited E&S Permit Reviews: Senate Bill 1325 (Bartolotta-R-Fayette) establishing an expedited erosion and sedimentation control permit review program within DEP and county conservation districts (sponsor summary).

Natural Gas Severance Tax: House Bill 2165 (McCarter-D-Montgomery) enacting a 5 percent severance tax on natural gas production in addition to the Act 13 drilling impact fee.  The severance tax revenue would be allocated to the Environmental Cleanup Program, clean energy efficiency, sewer and stormwater infrastructure and counties impacted by oil and gas operations (sponsor summary).

Pollinator Week: House Resolution 924 (Matzie-D-Allegheny) designating the week of June 20-26 Pollinator Week In PA (sponsor summary) was adopted by the House.

Session Schedule (Updated)

Here is the latest voting session schedule for the Senate and House--

Senate

June [20, 21,]* 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

*canceled

House

June 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

Governor’s Schedule

Gov. Tom Wolf's work calendar will be posted each Friday and his public schedule for the day will be posted each morning.   Click Here to view Gov. Wolf’s Weekly Calendar and Public Appearances.

6/20/2016