Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from the week of Nov. 13. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. The state House of Representatives was scheduled to return to session on Monday. The Pennsylvania Senate was scheduled to return to session on Dec. 11.

Lieutenant Governors

Three former Pennsylvania lieutenant governors testified at a public hearing that gubernatorial candidates should be empowered to choose their running mates, and that the state should abandon independent election of the office.

Former Lt. Govs. Jim Cawley, Robert Jubelirer and Mark Singel all backed SB 761, a constitutional amendment sponsored by state Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, to replace independent election with selection by the nominees for governor.

Cawley and Jubelirer, both Republicans and Singel, a Democrat, told the Pennsylvania Senate's State Government Committee that it is time to end the practice of independent election in favor of the voters being presented with a team led by the gubernatorial nominee. Singel compared independent election to a “shotgun marriage” and Cawley said the constitutional measure offered hope of “greater cohesion” between governors and lieutenant governors.

Pennsylvania lieutenant governors preside over the state Senate and fill in for the governor when there is a disability. Singel served as acting governor for six months in 1993 when Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr. was recovering from illness.

To amend the constitution, the measure must be approved in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly and then be ratified by a vote on a ballot measure.

Land Banks

Land banks have provided a useful tool to relieve blight in communities of all sizes in Pennsylvania and return properties to the tax rolls, a lawmaker said in a hearing to gauge Act 153 of 2012, under which 17 land banks have been established statewide.

State Rep. Mark Keller, R-Perry, delivered the assessment at a hearing of the state House of Representatives Urban Affairs Committee on Nov. 14. Keller, the committee chairman, said the law has put “former eyesores back on the tax rolls.”

According to a statement released on the state House Republican caucus website, committee members heard testimony on how land bank programs are working in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Lackawanna and Northumberland counties.

The committee is currently reviewing legislation passed by the Senate that would expand the land banks program by giving redevelopment authorities the same powers. Several witnesses at the hearing spoke out against SB 667, including an expert who worked closely with legislators to create Pennsylvania's Land Bank Law. The expert, a professor at Emory University, said confusion could result from giving similar powers to multiple agencies.

Firearm Restriction

Gov. Tom Wolf on Nov. 13 called on the General Assembly to pass SB 501, a measure sponsored by state Sen. Tom Killion, R-Delaware, that would prohibit domestic abusers subject to final Protection From Abuse orders from possessing firearms.

“We must protect victims—spouses and children—of domestic violence and attempt to prevent domestic abusers from escalating their violence in everyday places that result in mass murder,” Wolf said. “It is time for the General Assembly to act on this bipartisan, common-sense legislation to protect victims and reduce violence.”

Across the country, recent mass shootings often have a common thread: perpetrators with a history of domestic violence, research shows, according to a statement from the Wolf administration. In the 156 mass shootings from 2009 to 2016, 54 percent of cases were related to domestic or family violence.

Solar Energy

Wolf on Nov. 13 signed into law legislation to promote clean energy by boosting the use of solar energy credits in Pennsylvania.

HB 118 was sponsored by state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Luzerne. Solar energy
credits were backed in the Pennsylvania Senate by Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe.

“This legislation is a game changer,” Wolf said. “We are making sure that the benefits of increased renewable jobs, a cleaner environment, and a growing renewable economy will be felt in the commonwealth.”

The new law, included in the administrative code, Act 40, requires that for a renewable facility to generate credits, the electricity the facility generates must be delivered to an electricity distributor operating in Pennsylvania.

The signing ceremony, according to a statement from the Wolf administration,
took place adjacent to Elizabethtown College's 2.6-megawatt solar photovoltaic
system. •

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from the week of Nov. 13. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. The state House of Representatives was scheduled to return to session on Monday. The Pennsylvania Senate was scheduled to return to session on Dec. 11.

Lieutenant Governors

Three former Pennsylvania lieutenant governors testified at a public hearing that gubernatorial candidates should be empowered to choose their running mates, and that the state should abandon independent election of the office.

Former Lt. Govs. Jim Cawley, Robert Jubelirer and Mark Singel all backed SB 761, a constitutional amendment sponsored by state Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, to replace independent election with selection by the nominees for governor.

Cawley and Jubelirer, both Republicans and Singel, a Democrat, told the Pennsylvania Senate's State Government Committee that it is time to end the practice of independent election in favor of the voters being presented with a team led by the gubernatorial nominee. Singel compared independent election to a “shotgun marriage” and Cawley said the constitutional measure offered hope of “greater cohesion” between governors and lieutenant governors.

Pennsylvania lieutenant governors preside over the state Senate and fill in for the governor when there is a disability. Singel served as acting governor for six months in 1993 when Gov. Robert P. Casey Sr. was recovering from illness.

To amend the constitution, the measure must be approved in two consecutive sessions of the General Assembly and then be ratified by a vote on a ballot measure.

Land Banks

Land banks have provided a useful tool to relieve blight in communities of all sizes in Pennsylvania and return properties to the tax rolls, a lawmaker said in a hearing to gauge Act 153 of 2012, under which 17 land banks have been established statewide.

State Rep. Mark Keller, R-Perry, delivered the assessment at a hearing of the state House of Representatives Urban Affairs Committee on Nov. 14. Keller, the committee chairman, said the law has put “former eyesores back on the tax rolls.”

According to a statement released on the state House Republican caucus website, committee members heard testimony on how land bank programs are working in Philadelphia, Allegheny, Lackawanna and Northumberland counties.

The committee is currently reviewing legislation passed by the Senate that would expand the land banks program by giving redevelopment authorities the same powers. Several witnesses at the hearing spoke out against SB 667, including an expert who worked closely with legislators to create Pennsylvania's Land Bank Law. The expert, a professor at Emory University, said confusion could result from giving similar powers to multiple agencies.

Firearm Restriction

Gov. Tom Wolf on Nov. 13 called on the General Assembly to pass SB 501, a measure sponsored by state Sen. Tom Killion, R-Delaware, that would prohibit domestic abusers subject to final Protection From Abuse orders from possessing firearms.

“We must protect victims—spouses and children—of domestic violence and attempt to prevent domestic abusers from escalating their violence in everyday places that result in mass murder,” Wolf said. “It is time for the General Assembly to act on this bipartisan, common-sense legislation to protect victims and reduce violence.”

Across the country, recent mass shootings often have a common thread: perpetrators with a history of domestic violence, research shows, according to a statement from the Wolf administration. In the 156 mass shootings from 2009 to 2016, 54 percent of cases were related to domestic or family violence.

Solar Energy

Wolf on Nov. 13 signed into law legislation to promote clean energy by boosting the use of solar energy credits in Pennsylvania.

HB 118 was sponsored by state Rep. Aaron Kaufer, R-Luzerne. Solar energy
credits were backed in the Pennsylvania Senate by Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe.

“This legislation is a game changer,” Wolf said. “We are making sure that the benefits of increased renewable jobs, a cleaner environment, and a growing renewable economy will be felt in the commonwealth.”

The new law, included in the administrative code, Act 40, requires that for a renewable facility to generate credits, the electricity the facility generates must be delivered to an electricity distributor operating in Pennsylvania.

The signing ceremony, according to a statement from the Wolf administration,
took place adjacent to Elizabethtown College's 2.6-megawatt solar photovoltaic
system. •