Pennsylvania State Capitol. Photo credit: Zack Frank/Shutterstock.com

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week beginning Jan. 7. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. Both were scheduled to return to session Tuesday, when Gov. Tom Wolf is scheduled to be inaugurated for a second term.

Senate Leadership

Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, on Jan. 8 added to Republican Party leadership in the upper house, naming Sen. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland, to the post of caucus administrator.

He also re-appointed Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, as chairman of the Senate Majority Policy Committee.

The promotions of Argall and Ward came one day after Scarnati named the Senate's 22 standing committee chairmen and -women. The most powerful panel, the Appropriations Committee, will be led by Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh, a post he has held since 2014.

Some of the newly named committee chairwoman and -men were Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne, who is set to become chairwoman of the Judiciary Committee; Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, who was named chairman of the Education Committee; Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, who was appointed chairwoman of the Labor & Industry Committee; Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Mercer, who moved up to become chairwoman of the Health & Human Services Committee, and Sen. John DiSanto, R-Perry, who was named chairman of the Aging & Youth Committee.

Human Trafficking

Pennsylvania Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, and Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, on Jan. 9 unveiled the proposed “Buyer Beware Act,” legislation aimed at hiking penalties for human trafficking.

The legislation would double the maximum jail sentence for persons convicted of trafficking or patronizing a victim of trafficking. Currently, these crimes carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison. The bill would upgrade these to first-degree felonies, which carry a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. It would also increase fines steeply for those offenses.

Phillips-Hill said at a Capitol news conference that more than 800 cases showing high levels of human trafficking were reporting from Pennsylvania since the National Human Trafficking Hotline was launched in 2007.

“The tentacles of this savage crime extend into small towns and neighborhoods where it is hidden in the shadows, and victims are either too frightened to seek help or are trapped within malicious cultural norms,” she said.

According to a statement issued by the lawmakers, the legislation would also increase fines for repeat offenders of those patronizing prostitutes, recognizing the connection between prostitution and human trafficking. The increased fines would go to fund grants for anti-trafficking programs and nonprofit entities serving sexually exploited children.

“The Buyer Beware Act will ensure those who are convicted of crimes related to human trafficking will feel the full force of our justice system while providing justice to helpless victims,” Grove said.

Phillips-Hill's bill will be introduced as Senate Bill 60 and Grove's legislation will be introduced as House Bill 12.

Federal Employees

Pennsylvania Secretary of Banking and Securities Robin L. Wiessmann has issued a letter asking banks, credit unions and financial services companies to extend their support to federal employees affected by the partial government shutdown. Wiessmann reached out to the industry on Jan. 10, the 20th day of curtailed government services caused by the impasse in Washington over border wall funding.

“Many hardworking federal employees who live and work in Pennsylvania are being impacted by this shutdown,” Wiessmann said. “As they cope with the challenge of temporarily delayed income, I am asking financial services organizations to consider ways they can be responsive to the hardships these employees are facing.”

The letter was directed to all Pennsylvania state-chartered, licensed and registered financial services companies, and federally chartered banks and credit unions.

Earlier in the week on Jan. 8, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale reported that some workers depending on federal contracts have applied for unemployment compensation at a time when the state's benefit system is already busy handling applications resulting from seasonal job market fluctuations.

“The Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry saw a huge surge in jobless benefit applications from impacted federal workers in the final week of December—up almost 850 percent from the same week one year earlier,” DePasquale said.

He further noted in a statement that small businesses that rely on federal contracts may not be able to sustain a prolonged financial hit or may face the loss of their workforce as employees look for other jobs.

House Rules

State Rep. Joe Webster, D-Montgomery, on Jan. 8 introduced two proposals to change the rules of the state House of Representatives.

Webster proposed a rule change that would guarantee a debate and an up-or-down committee vote for any bill with 20 co-sponsors from each party. That would prevent committee chairs from blocking bills with widespread bipartisan support.

He also asked for a new rule establish proportional representation on standing committees of the House, with each panel having the same ratio in its membership as does the full House.

“I'll continue to push for improving the rules of the House to make sure even though the majority rules, every resident of Pennsylvania knows that their voice was at least heard and considered,” Webster said. “That's the way our democracy is supposed to work, and it's the only way we are going to restore the faith of people in their government.”

Webster, a freshman lawmaker, was elected in November 2018, flipping a seat that had been held by the Republicans for 48 out of 50 years.

Campus Safety

Wolf on Jan. 9 marked the fourth year of his “It's On Us” campaign against sexual violence on Pennsylvania campuses by announcing $1 million in grants for programs combating the problem at 38 institutions of higher education across the state.

Colleges and universities can use the grants to create programs ranging from campuswide training for students, faculty and staff, to institutional campaigns to raise awareness of the reporting process and the resources available to survivors of sexual violence, a Wolf administration statement said.

Among 18 first-time recipients of “It's On Us” funding were Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Lafayette College and Widener University.