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 (May 22):  <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Senate (May 22): Senate Bill 242 (Baker-R-Luzerne) adds natural gas gathering lines to the PA One Call utility construction safety program so they can be identified and mapped for emergency services (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 269 (Baker-R- Luzerne) changing the process for updating the PA Construction Code (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 431 (Scavello-R-Monroe) increasing fines for littering (sponsor summary); Senate Bill 561 (DiSanto-R-Dauphin) requiring legislative approval of regulations with an economic impact of $1 million or more.  <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar. 

Committee Meeting Agendas This Week

House: the Appropriations Committee meets to consider House Bill 790 (Pashinski-D- Luzerne) establishing the Controlled Plant and Noxious Weed Committee (sponsor summary); the Finance Committee meets to consider House Bill 1390 (Kavulich-D- Lackawanna) would eliminate the sunset date of January 1, 2018 on PIT tax checkoff for the Wild Resource Conservation Fund Program (Section 315.3 of Tax Reform Code); the House Democratic Policy Committee holds a hearing on a possible severance tax on natural gas production. <>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule. 

Senate: the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee is scheduled to meet on  Senate Bill 624 (Scarnati-R-Jefferson) controversial legislation to retroactively change the protection streams receive under Act 54 from underground coal mining [Click Here for more], Senate Bill 649 (Yudichak-D-Luzerne) that would fill a significant funding gap in DEP’s Underground Storage Tank Program [Click Here for more]; the Appropriations meets to consider Senate Bill 144 (Yaw-R-Lycoming) amending Act 537 ton include alternative on-lot sewage systems in sewage plans (sponsor summary), Senate Bill 651 (Browne-R-Lehigh) itemized project list for FY 2017-18 Capital Budget.  <>  Click Here for full Senate Committee Schedule.

Other: Environmental Issues Forum hosted by the Joint Legislative Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee to hear a  presentation on Pennsylvania’s pollinator population and emerging threats to agriculture and the beekeeping industry.

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--

Wild Resource Tax Checkoff: House Bill 1390 (Kavulich-D- Lackawanna) would eliminate the sunset date of January 1, 2018 on PIT tax checkoff for the Wild Resource Conservation Fund Program (Section 315.3 of Tax Reform Code)

Encouraging Microgrids/Energy Storage: House Bill 1412 (Barrar-R-Delaware) requiring the establishment of new microgrid and energy storage programs by electric distribution companies to avoid outages during emergencies (sponsor summary).

Clean Vehicles: Senate Bill 722 (Bartolotta-R-Washington) providing for expenditure of moneys received from the Volkswagen vehicle emissions testing settlement (sponsor summary).

Session Schedule

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

Senate

May 22, 23, 24

June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

House

May 22, 23, 24

June 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 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.

5/22/2017