OPIOID DISASTER

Three weeks after issuing his 90-day opioid disaster declaration, Gov. Tom Wolf on Jan. 29 urged the General Assembly to consider a set of pending bills aimed at furthering its key initiatives and messages.

Among the pending and new legislation pressed by Wolf were the following:

• SB 472, introduced by Pennsylvania Sen. Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, would limit prescriptions for a controlled substance containing an opioid to seven days except in cases of emergency.

• A comprehensive amendment to SB 391, introduced by Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, which would amend the Drug and Alcohol Abuse Control Act to allow persons to be subject to mandatory evaluation and treatment if they have a substance use disorder and are incapable or unwilling to accept voluntary treatment, and if they present an imminent danger or threat of danger to self or others.

• SB 978, introduced by Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, would allow home health and hospice staff to dispose of unused prescription medication following a patient's death.

CHILD WELFARE

State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on Jan. 31 told members of the House Majority Policy Committee that Pennsylvania's child-welfare system has suffered greatly as a consequence of the opioid addiction epidemic.

At a field hearing in Farmington chaired by state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Fayette, DePasquale said that his auditors, in preparing a comprehensive report on the state of Pennsylvania children, found that opioids have ripped holes in the child welfare system.

“Among the topics I have focused on has been how the opioid crisis is straining an already-stressed child-welfare system. In many counties, the effect on Children and Youth Services caseworkers, who are already overworked and under duress as they strive to keep Pennsylvania's at-risk children safe, has been extreme,” DePasquale said.

“Without exception, caseworkers and others who work in this field have told me that the opioid crisis has dramatically increased caseloads and increasingly jeopardized child safety and well-being.”

DePasquale told the committee he plans this spring to unveil an action plan that gives the governor and the legislature specific recommendations on how to improve Pennsylvania's “beleaguered” child welfare.

LABOR AND INDUSTRY

Senate Republican leaders announced on Jan. 30 that the upper house would decline to take action on Wolf's nominee to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Jerry Oleksiak. The leaders asked for the nomination to be recalled, but Wolf declined, according to a statement on the Senate GOP website.

The leader's statement means that Oleksiak will serve as secretary without Senate approval.
“The majority of the Senate Republican Caucus expressed serious reservations about the qualifications and abilities of Jerry Oleksiak,” said Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, and Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, in the statement. “At the same time, we wanted to balance those concerns with the understanding that the governor should have the ability to establish his own team.”

The move by the Senate is unprecedented. Under law, Oleksiak will become Secretary of L&I since he has been under consideration by the Senate for 25 legislative days.

SENATE ACTION

The Pennsylvania Senate approved the following bills, among others:

• SB 611, introduced by Sen. John DiSanto, R-Perry, passed on a unanimous vote Jan. 30. It would ensure that public employees who commit job-related felonies are stripped of their taxpayer-funded pension. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration. Currently, the Public Employee Pension Forfeiture Act requires a public employee to forfeit his or her pension only for certain crimes listed in the act, and DiSanto said it has led to plea deals to avoid the forfeiture while securing a conviction.

• SB 52, introduced by Sen. Stewart J. Greenleaf, R-Montgomery, passed on a unanimous vote Jan. 29. It would bring the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, which is aimed at helping high school dropouts earn their diploma, to Pennsylvania. The program focuses on improving basic life skills and promoting fellowship and good citizenship through military-style training and supervised work experience for youth between the ages of 16 and 18. The bill would direct the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs to apply for federal funding for the program. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

There are currently 40 youth challenge programs operating in 28 states, according to a release on the Pennsylvania Senate Republican caucus website.

• SB 1015, sponsored by Sens. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, and Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, passed on a unanimous vote Jan. 29. The bill would allow off-duty police officers who serve on special emergency response teams to respond to incidents quicker and more safely under
by using flashing lights and sirens when using their private vehicles to respond to incidents. The legislation now moves to the House.

• SB 799, sponsored by Sen. Rich Alloway, R-Franklin, passed on a 47-2 vote on Jan. 31. The bill would create a new nutrient trading program to help Pennsylvania meet federal pollution reduction goals and improve drinking water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The bill was sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.