Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from the week of Dec. 3. Both houses of the General Assembly are in recess, with no session days scheduled for the remainder of the year. Members of the new Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives are set to be sworn into office Jan. 1.

Redistricting Reform

Democratic leaders of the Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives announced that they will serve on Gov. Tom Wolf's commission on redistricting reform.

Sen. Jay Costa, D-Allegheny, and Rep. Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny, said they look forward to helping in a comprehensive review of Pennsylvania's redistricting process and offering recommendations later in 2019 to improve its integrity and fairness.

“A key part of the group's effort will be getting citizens to engage in our work. For too long they have felt shut out of a meaningful role in redistricting,” Costa said. “The upcoming work of the commission will prioritize hearing what the public has to say.”

Dermody emphasized that the group is advisory in nature and doesn't usurp the General Assembly's role.

“The commission has no authority to change state law and will simply be offering ideas for the governor and legislature to consider using during the redistricting process,” Dermody said. “That's a worthy purpose and we're proud to join Gov. Wolf's appointees in undertaking a serious effort that will offer needed perspective.”

Wolf established the commission with an executive order last month and appointed 11 of the 15 members. The remaining four slots are for legislators chosen by the respective leaders of the four legislative caucuses.

Republicans have responded that the commission is a piece of “grandstanding” and have not designated appointees to serve on it.

Airport Improvements

Wolf announced Dec. 6 that 26 Pennsylvania airports will make infrastructure and equipment upgrades to maintain safety and expand aviation-related operational and economic opportunities with the assistance of over $6 million in state investments.

“With more than 400 airports across the state, this support from my administration helps keep aviation a viable transportation alternative and adds to our economy as well,” Wolf said in a statement. “These airports support hundreds of thousands of jobs and offer services that are attractive to the business community and others interested in general aviation.”

Included in the grants is $2.2 million in state funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's Aviation Development Program, which comes from the state's jet fuel tax, and $4 million from the multimodal transportation fund, according to the Wolf administration statement. The two funding streams leverage $2.1 million in local matching funds. Public-use airports in the state are eligible for the Aviation Development Program.

Open Government

Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella on Dec. 4 announced that all public proceedings before the Board of Finance and Revenue will be recorded and available online, as part of an ongoing effort to promote transparency and enhance public access.

Torsella said the practice would be effective immediately.

The board consists of three members: two appointed by Wolf and confirmed by the Senate, with Torsella or his designee serving as the third member, leading the board. It reviews and decides on average 4,500 appeals annually brought by individuals, businesses and other organizations related to tax assessments and refunds made by the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue.

“This is an opportunity to ensure that every Pennsylvanian across the state, regardless of geographic location or physical ability has the access to see how tax appeals are considered by the Board of Finance and Revenue,” Torsella said. “These are public proceedings, and therefore, it is common sense that we make sure they are fully accessible to the public from the convenience of their own computer.”