Senate Approves Unemployment Benefit Extension Bill

Measure provides seven additional weeks of benefits

As part of the legislative activities of session week of July 27 the Senate approved a bill to provide seven additional weeks of unemployment compensation to workers who have exhausted their benefits, according to Senator Bob Robbins (R-50).

House Bill 1770 makes a temporary change in Pennsylvania law enabling the Commonwealth to accept $145 million in federal stimulus money to extend emergency unemployment benefits for an additional seven weeks. The legislation would give most unemployed workers in the state access to a total of 79 weeks of unemployment benefits.

"Senate passage of House Bill 1770 will provide a measure of relief to the thousands of Pennsylvanians idled during the ongoing recession. Enactment of this measure will enable the Commonwealth to access and utilize $145 million in federal stimulus funds to provide an additional seven weeks of emergency unemployment compensation benefits to those displaced workers," Senator Robbins said. "We must continue promoting economic development and job creation as our long-term solution to the recession and Pennsylvania's unemployment situation. However, we must also take advantage of this federal funding to help idled workers."

HB 1770 returns to the House for concurrence on Senate amendments. In addition to enactment of the bill, Pennsylvania's unemployment rate must be certified by the Federal government before the additional benefits can be released. The process is expected to be completed in about two weeks.

Other bills approved by the Senate during the session week of July 27 include:

Senate Bill 441 allows a teacher's certificate to be signed by a certified registered nurse practitioner or physician assistant. Currently, an applicant for a teaching certificate must submit a form to the Department of Education signed by a physician certifying that the applicant is neither mentally nor physically disqualified from performing the duties of a teacher.

Senate Bill 607 amends the Rural Pennsylvania Revitalization Act to add the regional campuses of the University of Pittsburgh to the list of eligible grant recipients and to increase the maximum amount of a grant from $50,000 to $60,000.

The Senate approved and sent to the Governor for enactment into law House Bill 1648, a measure creating an Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice to examine the judicial corruption case in Luzerne County. The 11-member Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice would meet at least once a month and must submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the governor, the state Supreme Court, the Senate and the House of Representatives by May 31, 2010.

House Bill 1654 amends Pennsylvania's mortgage reform laws to bring them in line with federal statutes. HB 1654 returns to the House for concurrence on Senate amendments.

Committee Roundup

The Appropriations Committee approved six bills at its Tuesday meeting:

Senate Bill 168 allows municipal governments to enter into power supply and electric generation projects to get the best deal for consumers. The bill would give boroughs the authority to acquire electricity at the best value through memberships in non-profit member corporations.
Senate Bill 369 ensures that families of public safety employees killed in the line of duty received death benefits.
Senate Bill 535 amends the Game and Wildlife Code to provide an exemption from licensing requirements for adult hunters who participate in a mentored adult hunting program.
Senate Bill 899 increases the income eligibility limits for an eligible pre-kindergarten student or school-age student from an annual household income of $50,000 to $60,000. It requires the Department of Community and Economic Development to adjust the income limits annually to reflect the Consumer price Index. It also increases the income allowance for each student and dependent of the household from $10,000 to $12,000.
Senate Bill 1042 directs the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to provide semiannual reports to the Legislature of all grants it receives from Federal disaster assistance or relief funds, homeland security and defense funds, avian flu/pandemic preparedness or other public health emergency funds.
The Appropriations Committee also approved HB 1770 prior to its final passage by the full Senate.

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee unanimously approved a bill to ensure the Commonwealth honors leases allowing groups to use state park facilities during impasses over the state budget.

Senate Bill 974, co-sponsored by Senator Robbins, preserves the rights of any group with a valid lease to use a state park regardless of any decision by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) to close, restrict access to, or modify services at the facility.

DCNR Acting Secretary John Quigley submitted a letter earlier this spring containing a list of 50 potential state parks to be evaluated for closing as part of the impasse over the state budget. While the parks have remained open during the current budget impasse, previously there was some speculation that the lack of a budget could result in closures and/or limitations of services and hours of operation.

The committee also approved: Senate Bill 1034 which adds areas adjacent to, or an expansion of, an existing coal refuse disposal site to the list of preferred sites for coal refuse disposal; and House Bill 1798, which reallocates funding available for use under the H2O PA infrastructure grant program.

Contact:

Michael Hengst
(717) 787-1322