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The Senate Majority Policy PulseWelcome
This session, at the request of our 29 Senators, the Senate Majority Policy Committee is investigating a variety of issues varying from PENNDOT’s broken promises, school property taxes, school safety programs, election modernization and security, and many more. This monthly newsletter is designed to seek your input and suggestions. If you have any ideas for a future newsletter- please contact tcooper@pasen.gov. Will Governor Wolf Veto Bipartisan Bill that Creates Thousands of New Jobs in PA?The Governor is threatening to veto a bipartisan bill providing tax credits to attract thousands of new jobs to Pennsylvania. HB 1100 would offer tax credits to attract industries that use methane, the main constituent of natural gas, in the manufacture of petrochemicals or fertilizers. This bill is similar to the tax credit incentive passed in 2013 to bring Shell Polymer to western PA. The Beaver County “cracker plant” currently employs nearly 7,000 skilled workers at the largest construction site in North America. Other PA workers also deserve these same opportunities. HB 1100 received major bipartisan support, with no Republicans voting against it. In the Senate, it passed 39-11 with 10 Democrats voting for the bill and 11 opposed. In the House, the vote was 157-35 with 35 Democrats voting “no” and 57 voting “yes.” A veto override would require 34 Senators and 136 House members. Stay tuned! School Property Tax Elimination
{Pictured above: Chief of Staff for Senator David Arnold- Greg Moreland, Senator Mario Scavello, Me, and Senator John DiSanto} On February 12th, at the request of Senator DiSanto (R-Dauphin/Perry), we reviewed the thorny topic of school property tax elimination, along with Senator Mario Scavello (R-Monroe), Reps. Mark Keller (R-Perry) and Andrew Lewis (R-Dauphin) and staff from Senator Dave Arnold (R-Lebanon/Dauphin) and Rep Sue Helm (R-Dauphin). The Perry County public discussion included citizen advocates for school property tax elimination, school business officials, business and real estate experts, and advocates for our senior citizens with an extensive Q&A session with the public. You can watch the hearing here. Protecting our 2020 Elections
At the request of Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), our Policy Committee recently reviewed the implementation of a series of landmark election reforms the General Assembly approved in 2019. We were joined by Senator Scott Martin (R-Lancaster), Senator Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), and Senator Mario Scavello (R-Monroe). We’re going to see major turnout in the upcoming 2020 presidential election and we need to ensure that the bipartisan election modernization measures we passed last year are implemented successfully by the Department of State. What’s our nightmare scenario: the recent Iowa caucuses—that is not the model we want for Pennsylvania! You can watch the hearing here. Fighting for our Farmers
Our state and local dairy industry is under threat in Pennsylvania. Milk consumption around the country has fallen which has hurt many local dairy farms. The Policy Committee met at the Farm Show at the request of Senator Vogel (R-Lawrence), to address this issue. Senator Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York), Senator Scott Hutchinson (R-Butler), and Senator Judy Ward (R-Fulton) joined us. You can learn about this issue here. Last year’s Farm Bill was created in part to reverse the trend of farms closing down across the state. At the Farm Show, we heard from several farmers and the Secretary of Agriculture on where the Farm Bill made improvements and other issues we need to address. You can watch the hearing here. NYC Spending Big on Forcing Homeless OutNew York City has an epidemic of homelessness. NYC has decided to spend over $80 million on relocating the homeless to other cities or states. Some see this as a way to give the homeless a fresh start with a lower cost of living while other see it as a program for NYC to dump their problem on others. You can read more about it here. Best Wishes to Senate President Pro Temp- Joe Scarnati
Senate Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-Jefferson) has announced he will not seek reelection in 2020. To Joe, our highest ranking Senator for 14 years and Pennsylvania’s 31st Lieutenant Governor from 2008 to 2011, congratulations on your successful service as a Senator, leader and friend. You will definitely be missed! Next Issue of the Policy PulseNext Month’s Policy Pulse will feature information from the various budget hearings. These hearings are a critical part of the legislative process as we review the agency budgets and the issues that these departments face. If you have any ideas for a future newsletter- please contact tcooper@pasen.gov. |
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