Legislation Introduced 2011-2012

Senate Bill 242 — (01/11) — Legislation designating the bridge in the Borough of Somerset over Barclay Run as the Trooper Stephen R. Gyurke Memorial Bridge. (Act of December 2, 2011, P.L. 556, No. 119)

Senate Bill 243– (01/11) — Legislation authorizing the Department of General Services, with the approval of the Department of Conservation & Natural Resources and the Governor, to grant and convey to Ohiopyle Borough, Fayette County, in exchange for Ohiopyle Borough granting and conveying certain lands to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to be added to those existing lands at Ohiopyle State Park.

Senate Bill 244 — (01/11) – Legislation amending The Public School Code of 1949 requiring a school (public or private) to have at least one staff member that is trained in CPR on the premises at all times.

Senate Bill 245 – (02/11) – Legislation amending Title 53 of PaCS  (Municipalities Generally) prohibiting assessment appeals fees to property owners.

Senate Bill 246 – (02/11) — Legislation amending the Second Class County Assessment Law (P.L. 626, Act 294 of 1939) prohibiting assessment appeal fees in Second Class Counties.

Senate Bill 376 – (02/11) — Legislation creating a State Department of Veterans Affairs.  The creation of this Department would allow the current Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to focus solely on the important duties of supervising a complement of Pennsylvania National Guard deployed around the globe and maintaining the Commonwealth’s post 9-11 security.

Pennsylvania maintains one of the highest numbers of resident veterans in the nation.  A State Department of Veterans Affairs would more efficiently administer the numerous programs that are now in place.  The legislation would maintain the status of all current veteran’a programs and would place each under the administration of one of the three bureaus that will be created within the Department.  The overall goal of this legislation is to most effectively and efficiently serve the growing number of veterans residing in the commonwealth.

Senate Bill 491 – (02/11) — Legislation amending the Health Care Facilities Act (P.L. 130, Act 48 of 1979) to require the Department of Health to publish annual health care facilities inspection reports

Senate Bill 492 – (02/11) — Legislation amending the Health Care Facilities Act (P.L. 130, Act 48 of 1979) to require the Department of Health to establish a toll-free telephone number to receive complaints regarding licensed health care facilities and licensed facilities to post certain telephone numbers.

Senate Bill 493 — (02/11) — Legislation amending the Health Care Facilities Act (P.L. 130, Act 48 of 1979) providing for quality assurance inspections for licensed health care facilities.

Senate Bill 494 — (02/11) — Legislation amending the Health Care Facilities Act (P.L. 130, Act 48 of 1979) to provide for annual reports by the Department of Health to the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 495– (02/11) — Legislation providing for nursing home performance information and requiring nursing homes to maintain inspection reports and to distribute reports to patients or designees.

Senate Bill 663– (02/11) — Legislation amending Title 53 of PaCS (Municipalities Generally) to provide a limited exception to the requirement that municipal authorities in the Commonwealth have their books, accounts and records audited by a Certified Public Accountant.

Senate Bill 664– (02/11) — Legislation amending the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537 of 1965) to remove the requirement that an individual must prove ownership of land prior to January 10, 1987 to qualify for an exemption from an on-lot sewage permit.

Senate Bill 665– (02/11) — Legislation amending Title 18 of PaCS (Crimes & Offenses) and Title 23 PaCS (Domestic Relations) providing a fee waiver for prospective parents who are looking to adopt children who are disabled, five years of age or older, a member of a minority group, or have a genetic condition that would likely lead to a disease or disability.

Senate Bill 666– (02/11) — Legislation amending Title 18 pf PaCS (Crimes and Offenses) providing for a fee waiver for the $10 criminal background check for individuals who are considering becoming a volunteer firefighter.

Senate Bill 667– (02/11) — Legislation amending the Tax Reform Code of 1971 (P.L. 6, Act 2 of 1971) to exclude money in a joint bank account from paying inheritance tax if all of the money is derived from one source and that source is the survivor.

Senate Bill 668– (02/11) — Legislation amending the Title 51 of PaCS (Military Affairs) to allow access to state armory fitness facilities for active duty and retired members of the Armed Forces of the United States.  The legislation would require the State Armory Board to issue rules and regulations for allowing active duty and retired members of the Armed Forces of the United States access only to the fitness facilities within the Armories.

Senate Bill 669– (02/11) — Legislation providing for an automatic cost of living increase (COLA) to retired members of PSERS and SERS.  This would include all retired state employees as well as retired school teachers.  The COLA would be reflective of increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and would be effective on July 1 of every year, starting in 2011.

Senate Bill 670– (02/11) — Legislation providing for an automatic cost of living increase (COLA) to retired members of SERS and PSERS.  The COLA would be reflective of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Urban Wage Earners during the preceding calendar year.  Additionally, the COLA would be applied automatically on a bi-annual basis beginning July 1, 2011.

Senate Bill 671– (02/11) — Legislation providing for a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for individuals receiving workers’ compensation benefits. The COLA will reflect increases in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) as calculated by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Senate Bill 672– (02/11) — Legislation requiring municipal retirement systems to pay annual post-retirement adjustments to certain retired municipal employees; and providing for the financing of these adjustments and for the administration of the Commonwealth’s reimbursements for these adjustments.

Senate Bill 673 – (02/11) — Legislation amending Title 75 of PaCS (Vehicle Code) to require PENNDOT to distinguish that an individual suffers from a communication disability on his/her operator’s license.

Senate Bill 674 – (02/11) — Legislation amending the Automobile Lemon Law (P.L. 150, Act 28 of 1954) to include protection in the purchase of emergency service vehicles.

Senate Bill 690 – (04/11) — Legislation transferring $50 million originally designated for flood control to water and sewer rehabilitation through H2O Pennsylvania.  This bill is part of a legislative package called PA Works that is designed to create 28,000 new jobs, leverage over $2 billion in new private investment and save $150 million.

Senate Bill 854 – (03/11) — Legislation amending the Enforcement Officer Disability Law-Heart and Lung (P.L. 477, Act 193 of 1935) to extend benefits to county correctional officers.  This legislation would provide for the salary, medical and hospital benefits for county correctional officers who are injured or contract certain diseases within the performance of their employment duties.

Senate Bill 855 – (03/11) — Legislation applying federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) standards to public employers and employees in Pennsylvania.  Specifically, the legislation will establish improved health and safety programs; establish rights and responsibilities for both employers and employees; encourage innovative methods of addressing occupational safety and health problems; and create a tracking system to monitor job-related injuries and illnesses.

Senate Bill 950 – (04/11) — Creates a nonviolent juvenile boot camp system. This legislation would enhance the current program because it sets criteria for the camps to follow. In addition, it establishes probation supervision, requires reports on the progress of the system to the General Assembly and allows for placement of these camps.

The legislation requires the Secretary of Public Welfare and Commissioner of Corrections to work together to place new juvenile camps near existing adult camps. This will enable inmates from both camps to use the same facilities thus cutting costs of building and maintaining these camps. The populations of both camps will still be separated but the camps may still share some common facilities.

Senate Bill 951 – (04/11) — Companion legislation to the boot camp proposal allowing judges to sentence juveniles to the new system.

Senate Bill 1041 – (05/11) — Legislation stipulating that on January 1st of each year, if the difference between the aggregate number of Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) members is less than the authorized complement by 5% or greater, a new cadet class (of not less than 150 individuals) shall be authorized for the next fiscal year.

The legislation also excludes from the total complement, the PSP members assigned to duty with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Senate Bill 1042 – (05/11) — Legislation increasing the complement of Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) to 5,000 members.  Currently, the complement set in law is 4,310 individuals.

The legislation would also exclude from the total complement, the PSP members assigned to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission.

Senate Bill 1049 — (05/11) — Legislation amending Title 30 of PaCS (Games & Fisheries) to give the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission authority the option of offering multi-year licenses and permits, group licenses and permits, and promotional discounts.  Act of June 22, 2012, P.L. 640, No. 66

Senate Bill 1250 – (09/11) — Legislation creating the Suface Owners’ Protection Act to provide for certain rights and compensation to surface owners of a split-estate.  As the exploration of minerals in the Marcellus and other stratigraphic formations expands, issues between surface owners of split-estate and oil/gas operators over competing uses of the land may become more widespread.

Senate Bill 1251 – (09/11) — Legislation will ensure that oil and gas leaseholders receive the full amount of royalties they are due for gas or oil extracted from their property.

Senate Bill 1289 – (10/11) — Legislation establishing in law the real property of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Educaiton and its institutions are exempt from state and local taxes and assessments on such property.

Senate Bill 1346 – (11/11) — Legislation limiting the liability of entities choosing to utilize acid mine water for hydraulic fracturing of oil or gas wells.

Senate Bill 1422 – (02/12) — Legislation serving to abrogate the common law doctrines of adverse possession and easement by prescription in Pennsylvania.  The bill will also make related repeals and will not apply to actions commenced prior to the effective date of the act.  The bill would effectively eliminate the taking of title to another individual’s property through the doctrine of adverse possession.

Senate Bill 1423 – (02/12) — Legislation increasing the fine imposed on individuals convicted of littering in Pennsylvania under both Title 18 of PaCS (Crimes & Offenses) and Title 75 of PaCS (Vehicles).  Persons convicted of littering shall be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $1,000 for each offense.  Under current law the fine may range from $50 to $300.

Senate Bill 1496 – (04/12) – Legislation requiring PENNDOT to offer a special registration plate to commemorate those affected by the events of September 11, 2001.  The cost of the plate will be $35, of which $15 will be dedicated to the non-profit Friends of Flight 93 National Memorial for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the Flight 93 National Memorial.

Senate Bill 1497 – (04/12) – Legislation requiring the Pennsylvania Game Commission to provide copies of a summary of the regulations for the seasons, bag limits, hunting hours and hunting regulations for migratory birds as determined by the United States Secretary of the Interior under the authority of the Migratory Game Bird Treaty Act.

The Game Commission shall make this information available to each United States Post Office located in the Commonwealth where a Migratory Bird Hunting Conservation Stamp may be purchased and to the public at its headquarters and each regional headquarters by mail and upon request.

Senate Bill 1498 – (04/12) – Legislation permanently establishing September 11th as a Day of Remembrance in Pennsylvania and memorializing the Governor to issue a proclamation each year to honor the victims of the terrorist attacks on our nation and state.

Senate Bill 1555 – (06/12) – Legislation requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to provide any land and/or surface owner a copy of any enforcement order issued against a gas or oil well operator for violations of the Oil & Gas Act (Act 223 of 1984) that occurred within the boundaries of their property.  This legislation will increase the awareness of land surface owners to any unlawful activities that may have future effects on the use and sale of their land.

Senate Bill 1556 – (06/12) – Legislation updating the Precious Metal Sale Regulation Law (Act 17 of 1984) by requiring a seller of precious metal to present a photo identification which would be included with the record of sale and sent to the District Attorney (currently a dealer is only reuired to obtain identification verifying the name and address of the seller); requiring dealers to obtain purchased precious metals in their original state for ten working days (currently a dealer can resell or alter the purchase after five working days);  increasing penalities and license ineligibility for both licensed and unlicensed dealers found in violation of the law.

Senate Bill 1557 – (06/12) – Legislation adopting air quality standards and procedures to ensure that ice arenas in Pennsylvnaia are not operating with unsafe levels of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide.

 

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Senate Resolution 131 – Commemorating the 67th anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 2011.  Introduced & Adopted June 6, 2011

Senate Resolution 161 – Offering thanks to members of all veterans organizations and auxiliaries and others who volunteer to provide services to Pennsylvania’s veterans and veterans’ families.  Introduced & Adopted June 29, 2011

Senate Resolution 202 – Urging the oil and gas industry to utilize acid mine water in fracturing Marcellus Shale for natural gas extraction, whenever economically feasible and environmentally safe.  Adopted November 15, 2011