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Harrisburg Happenings

A report on the budget hearings held during the week of February 25, 2019

Special Report: 2019-20 Budget Hearings

The Senate Appropriations Committee held its second week of public hearings on Governor Wolf’s proposed state budget for the 2019-20 Fiscal Year. The Appropriations Committee heard detailed reports from several cabinet secretaries and other officials over the four-day period of February 25-28. More information on the budget, as well as photos, audio and video from the hearings, is available at: www.pasenategop.com/state-budget/

Monday, February 25, 2019

Department of Labor & Industry

Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee questioned how the state can better connect individuals to high-paying jobs during a hearing with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry Secretary Jerry Oleksiak. Other topics of discussion included:

  • Encouraging students to pursue career and technical training for available manufacturing jobs.
  • Improvements to the benefits modification system for Workers’ Compensation.
  • Problems regarding Unemployment Compensation call centers.
  • Making apprenticeships more available for skilled labor positions.
  • Helping able-bodied Medicaid recipients find long-term jobs.
  • Eliminating redundancies and improving outcomes in job training programs.
  • The impact of the closure of nuclear plants.
  • Coordination of state agencies relating to workforce development.
  • Prevailing wage requirements for taxpayer-funded projects.
  • The number of hourly workers earning the current minimum wage.
  • The impact of a minimum wage increase on higher-earning employees.
  • Efforts to help low-income employees access job training and skills.
  • The governor’s proposed PA Farm Bill.
  • Helping incarcerated individuals reintegrate into the workforce.
  • The number of jobs that could be eliminated by an increase in the minimum wage.
  • Vocational rehabilitation programs and the number of people served by increasing funding.

Video

Department of General Services

The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed the following issues with Secretary of General Services Curt Topper:

  • Efforts to achieve costs savings, promote contracts with small businesses, and increase energy use efficiency.
  • Contracts, bidding and the purchasing of voting machines.
  • Increased spending for utility costs and efforts to reduce energy consumption.
  • Borrowing to fund the Bureau of Public Works.
  • The Farm Show leaseback contract.
  • Improving access to high-speed internet.
  • Information technology improvements.
  • The state’s property insurance coverage.
  • Efforts to address costs from vacant state office space.
  • Streamlining the disbursement of surplus state-owned properties.
  • Vender selection and licensing for medical marijuana sales.
  • A proposed staffing increase.

Video

Department of Transportation

The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed the following issues with Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards:

  • Uses of the Motor License Fund, including State Police funding.
  • New personnel to process REAL ID applications ahead of October 2020 deadline.
  • Rehabilitation of Driver’s License Centers.
  • An update on the Delaware River dredging project.
  • Vehicle registration applications now that stickers have been eliminated.
  • Funding for license plate-reading technology.
  • The importance of the transportation system to farmers.
  • Legislation expanding farm vehicle width.
  • The impact of Act 89 transportation funding increases.
  • Steps PENNDOT can take to ensure contractors do a good job.
  • Efforts to fill open PENNDOT positions.
  • Costly new testing equipment mandated by the Enhanced Vehicle Emissions Program.
  • The impact on farmers and communities of highway truck bans during storms.
  • An update on replacement of structurally deficient bridges.
  • Steps taken after it was revealed that non-citizens were registering to vote via the Motor Voter Law.
  • PENNDOT’s involvement in combating human trafficking.
  • The possibility of revising the 30 year-old formula for funding transportation projects.
  • The need for more federal transportation funding.

Video

Tuesday, February 26, 2019

State Related Universities

The Senate Appropriations Committee reviewed proposed spending by state related universities with Penn State President Eric Barron, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Patrick Gallagher, Temple University President Richard M. Englert and Lincoln University President Brenda Allen. Topics included:

  • The missions of the state-related schools in relation to the State System of Higher Education.
  • The value of a possible Higher Education Funding Commission.
  • The declining college-age population and higher education enrollment.
  • Steps being taken to combat Pennsylvania’s opioid crisis.
  • Student mental health and suicide prevention plans.
  • The Pennsylvania Commission for Agricultural Education Excellence.
  • The economic impact of college campuses on surrounding communities.
  • An update on anti-hazing initiatives following passage of the Timothy J. Piazza Anti-Hazing bill.
  • The impact that the Governor’s flat funding will have on tuition.

Video

Judiciary

The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed several issues with representatives of the judicial branch. Topics of discussion included:

  • The impact of flat funding for the judicial branch and the amount of funds held in reserve.
  • Additional funding necessary to implement the state’s Clean Slate law.
  • The decision to delay consideration of a proposed rule change in regard to venue shopping.
  • Efforts by the judicial branch to reexamine office space and leases.
  • The number and effectiveness of problem-solving courts.
  • The impact of justice reinvestment and specialty courts and how they have affected judicial costs.
  • Steps to improve cybersecurity and protect against data breaches.
  • Possible changes to continuing legal education requirements.
  • How the use of criminal history reports is evaluated.
  • The caseload and cost of the Judicial Conduct Board.
  • Policies related to gifts to members of the judiciary.
  • The effect of keeping vacant judgeships open.

Video 

Pennsylvania College of Technology

The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed the following issues with Dr. Davie Jane Gilmour, President of Pennsylvania College of Technology.

  • The need for a higher education funding commission.
  • Preparing students to meet employers’ needs.
  • Programs for veterans.
  • Improvements to the school’s welding program.
  • The school’s brewing and fermentation program.
  • Student debt.
  • The inclusion of liberal arts classes in a technical education program.
  • Graduation rates and students who leave early for job opportunities.
  • The school’s relationship with the Shell cracker plant.
  • Retention of graduates in Pennsylvania.
  • Programs and positions eliminated by the school.
  • The state’s financial support of the school.

Video

Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology

The Senate Appropriations Committee considered the importance of higher education and workforce development during a hearing with the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology. Topics of discussion included:

  • Efforts to meet the educational needs of low-income students.
  • Metrics that should be considered in funding higher education.
  • How the school has bucked recent trends of reduced enrollment at other universities.
  • The process of adding and removing programs.
  • Potential pathways to help a larger number of unemployed individuals transition into the workforce.
  • Programs to train students from low-income families for high-paying careers.
  • Demographics of the school and programs that are most popular and successful for students.
  • Partnerships between higher education and the business community.

Video

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Department of Health

The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed efforts to fight the opioid crisis and help those with addiction highlighted during the budget hearing with the Department of Health. Other topics discussed included:

  • A study of recreational marijuana use.
  • Drug treatment plans and drug testing when providing prescriptions for opioid use.
  • Health risks posed to adolescents who smoke marijuana.
  • The processing of rape evidence kits and a health care provider hotline.
  • Delays in providing birth certificates and other vital records.
  • Over prescription of opioids for routine procedures.
  • Misinformation about childhood vaccinations and the resurgence of polio and measles.
  • The shortage of ambulance staff and services, particularly in rural Pennsylvania.
  • The impact of the Governor’s emergency declaration on opioid abuse on small towns.
  • Efforts to update hospital regulations on the providing of anesthesia.
  • The PA Rural Health Model.

Video

Department of Human Services

Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee discussed several cost-saving ideas and ongoing reform efforts with representatives of the Department of Human Services. Topics of discussion included:

  • The sustainability of Medicaid and expectations for recipients.
  • The effectiveness of public assistance programs in helping people transition from welfare to work.
  • Ways to eliminate barriers that prevent individuals from escaping generational poverty.
  • Health care options for older Pennsylvanians.
  • Efforts to reduce pharmacy benefit manager costs and increase transparency of prescription costs.
  • The Governor’s proposed new tax on ambulatory surgery centers.
  • Potential fee changes that could jeopardize services provided to individuals with disabilities.
  • Waivers that allow able-bodied individuals without dependents to receive SNAP benefits without meeting work and job search requirements.
  • Changes to the Medical Assistance Transportation Program.
  • Loopholes to child abuse reporting requirements.
  • The growth in neonatal abstinence syndrome due to the opioid epidemic.
  • The performance and models for Centers of Excellence.
  • Early intervention services for at-risk children.
  • Long-term care for older Pennsylvanians.
  • Cooperation with the Department of Labor & Industry in workforce training and development.
  • Updates on programs to protect vulnerable populations.

Video

Thursday, February 28, 2019

Department of Corrections/Board of Probation & Parole

Corrections Secretary John Wetzel fielded questions from members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on a wide range of topics involving state prisons, inmate populations and how to reduce recidivism rates. Other questions included:

  • Concerns that individuals are being placed in corrections centers that are not near where they live.
  • A proposal to train eligible inmates to become volunteer firefighters.
  • Medication-assisted treatment for inmates who are being released.
  • The use of telemedicine to treat Pennsylvania’s aging prison population.
  • The high cost of moving inmates from Graterford, which closed, to the new SCI Phoenix.
  • What the Legislature can do to help those leaving prison obtain employment.
  • Efforts to help inmates with PTSD, dementia and hospice needs.
  • New security systems and technology being implemented in state prisons.
  • How declining prison populations will affect prison closures in coming years.
  • The impact of Senate Bill 14, which would reform the way probation and parole violations are handled.
  • The threat of inmates being human-trafficked from inside a prison.
  • Prison capacity, the acceptance of inmates from other states, and cost-savings measures.

Video

Liquor Control Board

Several Senate Appropriations Committee members challenged officials of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board about why state store workers are not being informed about their ability to opt out of paying dues to a government union, based on the U.S. Supreme Court JANUS decision.   Senators also raised questions about:

  • Wine sales versus liquor sales and growth projections in the years ahead.
  • The potential for a deal to sell Pennsylvania dairy products to Cuba in exchange for rum.
  • Pennsylvania wines featured in state stores and their popularity.
  • Profits from auctioning liquor licenses and the number of licenses sold.
  • Advertising costs and feasibility.
  • On-site lottery machines.

Video

Department of Environmental Protection

The Senate Appropriations Committee discussed the following issues with Secretary Patrick McDonnell during the budget hearing with the Department of Environmental Protection.

  • DEP restrictions on gas drilling.
  • Varying times for permit processing by DEP regions.
  • The EPA’s Chesapeake Bay regulations.
  • Grant programs to help farmers.
  • Proposed fund transfers in the budget.
  • A reduction in the Recycling Fund.
  • Removing some counties from vehicle emissions testing requirements.
  • Funding for hazardous site cleanup operations.
  • Pennsylvania’s plans for the cleanup of Chesapeake Bay.
  • The impact of the closure of nuclear facilities on reaching carbon emission goals.
  • Funding for the Susquehanna River Basin Commission.
  • The sustainability of Pennsylvania’s various environmental funds.

Video

JCJC/PCCD

Senate Appropriations Committee members discussed school safety and juvenile justice with Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency Acting Director Derin Myers and Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission Executive Director Richard Steele. Topics included:

  • An update on the implementation of the Legislature’s school safety initiatives.
  • The use of school safety grants to hire armed security guards.
  • The reduction in school safety funding in the Governor’s proposed budget.
  • The juvenile justice placement process.
  • An update on the status of Children’s Advocacy Centers to help child abuse victims.
  • The Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy data review.

Video

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