Nominations to Various
Boards and Commissions. (See Attached) Confirmed: 49-0.
The measure would also require local
agencies as defined in the act to post on their official internet websites,
and update on a monthly basis, the following information for their officers
and employees: name, title, department, salary or other rate of
compensation, and supplemental compensation for the current month. If the
local government does not maintain an official internet website, the
information would have to be made available electronically or in writing,
upon request, within five days. Each local agency would be required to
notify the State Treasurer when it has complied with act. When applicable,
the notification would have to include the internet website page address
where the data is located. The State Treasurer would be required to
maintain an internet website-based directory of the local agency internet
website addresses received under the act on its official internet website
created to post state salary information. It would be unlawful for any
person to use the contents of the posting of the information under the act
for any commercial purpose whatsoever. The act would take effect July 1,
2007, or immediately, whichever is later. Passed: 49-0.
Senate Bill 779 (Armstrong)
would designate the portion of State Route 462 in Lancaster Township from
the Lancaster City line on the west to the Conestoga River on the east,
Lancaster County as the Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Robert D. Lapp,
Jr., Memorial Highway. Passed: 49-0.
Senate Bill 782 (M. White)
would amend the Radiation Protection Act to revise and increase fees paid by
the owners and operators of nuclear power reactors and other facilities to
the Department of Environmental Protection, the Pennsylvania Emergency
Management Agency and the Pennsylvania State Police. The bill would also
transfer the authority to establish fees from the Department of
Environmental Protection to the Environmental Quality Board.
Beginning in 2009, DEP would convene a working group of personnel from the
Department and an equal number of representatives from nuclear facilities
selected by the owners of the facilities to review fees paid to the
Department and other related issues. The group would issue a report to the
General Assembly with recommendations relating to fees imposed on nuclear
sites and nuclear waste. The Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency
would be required to establish a similar working group to study fees and
report to the General Assembly.
Additional changes would add
"high-level waste", "transuranic waste" and "large quantities of radioactive
materials" to the provisions relating to the transportation of radioactive
material. Shippers of spent nuclear fuel, high-level waste,
transuranic waste or a large quantity of radioactive material would be
require to reimburse the State Police for the actual costs of escort
services. The State Police could establish a schedule of fees for escort
services and to revise the fees annually. Revisions to the fee schedule
would be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. The
measure would require PEMA to add accidents involving the shipment of
nuclear fuel, high-level waste, transuranic waste or large quantities of
radioactive material to their Transportation Emergency Response Plans.
The bill would require each nuclear power reactor owner to provide
existing plant and radiological monitoring data collected by the owner to
DEP. By July 1, 2008, each owner would have to enter into an agreement with
the Department establishing protocols to provide the data. The measure
further specifies that the Peach Bottom Atomic Power Station, Unit 1, and
the Three Mile
Island Nuclear Generating Station, Unit 1, would be subject to actual DEP
cost recovery for decommissioning oversight responsibilities. The costs
would be invoiced to the person holding the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
license at the end of each fiscal quarter. Passed: 49-0.
Senate Bill 815 (Musto) would
amend the Storage Tank and Spill Prevention Act to extend the sunset dates
for the Underground Storage Tank Pollution Prevention Program and the
Underground Storage Tank Environmental Cleanup Program from June 30, 2007 to
June 30, 2012. The bill would also eliminate the June 30, 2007 sunset date
for the provisions of section 710 (b.2) which established an annual
allocation of up to $500,000 from the Underground Storage Tank Environmental
Cleanup Program for payments for corrective actions relating to spills from
small home heating oil tanks. Passed: 49-0.
Senate Resolution 127 (Pippy)
designates the month of May 2007 as "Good Chemistry Month" in Pennsylvania
in recognition of the dynamism and innovation of the business of chemistry.
Adopted by Voice Vote.
Senate Resolution 128
(McIlhinney) commemorates the Father of the United States Navy, Commodore
John Barry, whose statue was dedicated in Independence Square in the City of
Philadelphia 100 years ago. Adopted by Voice Vote.
House Bill 112 (Eachus) would amend the Insurance Company Law of 1921 to
expand the Insurance Department's review authority to include jurisdiction
over consolidations of insurers. The legislation would amend several
definitions and add a definition of "shareholder." The definition of
"insurer" would be amended to include hospital plan corporations and
professional health services plan corporations (Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Plans) and the definition of "person" would be amended to include an
"insurer."
The bill would establish an Insurance
Restructuring Public Interest Review Board to review the merger,
consolidation or other acquisition of control of a hospital plan corporation
or professional health services plan corporation. The board would include
the Auditor General, the Secretaries of Health and Public Welfare, the
Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate and House and two members of the
general public appointed by the Governor. One of the public appointees
would be a policy holder of a hospital plan corporation or professional
health services plan corporation, while the other would be a health care
provider who has a contract with a hospital plan corporation or a
professional health services plan corporation.
The board would review all filings related to
mergers, consolidations or other acquisitions of control and hold at least
one public hearing at which the Department would present findings. The
board would make written recommendations to the Department. The Department
would have to provide a written response to each recommendation submitted by
the board, including the reason the recommendation will or will not be
adopted and a written determination that the merger will result in a
sustained reduction in health care premiums and that it is consistent with
the public interest. The Department could not approve a merger or
consolidation of a health plan corporation or health services plan
corporation until it has responded to
the recommendations of the board. The board would have 30 days to review the
Department's response. The Department could not approve the merger for 60 days
following the submission of its information to the board.
The board could appoint financial experts or auditors to determine the amount of
the net economic benefit or savings to be derived from the merger, the amount of
the plans' reserves and the amount dedicated to the plans' social mission.
House Bill 112 would create a restricted receipt account for the deposit of net
economic benefits, proceeds, savings or other moneys derived from the merger
which are to be used for Commonwealth health care programs. The bill would
prohibit contracts between the Commonwealth and the hospital plan corporation or
professional health services plan corporation relating to the disbursement or
spending of the economic benefits of the merger until the funds are appropriated
by the General Assembly. Hospital plan corporations and professional health
services plan corporations would be required to report annually to the
Department and the House Insurance Committee and the Senate Banking and
Insurance Committee a list of all contracts and funds spent for advertising and
for their social mission. The provisions of House
Bill 112 would apply to an application, statement, or other plan or proposal
relating to a merger, consolidation or other acquisition of control filed with
the Department on or after January 1, 2007.
The GAA Amendments Act of 1990, which
relates to consolidations, would be repealed insofar as it is inconsistent with
this Act. Passed: 30-18.
Executive Session
Nominations to Various
Boards and Commissions. (See Attached) Confirmed: 48-0.
