June 6th, 2008

SB 1373, which allows for annual funds to be allotted to mental health and retardation programs, passed in the Senate on Tues. June 3rd, with a vote of Y:43, N:7.  Erickson’s bill had the support of 28 Republicans and 15 Democrats.  It will now move onto the House to be assigned to a committee.

There was a public hearing on SB 1137 in the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee on Tuesday, where Republicans, doctors and hospitals asked Administration officials to detach the two proposals of PA ABC and the MCARE extension.  The Admin. officials and Democrats maintain that the two proposals are substantively linked and should remain together. 

Since it’s evident that Sen. Don White (R – Indiana) isn’t going to let the bill, with the two proposals still attached, come to a vote in his committee anytime soon – Sen. Don Hughes (D – Montgomery) presented a resolution on Wed. to discharge the committee from further consideration of the bill.  If passed, the dishcharge resolution would force the bill onto the Senate floor.  However, there are many ways around these resolutions and they therefore almost never pass.

 SB 246  - the Indoor Smoking ban - conference committee report was passed on Tues. June 3 with a vote of 5-1.  The only conferee to vote against the bill was Sen. Mellow (D – Lackawanna), who believed that since Philadelphia was allowed to keep a stricter local ban, it was outrageous to not allow Scranton and Allegheny County (both of which had enacted strong local bans, which were later stuck down by the courts).

The next day the conference report came before both the House and the Senate for a vote.  No further amendments were allowed - they had to vote the conference committee bill up or down.

Before the vote in the Senate, Sen. Mellow, offered up a motion to return to the conference report to committee so that the amendment to allow the exemption for Scranton and Allegheny County could be added.  However, that motion failed 23 v. 27.

Shortly after, the Senate unexpectedly voted the bill down. The delegation of Senators from Allegheny County stuck behind Sen. Mellow’s sentiments and voted no.  Philadelphia’s Senators also voted no, standing behind Allegheny’s caucus.

Almost immediately after the vote, Sen. Chuck McIlhenney’s (R – Bucks) motion to reconsider the bill passed and the bill went over in its order, basically rendering the previous vote null and void. SB 246 will reappear on the Senate calendar on Monday, for a new vote.

Conversely, the House overwhelmingly approved the smoking ban bill by a vote of 163-38. They will await action of the Senate next week which will determine the fate of a smoking ban for Pennsylvania. Since the House has already passed the bill it can no longer be sent back to the conference committee by the Senate.

HB 2028, amending the Healthcare Cost Containment Act, has been laid on the House calendar for this coming Mon. June 9th