Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of May 6. The General Assembly was in recess at press time. The state House of Representatives was scheduled to return to session Monday. The Pennsylvania Senate was set to return June 3.

Three Mile Island

Gov. Tom Wolf said he was disappointed in Exelon's announcement of its decision to shutter the Three Mile Island nuclear generating plant in Dauphin County.

Three Mile Island, which was the site of the United States' worst nuclear power accident in 1979, will begin a planned shutdown starting June 1 now that it is clear that it will not get a financial rescue from Pennsylvania, its owner said May 8, according to a report from The Associated Press.

Exelon Corp.'s statement comes two years after the Chicago-based energy giant threatened to close the money-losing plant without what critics have called a bailout.

The fight over Three Mile Island and Pennsylvania's four other nuclear power plants invigorated a debate over the “zero carbon emissions” characteristics of nuclear power in the age of global warming and in one of the nation's largest fossil fuel-producing states.

“I was disappointed to learn this morning's unfortunate news and continue to stand today with the workers at Three Mile Island and the surrounding community,” Wolf said. “I have directed the Department of Labor and Industry to immediately begin plans to engage with these workers about their futures, and a Rapid Response team is in the process of being deployed. They are skilled workers who are in-demand in the economy. While I understand the operator is working to offer internal positions to these workers, we will not spare our resources to provide assistance to those who will be impacted.”

Wolf said that cutting the use of carbon-based energy sources remained a central goal of the state's energy policy.

“I still believe it is essential to continue this important conversation about preserving and growing Pennsylvania's carbon-free energy footprint,” Wolf said in a statement. “I remain hopeful that a consensus on a path forward can be reached in the coming weeks.”

Debt Reduction

House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, praised the state House of Representatives for passing two bills focused on reducing public debt.

Turzai said “buy it now, pay for it much later” policies negatively impact the state's credit rating and cost more money, in the long run.

House Bill 24, sponsored by Rep. John Lawrence, R-Chester/Lancaster, passed on a unanimous floor vote. It would hasten the retirement of general obligation debt by requiring the principal for new state debt to be repaid in equal amounts over the term of the bond. The measure, backers said, would put the state on a path to improve its overall bond rating.

“Since 2001, the commonwealth has used a methodology whereby payments become more expensive as time goes on. This method front loads interest payments and back loads principal payments, just like a 30-year house mortgage,” Turzai said. “House Bill 24 would require the state to use a better method and the result is that we will reduce the debt we pass on to future generations and reduce the amount of tax dollars spent on interest payments servicing that debt.”

House Bill 880, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin, passed on a 104-92 vote. It would lower the debt ceiling for the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).

Reducing the RACP debt ceiling by an additional $500 million over 2022 to 2026 would allow the state to avoid more than $700 million in principal and interest payments.

Senate Committees

Two first-term senators were named Democratic chairwomen of standing committees in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-Allegheny, announced May 8 that she has been named minority chairwoman of the Senate Community, Economic, and Recreational Development (CERD) Committee.

Williams attended her first CERD Committee meeting the same day, voting to support the renomination of Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) Secretary Dennis Davin.

“I'm honored that my first action as the new chair was to vote to reconfirm Secretary Davin,” Williams said in a statement. “Under Secretary Davin, the department has prioritized removing barriers to educating the workforce of our future, particularly in the manufacturing sector, and expanding access to the beautiful trail system across the commonwealth. I look forward to working with him to achieve these goals for all Pennsylvanians.”

Williams stepped down as minority chairwoman of the Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness (VAEP) Committee, but she will remain a member of that panel.

Sen. Pam Iovino, D-Allegheny, has been named the new Veterans' Affairs Committee minority chairwoman.

Iovino, who was elected and sworn in to the Senate in April, served for 23 years in the U.S. Navy and was appointed by President George W. Bush as an assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans' Affairs.

“Given my experience in the military and work with veterans at the federal and county levels, I am thrilled to serve on that committee,” Iovino said. “For many years, I've worked with veterans on the federal, state and county levels to coordinate the delivery of services.”

The panel also deals with emergency preparedness.

“As Democratic chair, I will have direct input on policies impacting our veterans and emergency responders,” Iovino said.

Child Abuse

Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale on May 9 said that a review of 179 cyber and charter schools found a vast majority lacked updated policies on reporting child abuse until his office contacted them this spring—and that nine schools flatly ignored his repeated requests to produce their reporting policies.

“With new data showing child abuse deaths in Pennsylvania increased again last year, we must do everything in our power to educate school staff on how to report suspected abuse,” DePasquale said in a statement. “Our schools have a clear obligation to protect the safety of every student.”

According to statistics just released by the state Department of Human Services, 47 children died and 89 children nearly died from abuse in 2018—a 6% increase from the previous year. More than one out of every three of those children were already known to county children and youth services (CYS) agencies.

“While the majority of children who tragically died of abuse were 4 years old or younger, more than 12% of those killed or nearly killed were of school age,” DePasquale added.

Of more than 44,000 child-abuse allegations reported to the state's ChildLine abuse hotline last year, 83% were submitted by mandated reporters. Those are people who work with or care for children and are required by law to file reports of suspected abuse or neglect. School employees file the largest number of those reports, far outweighing any other category of mandated reporters.

DePasquale said his review found nearly 80% of cyber and charter schools reported having such a policy in some form. However, he noted, the vast majority of those were created after he contacted the schools this spring.