Pennsylvania Senate Republican News Brief

The Senate is expected to consider three measures this week that are part of a Senate Republican package designed to continue changing the culture of state government by increasing accountability and transparency.

Senate Bill 101, sponsored by Sen. Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster), would increase penalties for violating the "Sunshine Law" governing open, public meetings.

Senate Bill 105, sponsored by Sen. Pat Browne (R-Lehigh), would create a public, searchable, online database of state expenses.

Senate Bill 110, sponsored by Senator Smucker, would improve access to, and expand information contained in, state plane logs.

On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee, chaired by Sen. Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin), will hold a public hearing to receive testimony from state Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak on Graduation Competency Assessments.

Review

Senate Bill 1: ESTABLISHING non-partisan approach to projecting revenues

A landmark bill drafted by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Pat Browne (R-Lehigh) would fundamentally reform Pennsylvania's budgeting process to expedite the procedure while increasing transparency and accountability in state government.

Senate Bill 1 establishes a Legislative Fiscal Office, a non-partisan, bicameral agency with expertise in financial matters. The LFO would have access to the same agency and department financial information as the Governor's Budget Office. Pennsylvania is one of only eight states where the Legislature does not receive the agency budget requests.

Senator Browne said: "One of the most important benefits of creating the LFO is that developing fiscal projections and revenue estimates in Pennsylvania will become much more transparent and free of political considerations. That has been the experience in states where such an office exists."

Sen. Don White: Senate GOP committed to protecting children's health care

Senate Banking and Insurance Committee Chairman Don White (R-Indiana) issued a statement reaffirming the Senate Republicans commitment to the state Children's Health Insurance Program:

"It is disappointing, but hardly surprising, that Pennsylvania's CHIP program is being treated by the Governor like a poker chip in his high-stakes game to increase state spending. Since passage of Senate Bill 850, which reduced state spending to match the revenues we expect to receive next year, the Governor has marched out his cabinet members on an almost daily basis to forecast gloom and doom if the Legislature doesn't accept his budget.

"Senate Bill 850 maintains state spending for CHIP at its current level, ensuring that a monthly average of 195,000 children will receive the health care coverage they need. In addition, we don't know and haven't factored into the FY 2009-10 budget what additional funding the Commonwealth will receive as a result of the federal government's massive tobacco tax increase for the S-CHIP initiative. If we truly care about our children, then we must not mortgage their future through imprudent spending or tax increases."

HEALTHNET PA: HEALTH COVERAGE FOR YOUNG ADULTS GOES TO GOVERNOR

Legislation that will extend health care coverage for young adults under their parents' insurance plans was sent to the governor for enactment into law following the House of Representatives’ approval (192 to 2) of the measure May 12. The Senate unanimously approved the bill on March 25.

Senate Bill 189, sponsored by Sen. Jake Corman (R-Centre), will extend health insurance coverage, at the expense of policyholders, to adult dependent children up to the age of 30 who are not married, have no dependents, are residents of the Commonwealth or enrolled as a full-time student at an institution of higher education and are not provided insurance coverage or eligible for government benefits. Insurers would be able to determine increases in the premium to cover this additional benefit.

The measure is part of the Senate Republican HealthNET PA package, a blueprint that expands access to health care and medicine to uninsured and low-income working Pennsylvanians.

Sen. Piccola REVISES Higher Education Affordability and Accountability PLAN

Senate Education Committee Chairman Jeffrey Piccola (R-Dauphin) has revised and reintroduced his legislation focusing on higher education accountability and affordability. Senate Bill 881 would establish necessary tuition controls and accountability measures without placing additional financial burdens on the Commonwealth.

Senator Piccola originally unveiled "The Affordability and Accountability in Higher Education Act" to respond to the Governor's proposed funding system for higher education which relies on video poker machines to boost aid for students entering one of the 14 state-owned and operated universities and community colleges. The legislation is an alternative proposal that continues to include tuition controls and accountability measures for Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency grant recipients.

However, the revised bill eliminates the appropriation originally proposed for the PHEAA Grant Program due to the growing revenue shortfall now projected at $3 billion.

Senator Piccola said: "In these difficult economic times, we must take steps to show fiscal restraint for our existing programs. Although it's important to provide assistance for students and families who recognize that higher education is key to economic opportunity, I believe this legislation now sends the taxpayers of this Commonwealth the right message and at the same time gets a handle on the costs of higher education and maintains a level of accountability."

SAVING Volunteer Responders from Unnecessary Paperwork

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) and Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee Chair Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) have introduced legislation to clarify the status of volunteer fire companies and other volunteer emergency responders under Pennsylvania's new Right-to-Know Law.

Senate Bill 851 would state that volunteer fire companies and other volunteer emergency responders are not subject to the Right-to-Know Law, except in cases where there are contracts with government agencies to provide such services. The measure was introduced as a result of a recent determination which found that volunteer fire companies are local agencies subject to the provisions of the new Right-to-Know Law, authored by Senator Pileggi.

Senator Pileggi said: "Volunteer fire companies serve a vital role in communities all across Pennsylvania, but they are not government agencies. It was never our intent to have the Right-to-Know Law fully cover volunteer fire companies and other volunteer emergency responders."

Senator Baker said: "Our volunteer responders work to keep our communities safe every day. We need to do everything we can to support them. Unnecessary paperwork adds to the challenges they face and makes it harder for them to do their jobs."

Sen. Orie Sponsors Bill to Reinstate Ban on Gaming Contributions

As part of her continued effort to reform Pennsylvania's gaming laws, Sen. Jane Orie (R-Allegheny) has introduced legislation to reinstate the state's ban on political contributions by gaming interests.

The legislation comes in response to a recent State Supreme Court decision overturning the ban. The court ruled that the law violated free speech and was too broad in its application. Sen. Orie's legislation would correct language in the law to address those concerns.

Senator Orie said: "While I understand the decision of the court and the minor contradiction between the intent language and the substantive language of the law that banned all contributions, I must disagree with the proposition that allowing limited contributions will not affect the public confidence in the law."

In the Spotlight

While the Governor and Legislature must agree on spending during budget negotiations, the Administration currently has sole discretion over setting the revenue projection for the upcoming fiscal year.

Under Senate Bill 1, the Legislative Fiscal Office would submit a preliminary revenue estimate during the second week of February, a week after the Governor traditionally presents his budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. The LFO would then submit a binding revenue estimate for the upcoming fiscal year by June 15.

Senate Bill 1 also requires state agencies and departments to submit their budget requests to the LFO at the same time they submit them to the Office of the Budget. The LFO would also develop performance measures for state programs and departments and evaluate the performance reviews of those programs and departments as reported by the Administration.

Senator Browne said: "The overall budget process would be improved by having the LFO receive the data and supporting documentation provided by those agencies to justify their proposed expenditures. This information would improve the Legislature's efforts to prioritize state spending by enabling us to see the priorities set by the various agencies."

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) said: "The Legislative Fiscal Office is vital because it will provide neutral, fact-based information to the Governor, the Legislature, and the public. Pennsylvania's budget should be guided by sound economic data without partisan influence."

Fast Facts

Additional Responsibilities of the Proposed Legislative Fiscal Office:

Evaluating the fiscal soundness and effectiveness of proposed revisions to formula-based funding streams including education and transportation subsidies.
Preparing a baseline budget with spending levels necessary to retain all current programs.
Providing an analysis of the Governor's budget proposal.
Developing models to forecast state revenues.