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Harrisburg Happenings Dear Friend, On Wednesday afternoon, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected the state House and state Senate redistricting plans by a 4-3 vote. The Court ordered the Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission to redraw the 203 House districts and the 50 Senate districts with new boundaries following the court's opinion, which will be released at a later date. The order stated that the 2001 Legislative Reapportionment Plan is to remain in effect until a new, constitutional plan is approved. This ruling will NOT affect the new congressional district boundaries. If you find this e-newsletter useful, I invite you to visit my website www.senatormensch.com for more information about your state government. If you do not wish to receive these e-newsletters, please click the "unsubscribe" button at the bottom of the page. If you would like to contact my office, please go to my web page and click on the "contact" button. Please do not "reply" directly to this e-mail. Sincerely, Bob Mensch Senate Acts to Extend Unemployment Compensation The Senate approved legislation on Monday that will enable about 17,000 Pennsylvanians to continue receiving unemployment compensation benefits. Senate Bill 1375 is now before the House Labor and Industry Committee for consideration. Congress approved a 60-day extension of federal funding for the benefits in late December, but Pennsylvania must amend the state's Unemployment Compensation Law in order to take advantage of the extension. Senate Approves Bill to Accelerate Critical Utility Infrastructure Improvements The Senate approved legislation on Wednesday that will accelerate the replacement of aging natural gas, electric and wastewater systems in the commonwealth, create new jobs and increase public safety. House Bill 1294 will establish a new financing method – known as a distribution system improvement charge process (DSIC) – to expedite utility infrastructure projects. This will allow natural gas distribution companies, electric distribution companies and wastewater companies to accelerate the replacement of existing corroded, brittle or other at-risk lines, funded by a small surcharge. Currently, utilities must wait for the completion of a rate case to begin receiving a return on their investment – a time-consuming process that delays projects and leads to higher costs for consumers. The bill was amended in the Senate to include important safeguards for consumers. To aid in enforcement and implementation of the plan, utilities would be required to reconcile their expenditures, file a long-term infrastructure plan with the Public Utility Commission, and be subject to audits. House Bill 1294 was returned to the House for concurrence in Senate amendments. Military Families Education Compact Bill headed for Enactment A measure I co-sponsored to help students of military families cope with the frequent and stressful relocations associated with active duty service was sent to the governor to be signed into law. The House of Representatives approved the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children legislation on Tuesday. The Senate approved the legislation in March. Currently, 35 states have already passed similar legislation and joined the compact. Senate Bill 159 authorizes Pennsylvania to enter into the Interstate Compact as a way to make education more accessible to children of military families and make school transfers and transitions more uniform and less stressful. The average student in a military family faces transition challenges more than twice during high school, and most military children will attend six to nine different school systems from kindergarten through graduation. The Compact provides a comprehensive approach to address the major areas of education that are affected, such as the transferring of education records, course sequencing, graduation requirements and power of custodial parents and guardianships during deployments. Senate Passes Neighborhood Electric Vehicle Bill The Senate approved a bill on Tuesday that would allow the use of low-speed electric vehicles, also known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEV), on certain roadways. NEVs are four-wheeled electric vehicles with a maximum top speed of 20 to 25 miles per hour. NEVs must be equipped with headlights, turn signals, windshields, and seat belts. These environmentally-friendly vehicles can be a useful transportation alternative for local travel. Senate Bill 52 would allow the operation of NEVs on roads with a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. Bicycle Safety Receives Final Legislative Approval Legislation aimed at ensuring that bicycles and motor vehicles share the road safely was approved by the Senate Tuesday and sent to the governor for enactment. Among several provisions, House Bill 170 requires motor vehicles to observe a minimum four-foot safe passing distance, at a reduced speed when possible, when overtaking bicycles on the roadway. It also requires bicyclists operate on the far right side of the roadway when proceeding at less than the prevailing speed. The bill clarifies that bicycles are exempt from the state Vehicle Code minimum speed regulation as long as cyclists "proceed at a safe and reasonable speed appropriate for pedal cycles," and "use reasonable efforts so as not to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic." It also permits motorists to pass bicyclists in a marked No-Passing Zone as long as it is safe to do so in the judgment of the motorist and as long as the four-foot minimum passing distance is maintained. Examining Pennsylvania Breweries and Job Creation in PA Job creation and economic development come from an array of industries, and the Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution I co-sponsored to study the economic impacts of breweries in Pennsylvania. Senate Resolution 216 will thoroughly examine the economic impacts, with a focus on jobs, of breweries in Pennsylvania through the General Assembly's Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. Along with the overall economic impact, the study will
look at how the brewing industry affects tourism and other industries in the
commonwealth. |
Offices Montgomery/Bucks County Office | |
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