Senate Bill 1149 (Tartaglione) would amend the Crimes Code to add an employee of an agency, company or other entity engaged in public transportation to the list of officials and employees included under the aggravated assault law.  Passed:  47-3. 

Senate Resolution 294 (M. White) reaffirms that the consent of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to the acquisition of Allegheny National Forest Lands by the United States is conditioned on the preservation of property interests of the Commonwealth and privately owned property interests.  Adopted:  50-0. 

Senate Resolution 318 (Orie) commemorates the seventh anniversary of the Educational Improvement Tax Credit.  Adopted by Voice Vote. 

Senate Resolution 319 (A. Williams) designates May 7, 2008 as "Arts in Education Day" in Pennsylvania.  Adopted by Voice Vote. 

Senate Resolution 320 (Orie) recognizes May 6, 2008 as "World Asthma Day 2008" in Pennsylvania.  Adopted by Voice Vote. 

Executive Session 

Nominations to Various Boards and Commissions.  (See Attached)  Confirmed:  50-0. 

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Senate Bill 684 (Baker) would create the Public Health Child Death Review Act.  The measure would require the Department of Health to establish the Public Health Child Death Review Program to facilitate state and local multiagency, multidisciplinary teams in the examination of the circumstances surrounding child deaths in the Commonwealth for the purpose of promoting safety and reducing child fatalities.  For purposes of the act, a child would be defined as an individual 21 years of age and under.  Among other powers and duties, the program would assist in the establishment and coordination of local public health child death review teams; coordinate the collection of child death data; develop protocols to be used in the review of child deaths; provide training and assistance to local teams and agencies; adopt programs and recommendations based on collected data to prevent child deaths; and, provide public information and education regarding the incidence and causes of child injury and death.  

The program would be advised by a state public health child death review team consisting of the following individuals or their designees:  the Secretary of Health, who would serve as chairman; the Director of the Office of Children, Youth and Families in the Department of Public Welfare; the Attorney General; the Commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police; and, the Director of the Bureau of Emergency Medical Services in the Department of Health.  The following individuals would be appointed to the team by the Secretary of Health:  a physician who specializes in pediatric medicine; a physician who specializes in family medicine; a representative of local law enforcement; a medical examiner; a district attorney; a coroner; representatives from local public health child death review teams; and, any other individual deemed appropriate by the Secretary of Health. 

> Each county would be required to establish a local public health child death review team.  Two or more counties could establish a team on a regional basis to satisfy this requirement.  The local teams would be comprised of:  the director of the county child protective services agency or a designee; the district attorney or a designee; a representative of local law enforcement appointed by the county commissioners; a representative of the court of common pleas appointed by the president judge; a physician who specializes in pediatric or family medicine appointed by the county commissioners; the county coroner or medical examiner; a representative of emergency medical services selected jointly by the supervisors of all emergency medical organizations in the county; the director of the local public health agency or a designee; and, any other person deemed appropriate by a majority of the local child death review team.   

The local child death review team would review all deaths of children.  Among other information, the local team could review coroner's and postmortem examinations records; death and birth certificates; law enforcement records; medical records; reports made available by the county child protection services agency; and, reports and records made available by the court.  The local public health child death review team would be required to utilize the child death review data collection system to report its findings in accordance with protocols established by the state team.  The name and home address of the deceased child would not be reported to the data collection system.  The local team would submit biennial reports to the state team including the identification of factors which cause a risk for injury and death and recommendations for the improvement of health and safety policies and the coordination of services and investigations by child welfare agencies, medical officials, law enforcement and other agencies. 

State and local public health child death review teams would be required to maintain the confidentiality of any indentifying information obtained relating to the death of a child.  Each member of the state and local teams and any person appearing before the team would be required to sign a confidentiality agreement applicable to all proceedings and reviews.  The proceedings, deliberations and records of a state or local public health child death review team would not be subject to discovery, subpoena, or introduction into evidence in any civil or criminal action.  Meetings of the teams at which a specific child death is discussed would be closed to the public and not subject to the Open Meetings Law.  The program would be required to submit an annual report to the Governor and General Assembly by September of each year relating to the activities of the state child death review team, a summary of reports received from local child death review teams and recommendations relating to reduction of risk of child injury or death.  Passed:  49-0. 

Senate Resolution 295 (Brubaker) designates the week of May 18, 2008 as "MRSA Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.  Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auerus (MRSA) is a type of infection that is resistant to treatment with the usual antibiotics.  Adopted by Voice Vote.
 

Senate Resolution 323 (Vance) recognizes the week of May 6 through 12, 2008 as "Nurses Week" in Pennsylvania.  Adopted by Voice Vote. 

House Bill 501 (Santoni) would amend the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act to provide for the licensing of perfusionists.  "Perfusion" is defined as the functions necessary for the support, treatment, measurement or supplementation of the cardiovascular systems or other organs, or a combination of those functions, and for ensuring the safe management of physiologic functions by monitoring and analyzing the parameters of the systems under the supervision of a licensed physician.  Two years after the effective date of the act, it would be unlawful for any person to hold himself out to the public as a perfusionist or to practice perfusion unless the person holds a valid and current license issued by the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine or the State Board of Medicine.  A perfusionist could perform perfusion on an individual being treated by a physician under medical supervision and approval consistent with standing orders or protocols of a hospital that are promulgated and approved by a physician designated as the medical director of the cardiovascular surgery program.  In addition to licensed individuals, individuals in training under the direct supervision of a licensed individual would be authorized to perform perfusion.   

An applicant for licensure would have to be at least 18 years of age, of good moral character, be a graduate of an accredited perfusion program approved by the Board, be certified by a certifying agency approved by a nationally recognized accrediting agency approved by the Board, and complete an application and pay the appropriate fee.  The Board would also be authorized to issue temporary graduate licenses and temporary provisional licenses.  A licensed perfusionist practicing in the Commonwealth would be required to maintain a level of professional liability insurance coverage in the minimum amount of $1 million per occurrence or claims made.  Failure to maintain the coverage would subject the licensee to disciplinary proceedings.  Licensed perfusionists would be required to complete 30 hours of mandatory continuing education during each two-year license period.  The bill would also add a perfusionist to the rotating seat on the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine.  Passed:  45-4. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2008 

Senate Bill 731 (Orie) would amend the Public School Code to include epinephrine auto-injectors under the existing provisions which provide for the possession and use of asthma inhalers by children in schools.  Under the changes, each school entity would be required to develop a written policy to allow for the possession and self-administration of epinephrine auto-injectors by children of school age in a school setting.  The policy would have to specify conditions under which a student could lose the privilege to self-carry an asthma inhaler or epinephrine auto-injector if the school policies are abused or ignored.  A school entity would have the right to prevent a student from self-carrying an epinephrine auto-injector if the student is under eleven years of age.  The policy would have to be distributed with the code of student conduct and made available on the school entity's publicly-accessible internet website.  The school entity could require updated prescriptions and parental approvals on an annual basis from the pupil.  Nothing in the section could be construed to create, establish or expand any civil liability on the part of any school entity or school employee.  Passed:  50-0. 

Senate Resolution 284 (Brubaker) recognizes May 2008 as "Beef Month" in Pennsylvania.  Adopted:  50-0.