The information you need to follow legislation in the House and Senate- starting with articles and NewsClips from last week--

Environment & Energy NewsClips--

-- Governor’s Transition

-- Concerned Health Professionals Of PA Ask Health Professionals To Sign Letter Urging Gov.-Elect Shapiro To Protect Public Health, Environment From Impacts Of Oil & Gas Industry  [PaEN]

-- PA Solar Center: Gov.-Elect Shapiro Appoints Leaders Of PA Solar Center, PA Solar & Storage Industries Assn. To Transition Team

-- AP: Shapiro’s Big Win For PA Governor Is A High Note Amid Antisemitism Surge

-- PA Senate/House Transition

-- PennLive - Jan Murphy: House Democrats, Republicans Agree On One Of Three Special Election Dates To Fill Vacancies

-- AP: Closed-Door Talks Fail To Settle PA State House Control Fight

-- WESA: Commonwealth Court Hears Legal Challenges On Special Election Dates As Democrats, Republicans Pick Candidates

-- Post-Gazette/Capitolwire.com: How A State Senate Race Could Throw The House Into More Chaos

-- MCall Guest Essay: PA House Republicans Ignore The Will Of The Voters With Power Grab - ACLU Of PA

-- MCall Guest Essay: When It Comes To The PA House Majority, Democrats Have A Math, Legal Problem - Republican House Leader Bryan Cutler

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: The Best And Worst Of Times - A Tale Of Two PA Transitions-- Governor, State House

-- Inquirer Column: Democratic State Rep. McClinton Can No More Declare Herself Speaker Than The Ex-President Can Declare Himself President

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: PA House Republican Power-Grab On Special Elections Disenfranchises Western PA Voters, Here’s Why

-- Warren Times Editorial: May Is Far Too Late To Hold House Special Elections

-- Post-Gazette Editorial: Keep State House Special Elections In February To Ensure Communities Have Representation And To Resolve Ongoing Power Struggle

-- LancasterOnline Editorial: The Power Struggle In PA House Is Unseemly

-- Scranton Times Editorial: PA Capitol Chaos Calls For Special Reform

Federal FY2023 Budget

-- Appalachian Voices: Final FY2023 Federal Budget Includes STREAM Act, Abandoned Mine Land Economic Program Increase, Not Black Lung Benefits  [PaEN]

-- The Allegheny Front: Abandoned Mine Pollution Long-Term Cleanup Will Get Money From Federal Spending Bill

-- Scranton Times: STREAM Act Legislation Passes Congress

-- PA Trout: Federal STREAM Mine Reclamation Act Advocacy At National Wild Trout Symposium Highlights Trip West  [PaEN]

-- Appalachian Voices: Appalachian Advocates Urge Congress To Include Key Coal Community Investments In Forthcoming Budget Legislation

-- National Assn. Of Conservation Districts Applauds Strong Conservation Investments In Final Federal Spending Bill  [PaEN]

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Federal FY2023 Budget Increases Funding For Chesapeake Bay Program, Watershed Investments For Landscape Defense, NRCS Technical Assistance

-- Wilkes-Barre Times: Cong. Cartwright: Omnibus Federal Budget Package Includes $53 Million For NE PA, Including Wyoming Valley Stormwater Funding

-- PA-Based Evangelical Environmental Network Praises Inclusion Of Growing Climate Solutions Act In Year-End Congressional Funding Package

-- Erie Times - Brian Whipkey: PA Continues Fight For Federal Wildlife Funding, Despite Setback

Environment/Energy Issues

-- UGI Asks Natural Gas Customers To Conserve Energy Use Due To Regional Natural Gas Supply Constraints  [PaEN]

-- PJM Interconnection ‘Possibility Of Rotating Customer Electricity Outages Is Real’ -  A Mix Of Power Plants In The System Are ‘Not Performing’ - Filing DOE Emergency Power Request  [PaEN]

-- Lancaster Farming: Sen. Laughlin To Introduce Bill To Remove The Remaining Prohibitions On Sunday Hunting

-- WPost: New Studies Show Politically Conservative Areas Had Higher COVID Death Rates; Working-Age People Have Shorter Lives Overall

-- Syracuse University: Study: Rise In Working-Age Deaths In U.S. Linked To Conservative State Policies

-- Scientific American: People In Conservative Counties Have Higher Death Rates, May Stem Largely From Policy Choices

-- Stacker.com: Pennsylvania Counties With Shortest Life Expectancy 1 (shortest)-15: Fayette, Schuylkill, Greene, Philadelphia, Luzerne, Cambria, Lawrence, Wyoming, Northumberland, Mercer, Carbon, Blair, Beaver, Lackawanna, Armstrong

Top 10 Stories On Harrisburg/PA Politics Last Week--

Because In Politics Everything Is Connected To Everything Else--

-- Top 10 Stories: Harrisburg/PA Politics Reported By Local News Media Last Week  [PaEN]

Bill Calendars

Senate (January 3): <> Click Here for full Senate Bill Calendar.

House (January 3): <> Click Here for full House Bill Calendar.

Committee Meetings

House   

<>  Click Here for full House Committee Schedule.

Senate

 <>  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.

Session Schedule

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

House

January 3

Senate

January 3, 9, 10, 11, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30, 31

February 1, 27, 28

March 1, 6, 7, 8

Budget hearings: March 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28, 29, 30 and April 11, 12, 13

April 24, 25, 26

May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10

June 5, 6, 7, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30

[Posted: December 24, 2022]

12/26/2022