Following is a listing of executive and legal action for the week of April 29. The General Assembly was in recess at press time. Members of the Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives were scheduled to return to session Monday.

Lieutenant Governor

The Pennsylvania Senate on April 29, with a vote of 46-2, passed bipartisan legislation to amend the state constitution to change how the lieutenant governor is selected in Pennsylvania.

Senate Bill 133, which would amend the state's constitution to permit candidates for governor to choose their lieutenant governor candidate after the primary election, was approved on a 46-2 vote.

The process outlined in the bill mirrors how presidential candidates select their vice presidential running mates.

“In the past, we have seen a leadership team separate into two warring factions that spent weeks not talking to one another,” said Sen. David Argall, R-Schuylkill, the primary sponsor of the bill. “If we want to succeed in Pennsylvania, then the commonwealth's top two executive officials need to see eye-to-eye on the issues and not get distracted by petty rivalries.”

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives.

If it is passed by the House, it must also secure approval from both chambers during the 2021-2022 legislative session and then win assent by Pennsylvania voters in a ballot question.

Updating Government

House Republicans started work in earnest on their “Government Done Right” initiative to increase efficiency and weed out outdated state laws.

The first votes were taken this week on a package of bills featuring a wide variety of red-tape-reducing initiatives, including proposals to reduce costs at state agencies, consolidate services, eliminate outdated boards and commissions, and repeal out-of-date and out-of-touch laws that are no longer relevant.

“Our members are working to repeal outdated laws and find more efficient ways to do the work of the people,” said House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster.

One of the first measures to win House approval was a bill to repeal a tax on stores and theaters that was overturned as unconstitutional decades ago.

House Bill 1086, sponsored by state Rep. Seth Grove, R-York, was one of a dozen measures to be cleared by the lower House on May 1. The bill, which was approved by a vote of 188-1, repeals a 1937 act that required stores and theatres to pay an annual license tax. Even though the act was declared unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court in 1939, it remained on the books.

The bill now goes to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.

School Cybersecurity

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on May 2 urged the General Assembly to invest in helping school districts strengthen cybersecurity as part of the next state budget.

DePasquale said in a statement that a February malware attack on a school district in Perry County is just one example of the growing risks districts face. Newport School District had issues after an emailed virus compromised the computers of several staff members. Student data was not compromised.

“With the number of cyberattacks continuing to rise, the state should make sure school districts have the resources they need to protect themselves,” DePasquale said. “A comprehensive approach to the problem would especially help medium- and small-sized districts shore up their defenses.”

No legislative action has come since a 2017 report from the Auditor General's Office showed increasing concern over the risk of cyberattacks on school computer systems, DePasquale said. Social Security numbers, tax information and student academic records could be exposed if there were to be a data breach, he said.

Rape Kits

DePasquale on May 1 said newly released data shows that 60 percent of the state's 245 backlogged rape kits remain in the hands of law enforcement instead of at crime labs.

The auditor general was commenting on a report issued by the Department of Health on untested sexual assault kits and backlogged evidence.

The report counted a total of 245 backlogged kits as of the end of 2018—a 90 percent decrease from three years ago, when more than 3,000 kits were awaiting testing. A backlogged kit is one that has waited more than a year without being tested.

“While this progress is commendable, hundreds of people have waited more than a year to find out what evidence, if any, their kits contain,” DePasquale said. “These brave victims underwent grueling physical exams not only for the sake of their own cases, but also to potentially help protect others from being assaulted.”

DePasquale urged local law enforcement agencies to make sure their untested kits are sent to one of the state's three public forensic crime labs, where they can be processed and have any usable DNA uploaded into the FBI's national DNA database.

Animal Protection

Wolf was honored in a ceremony at the State Capitol on April 29 with an award from the Humane Society of the United States for his work in strengthening protections in law for animals in Pennsylvania.

During Wolf's time in office, Pennsylvania has enacted three major pieces of legislation to protect animals:

• Libre's Law, named for a dog who survived abuse, which improved tethering conditions for outside dogs, added protection for horses and increased penalties for animal abuse.
• A measure that made it a crime to knowingly own or possess animal fighting paraphernalia.
• An act that gave police the power to rescue animals left unattended in cars.

Wolf received the Humane Legislative Leader Award for his steadfast support for animal issues in Pennsylvania in a ceremony attended by animal-rights advocates, and Libre.

“I am proud of the bipartisan work that we've accomplished during my first term to improve Pennsylvania's protections for animals,” Wolf said. “Despite these successes, there's still more we can do to help animals and I look forward to working with the legislature to build on the momentum we have for this critical issue.”

Committee Leadership

• Six of the Pennsylvania Senate's 22 standing committees received new leaders, Senate President Pro Tem Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, announced April 29:
• Sen. Mario Scavello, R-Monroe, will be chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee.
• Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York, was named chairwoman of the Communications and Technology Committee.
• Sen. Tom Killion, R-Delaware, was selected to be chairman of the Community, Economic and Community Development Committee.
• Sen. Wayne Langerholc, R-Cambria, will be chairman of the Education Committee.
• Sen. Judy Ward, R-Blair, was named chairwoman of the Urban Affairs and Housing Committee.
• Sen. Camera Bartolotta, R-Washington, was selected to be acting chairwoman of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee.

New Senator

Pennsylvania Sen. Pam Iovino, D-Allegheny, was sworn into office April 29.

Iovino, a U.S. Navy veteran and former official in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, won a special election April 3 by a 52-48 percent margin, flipping a seat from Republican to Democratic. Her entry to the Senate brings the upper house to a 26-22 majority for the Republicans, with two vacancies.

“Voters … saw in Pam the experience, intellect and commitment to public service that they want in a senator,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa Jr., D-Allegheny. “She'll make a great senator, ready to tackle important issues for her new constituents. Time to get to work!”

Iovino, a Democrat whose service as an assistant secretary of veterans' affairs came during the George W. Bush administration, succeeds former Sen. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Allegheny, who left the state Senate after he was elected to the U.S. Congress in 2018.

The 37th Senate District includes parts of Allegheny and Washington counties.

Campus Conduct

As a Swarthmore College sit-in gained momentum April 30, Sen. Tim Kearney, D-Delaware, said he supported efforts by students to secure “their basic right to a safe education.”

The Associated Press reported May 2 that two fraternity chapters announced plans to close their doors in the wake of revelations that organizational records included references to rape and racist tropes and depictions of harsh hazing rituals.

After the publication, student activists staged a sit-in at a fraternity building to protest what they viewed as a misogynist, racist and homophobic culture in the organizations.

“As a resident of Swarthmore and the prime sponsor of SB540, I am sickened and saddened to learn about the reports of sexual assault at Swarthmore College,” Kearney said. “The students who brought this to light are demanding their basic right to a safe education and I stand with them. We have reached out to college officials to support their swift action to hold students and fraternities accountable and to put an end to the culture of silence that allows this to continue.” Kearney is one of four lawmakers to sponsor Senate Bill 540, which would abolish the statute of limitations for sexual abuse, assault and misconduct.