Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from the week of Sept. 9. The General Assembly was in recess at press time. The state House of Representatives was scheduled to return to session Tuesday, and the Pennsylvania Senate is set to go back to work in the state Capitol on Sept. 23.

Opioid Addiction

Gov. Tom Wolf on Sept. 10 announced his renewal of Pennsylvania's Opioid Disaster Declaration for the seventh time.

The Wolf administration said that Pennsylvania will continue its use of a 90-day disaster declaration to fight the opioid crisis. Wolf first signed the declaration in January 2018 as a mechanism for state agencies, third-party organizations and stakeholders to work collaboratively, loosen regulations that slow down access to treatment, and increase efforts on prevention, treatment and recovery for thousands of Pennsylvanians suffering from the opioid crisis.

"The disaster declaration and its provisions remain a strong force in battling the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania," Wolf said. "Through the Opioid Command Center and its dedicated 17 state agencies collaborating on education, prevention, rescue and recovery, we have been able to make progress that resulted in a deduction in overdose deaths in 2018. But we are far from proclaiming victory and the continuation of the disaster declaration means a continuation of a commitment to doing all we can to fight this scourge on our commonwealth."

According to a Wolf administration statement, the Opioid Command Center—an interagency group organizing a government-wide response to the addiction crisis—is set to host its first Opioid Summit, "Think Globally, Act Locally," on Oct. 1 and 2 in State College. Wolf is scheduled to provide opening day remarks for the summit attendees, which will include professionals, community members, families and all others who have been affected by the opioid crisis in Pennsylvania.

Stem Curriculum

The Department of Education has been directed to update Pennsylvania's science standards to align them with current research and best practices, including a review of Next Generation Science Standards, the Wolf administration announced Sept. 12.

"As technology continues to advance, science is increasingly part of our education, work and lives in a changing economy," Gov. Tom Wolf said. "My administration is making significant investments in science education through PAsmart, and we must also modernize our science standards in schools, so our students have the knowledge and skills for good careers in emerging industries. This is an important step forward and I have asked the Department of Education to work closely with the State Board of Education throughout the process."

Wolf last year launched a $40 million program called PAsmart to spur science and technology education. The initiative supports K-12 computer science and STEM education, registered apprenticeships and job training and has been a factor in placing Pennsylvania is among the national leaders in STEM funding, now ranking second in the country for investments in K-12 computer science education, according to the Education Commission of the States.

As part of its review, the Education Department has been asked to examine the state's current standards, outline the various components that must be addressed when changing regulations, and develop a proposed timeline for change.

Absentee Ballots

Pennsylvania is launching a new option for voters to apply online for an absentee ballot starting with the November election.

In previous elections, voters' only choice was to complete a paper absentee ballot application and mail or hand-deliver it to their county election office for processing.

"Applying for an absentee ballot online will make the process faster and more accessible for thousands of voters," Wolf said. "This builds on the option to register to vote online which Pennsylvania launched four years ago and it will provide an easier way for people to exercise their right to vote."

The mobile-friendly, online application site was set to go live Monday, the first day that registered voters may apply for absentee ballots for the Nov. 5 election.

When an applicant completes the online form, the information is forwarded directly to the appropriate county elections office for processing. Voters must still mail or hand-deliver their completed ballot to their county election office by the deadline, which is 5 p.m. on the Friday before the election, or Nov. 1 this year.

Initially, online absentee ballot applications will require a PennDOT driver's license or ID number in order to be processed electronically. The department is planning an update by 2020 that will allow use by applicants who do not have a PennDOT number.

The Pennsylvania Election Code allows registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot up until one week before an election, which is just three days before the deadline to submit a voted absentee ballot. This year, the deadline to apply by paper or online is 5 p.m. Oct. 29.

The system is currently accessible to all domestic Pennsylvania voters, and is set to be made available to military and overseas voters by 2020.

Absentee ballots may be cast by individuals with illnesses or disabilities, individuals who will be away from their municipality on business on Election Day, and Pennsylvania students attending out-of-state colleges or universities, among others.

Medicaid Program

Two Pennsylvania senators announced Sept. 10 their plan to require able-bodied Medicaid program participants to seek employment or perform community service as a condition of receiving benefits.

Sens. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, and David Argall, R-Schuylkill, said the measure would reduce the cost of the program and help stabilize it financially.

Senate Bill 847 would require Medicaid recipients to either work, seek employment, participate in job training programs, or volunteer in their community in order to continue to receive benefits. It would apply only to able-bodied Medicaid recipients between the ages of 18 and 65 who are capable of working. Exceptions are included for persons who are pregnant, receiving mental health or addiction treatment or the primary caregiver for someone who is under the age of 6.

"The premise of the bill is simple—if a person on Medicaid is perfectly capable of holding down a job or contributing to their community, then they should earn their benefits from taxpayers," Martin said. "Medicaid is a huge expense for taxpayers that grows larger every year."

Previous efforts to install a work requirement in the state's Medicaid program have been vetoed by Wolf, according to a statement from the Pennsylvania Senate Republican caucus.

"Contrary to what some people would lead you to believe, we are not kicking crutches out from under individuals with disabilities or denying care to at-risk families," Argall said. "We are only setting a better and fairer standard for individuals who are healthy and have the potential to work their way out of poverty and earn a better standard of living."

The bill was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee for consideration.

Government-Backed Bonds

Pennsylvania Treasurer Joe Torsella, along with three public employee and trade union pension and benefit funds, have entered into a $15 million proposed settlement with Deutsche Bank that would resolve allegations that the bank engaged in price-fixing in the sale of government-sponsored bonds, according to Torsella's office.

Reuters reported that a Deutsche Bank spokesman said the bank was pleased to settle.

According to the Treasury, Deutsche Bank became the first defendant to agree to a resolution of a lawsuit alleging price-fixing of government-sponsored entity bonds.

The proposed agreement has been submitted for approval to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. As part of the settlement, the Pennsylvania Treasury said,

Deutsche Bank has agreed to a $15 million payment and to maintain an antitrust compliance program to prevent and detect anti-competitive conduct relating to government-backed bonds.

"This agreement is an important first step, but just a first step, toward greater accountability on Wall Street," Torsella said in a statement. "Government-sponsored entity bonds are foundational to public investment portfolios, particularly for state governments, school districts, county governments and local municipalities. When taxpayer dollars are at stake, I will always fight to make sure this type of conduct is not only corrected, but prevented. In addition to obtaining a financial recovery, my focus in this lawsuit is to ensure that necessary reforms are made to ensure compliance with antitrust laws, on behalf of the class."

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff of the Southern District, who is handling the case, said in an opinion Aug. 29 denying defense motions to dismiss the case that there was "rare smoking gun" evidence, in the form of chat-room transcripts, of agreements among traders agreeing to fix prices for bonds.

The case is captioned In re GSE Antitrust Litigation.