The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, in downtown Harrisburg.

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of Aug. 19. Both houses of the General Assembly were in summer recess at press time. The state House of Representatives is set to reconvene Sept. 17 and the Pennsylvania Senate is scheduled to return to session Sept. 23.

County Government

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania has announced the selection of Lisa Schaefer as its new executive director. Schaefer, who has been CCAP's director of government relations for nearly nine years, will succeed current executive director Doug Hill, who earlier this year announced his plans to retire at the end of 2019, according to a statement from the organization.

"Counties in Pennsylvania are fortunate to begin a new era of leadership with Lisa Schaefer at the helm of CCAP, our statewide association," stated CCAP president and Chester County Commissioner Kathi Cozzone. "Lisa has proven to have the skills, respect and vision to continue to move counties forward as we work to enhance the lives of residents throughout Pennsylvania."

As CCAP's director of government relations, Schaefer has been instrumental with helping to lead the organization through numerous issues and enhancements. Prior to coming to CCAP, Schaefer was part of the government relations staff at the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and has worked as a staffer in the state Senate. She holds a bachelor's degree in English from Lebanon Valley College and a Master of Public Administration from Shippensburg University, and also is a certified public manager.

"It is a privilege to represent Pennsylvania's 67 counties and to support the work our county officials do on behalf of their residents every day," Schaefer said in a statement. "I am honored to now have the opportunity to lead this incredible organization, which, because of Doug Hill's leadership, has a foundation for an exciting future."

Schaefer will assume the title of acting executive director appointee Sept. 1, then transition to executive director Dec. 1. Hill will assume emeritus status after that until his retirement Dec. 31. Hill leaves with nearly 36 years of service as CCAP's executive director.

CCAP, founded in 1886, is a statewide nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. Its members include county commissioners, council members, county executives, administrators, chief clerks and solicitors.

Water Quality

An environmental advocacy group on Aug. 22 said sewage overflows from Harrisburg—half of which is composed of state-owned land—have resulted in nearly doubled rates of human waste in the Susquehanna River from 2016 to 2018, according to water authority records.

The increase has come even though a consent decree has been entered into to control sewage releases, the Environmental Integrity Project said in a new report.

Officials with the capital's water utility said they are "committed to reducing combined sewer overflows that impact our waterways and is working towards a significant reduction that works within the financial constraints of city residents."

Harrisburg's chronic releases of sewage mixed with stormwater illustrate Pennsylvania's overall failure to address water quality, the group said.

Of 60 water samples collected by the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper organization for EIP from June 15 to July 31, almost half violated state health standards, members of the group said in a statement. Lab testing showed that seven of the samples had E. coli at more than 10 times safe levels, including on City Island Park beach, and along the riverwalk just downstream from outfalls leading from the Governor's Residence and the Capitol Office Complex.

"Pennsylvania's governor and lawmakers should step up and take responsibility to pay for a solution to this public health problem in the state capital," said Ted Evgeniadis of Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper. "Infrastructure improvements and the construction of underground wastewater storage tunnels can drastically reduce these illicit discharges."

Since so much of Harrisburg's land is tax-exempt as it is owned by the state government, the groups said Pennsylvania should commit to paying most of the cost of improving Harrisburg's infrastructure and stopping the flow of sewage into the Susquehanna River.

Recent increases of sewage releases are linked to increased levels of stormwater, which is driven by climate change, the EIP said in its report.

It also recommended that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection monitor bacteria levels in the Susquehanna River near Harrisburg, and if the problem does not abate, require Capital Region Water to fix the underlying plumbing problem by constructing tunnels or tanks to contain stormwater. The EIP also asked that CRW issue public notifications of increased contamination when levels of pollutants spike.

Special Election

Republican David Rowe defeated Democrat Jennifer Rager-Kay by a 63% to 37% margin Aug. 20 in a special election in the 85th Legislative District, which is located in Snyder and Union counties, in central Pennsylvania.

Rowe, a gymnasium owner and former East Buffalo Township supervisor, easily defeated Rager-Kay, a physician from Selinsgrove, in the race to succeed former GOP state Rep. Fred Keller, who was elected to the U.S. Congress in a May special election.

Rowe ran as a "pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-business" conservative, according to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star website.

Rager-Kay improved by 5% on her vote from her previous run for the seat in November 2018, but it was far from enough to win.

Rowe's victory means the GOP will hold a 110-93 advantage in the state House of Representatives. When he is sworn into office, the state House will be at its full capacity of 203 lawmakers.