The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, in downtown Harrisburg.

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from the week of May 13. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. The state House of Representative was scheduled to return to session Wednesday, and the Pennsylvania Senate was expected to return to session June 3.

GI Bill

The state House of Representatives on May 13 unanimously passed a measure that would offer free college education to National Guard members who reenlist for six years and their family members.

House Bill 1234, the PA GI Bill, was sponsored by state Rep. Stephen Barrar, R-Delaware.

The bill would offer up to 10 semesters of free college education at the 14 state-owned and operated universities, and would extend those benefits from service members to their spouses and children.

Gov. Tom Wolf applauded passage of the bipartisan measure.

“We all share a commitment to supporting our Pennsylvania National Guard members and their families, the unsung heroes who hold down the fort, take on many extra roles, and provide endless support for their service member whether at home or deployed,” Wolf said.

“With the PA GI Bill, we show support for our servicemembers and their families who can now pursue higher education without the burden of debt. I urge the Senate to get this important bill to my desk.”

Barrar said the measure would ease recruitment and retention efforts for the state National Guard.

“In the next year, the Pennsylvania National Guard must recruit 2,300 new members to replace guard members who either completed their initial commitments or retired. Acquiring new personnel and training them presents an obvious challenge, but it can be diminished through incentives,” Barrar said.

The bill now moves to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration there.

Abortion Regulation

The state House of Representatives on a 117-76 vote approved a new regulation on abortion services in Pennsylvania.

House Bill 321, sponsored by Rep. Kate Klunk, R-York, would bar abortion providers from rendering their services because of a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.

House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, said he applauded the measure, which he compared to the 1989 enactment that banned abortion to select the gender of the child, a law that has gone unchallenged in the courts.

“Pennsylvania has not allowed an abortion based on the sex of the baby since 1989, when the state enacted a provision which has not been challenged in any court,” Turzai said. “Why then would we allow an abortion because of a Down syndrome diagnosis? These babies deserve a chance at life.”

The bill now moves to the Pennsylvania Senate for consideration.

Wolf's press office told The Associated Press that Wolf would veto the bill, calling it a “Trojan horse” and “another attempt to ban abortions and put politicians between a woman and her doctor.”

Lottery Profits

The state would reduce winnings in order to increase profit from Pennsylvania Lottery products, a move that would bolster funding of programs for older Pennsylvanians, under a bill passed unanimously by the state House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee.

House Bill 956, sponsored by Rep. Tom Murt, R-Montgomery, would temporarily reduce the lottery's rate of return to 23% from its current statutorily mandated rate of 25%. The lower rate would remain in effect through June 30, 2022.

As the lottery system continues to try to increase ticket sales to increase revenues available for senior programs, it has requested an additional reduction of the statutorily mandated rate of return beginning in Fiscal Year 2019.

“This change is important in order to ensure that the lottery has enough revenue to continue to fund necessary programs benefiting a dramatically growing population of older Pennsylvanians,” Murt said.

The measure now goes to the full House.

Child Marriage

The state house Judiciary Committee has given the green light to legislation that would prohibit marriage in Pennsylvania before the age of 18.

House Bill 360, sponsored by state Rep. Jesse Topper, R-Bedford, would raise the marriage age in Pennsylvania to 18. Pennsylvania is currently among 27 states with no lower limit on the age one is eligible to be married.

Under current Pennsylvania law, a marriage license may be issued to an applicant younger than 16 with court approval. A marriage license may be issued where an applicant is older than 16 but younger than 18 with the consent of a parent or guardian.

State Rep. Perry Warren, D-Bucks, is the lead Democrat backing the bipartisan measure.

The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.

Warren said child marriages are often coercive and exploitative and increase the risk of domestic violence while undermining the child's long-term educational, health and economic opportunities.

“When I speak about this bill,” Warren said, “invariably someone asks, 'Child marriage—is that a thing?' It is, and it is time to set the age at 18 to protect children in Pennsylvania.” If the bill is passed and signed into law, Pennsylvania will be the third state to ban child marriage. Delaware and New Jersey passed similar laws in 2018.