HARRISBURG – During the Senate’s session this week to continue work on the state budget, two bills authored by Sen. Dave Argall (R-29) were passed with bipartisan support by the full Senate, while a third advanced out of committee.
“In addition to our efforts to end this unnecessary budgetary crisis, I was pleased to see these commonsense measures received bipartisan support,” said Argall. “There are few issues I hear more about than the workforce shortages affecting many segments of our economy. Our votes today will assist two labor forces that play crucial roles in our communities – long-term care workers and corrections officers.”
Senate Bill 114 would encourage more employees to join the long-term care workforce by expanding both the availability of long-term care training courses for nurse aides and the eligibility for individuals to take the nurse aide competency exam. The bill was approved by a vote of 31-18 and now advances to the House of Representatives.
Senior advocates strongly support these changes, noting that they would remove barriers for those seeking employment at long-term care centers while still ensuring employees are well-qualified.
Senate Bill 111 would eliminate the residency requirement for corrections officers, providing real relief to Pennsylvania’s overworked state corrections officers by addressing staffing shortages. The bill was approved by a unanimous vote of 13-0 by the Senate Judiciary Committee and now advances to the full Senate for consideration.
Argall introduced this legislation at the request of local corrections officers and their union.
Senate Bill 460 would update the procedures when a governor or lieutenant governor is unable to perform their duties. The bill was approved by a vote of 35-14 and now advances to the House of Representatives.
This bill was introduced after a review by the Senate State Government Committee, which was chaired by Argall at the time, found the Governor and Lieutenant Governor Disability Procedure Law, which was enacted in 1974, was applied differently in all three cases it was needed and contained antiquated language, including a reference to the telegram.
CONTACT: Jim Brugger