Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Photo: Shutterstock

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of March 11. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. The Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives were each scheduled to return to session Monday.

Commerce Courts

The state House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee has given its approval to a bill that would allow for statewide commerce courts.

The panel cleared the measure on a bipartisan 22-3 vote. Its main sponsor, state Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, said House Bill 332 was intended to “[build] on the success of Philadelphia's Commerce Case Management Program.”

The commerce case management program was begun in 2000 in Philadelphia to handle business litigation suits. It is a branch of the Civil Division of the Court of Common Pleas.

“Since then, the program has gained a reputation for its effective, efficient and predictable rulings on complex business cases,” Grove said. “With the success of the program there, it makes perfect sense to expand it to include the entire commonwealth.”

The bill would allow the state Supreme Court to create commerce courts throughout the state, a move that would provide greater consistency in handling business disputes, according to a statement from Grove's office.

Vehicle Entry

The House Judiciary Committee has unanimously approved legislation that would provide civil immunity from liability resulting from forcibly entering a motor vehicle to rescue an individual.

Under House Bill 279, which was introduced by state Rep. Karen Boback, R-Luzerne, such immunity would be granted based on several criteria, including a belief that the individual is in imminent danger of suffering harm and is unable to exit the motor vehicle without assistance. A reasonable attempt to locate the driver and contact law enforcement or an emergency responder must also be made prior to entry.

“Similar legislation for rescuing pets became law last session following unanimous passage in both the House and Senate,” Boback added. “When you consider nearly 40 children on average die each year in the overheated interior of a vehicle, I think we're overdue in enacting a similar law for our children.”

Boback said HB 279 was her third attempt to introduce the legislation.

“My bill again has bipartisan support, and I'm hoping we can get it through the Senate and onto Gov. Tom Wolf's desk.”

Lead Exposure

Wolf on March 14 announced that the Department of Human Services is exploring the possibility of using Medicaid funds to pay for primary prevention measures that focus on identifying and reducing the sources of environmental childhood lead exposure.

According to a statement from the Wolf administration, Pennsylvania's Medicaid program has long played a central role in helping tackle lead poisoning. The program also bears the financial consequences of lead exposure, paying for the comprehensive physical and behavioral health services that are available to children who have been exposed.

Under the proposal advanced by Wolf, the state's Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is being asked to consider testing the effectiveness of using Medicaid funds for primary prevention measures on lead sources such as lead-based paint, dust and water sources and increase remediation efforts in lead-contaminated housing and child-care facilities across Pennsylvania.

“It's wise for Pennsylvania to consider opportunities to leverage Medicaid funds to combat the detrimental impacts of lead,” Wolf said in the statement. “If it's approved by the federal government, this proposal could benefit thousands of Pennsylvania's children who have been exposed to lead or are suffering from lead poisoning, as well as potentially lower health care spending for treating lead-related health problems.”

If approved, the project would be available statewide but targeted at children with a high risk of having elevated blood lead levels.

Child Abuse

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on March 11 announced he will launch an audit of the Glen Mills Schools in Delaware County in the wake of reports alleging that students at the privately run, state-licensed institution were abused for decades.

“The alleged abuse of students and long-running culture of secrecy at Glen Mills shocks the conscience,” DePasquale said. “Because the institution receives public funds, I am demanding that the school answer what—if any—policies it has to prevent the abuse of students and ensure that reports of abuse are properly handled.”

A residential educational facility, Glen Mills accepts male students from across the country who are placed there via court orders. Since the news reports were published, numerous jurisdictions have begun to remove students from the school.

DePasquale said in a statement his office's audit will examine the following issues:

• Whether Glen Mills complied with all laws regarding child abuse.
• Whether the institution has policies and effective procedures to prevent the abuse of students.
• What ways students have to report incidents of abuse.
• The extent to which Glen Mills complies with requirements regarding state and federal background clearances for employees and others who are in contact with students.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), which licenses Glen Mills Schools, has launched its own investigation. DePasquale offered to share the results of his audit with DHS.

A Glen Mills School spokeswoman told the Delaware County Daily Times that it would “continue to provide access to information requested” by government officials and it “take[s] these allegations very seriously.”