Pennsylvania State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Photo: Shutterstock

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of Sept. 23. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time, with the Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives each set to return to session Oct. 21.

Gun Safety

Gov. Tom Wolf announced the appointment of 18 members of a Special Council on Gun Violence, to be led by Charles Ramsey, a former Philadelphia Police Commissioner and current chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Wolf made the announcement a month after taking an unprecedented step by signing an executive order addressing gun violence of all types in communities of every size. The executive order approaches gun violence from both public health and public safety through a multifaceted approach that includes boosting prevention programs, increasing data sharing and developing new training, and appointing a Special Council on Gun Violence tasked with developing a plan to reduce gun violence.

"We cannot ignore that thousands of Pennsylvanians die from gun violence every year," Wolf said. "I will continue to push for my administration to do all that it can to protect Pennsylvanians."

The council is set to hold its first meeting in early October.

Young Children

The Wolf administration on Sept. 26 issued its report, "Governor's Ready-to-Start Task Force: A Four-Year Framework to Support Pennsylvania's Infants and Toddlers," on improving services to care for young children.

"The report fulfills the task force's goal to identify programs and policies to help infants and children age 0 to 3 get a strong, focused beginning toward a healthy, happy, fulfilling life here in the commonwealth," Wolf said in a statement. "The Ready to Start Task Force report prioritizes the needs of our youngest children and the framework for how we provide those needs." The report presented seven priorities, according to the statement:

• Increase availability of high-quality childcare and home-visiting service slots.
• Improve early intervention quality and streamlining to enhance availability, alignment, integration and coordination of services.
• Increase recruitment, retention, development, support and training of early childhood education professionals.
• Better utilize Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and state regulatory powers to address the risks to infants and toddlers posed by harmful environmental contaminants, including lead.
• Promote education, engagement and support of parents and families as children's first teachers.
• Improve information, outreach and access to services.
• Promote sustainable systems of care to support the health and well-being of all children and women of child-bearing age.

The administration said it will now create a cross-sector Ready-to-Start workgroup composed of task force members, cabinet members and external stakeholders. The workgroup, which will meet monthly, will be responsible for establishing measurable goals and ensuring progress on the framework priorities and recommendations outlined in the report. The workgroup's initial report is due to the governor Dec. 1.

Law Enforcement

The state Senate on Sept. 25 unanimously approved legislation that would extend the Pennsylvania Heart and Lung Act to several law enforcement entities not currently included in the law, including the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources park rangers, Department of Corrections commissioned police officers and Office of Inspector General investigative staff, as well as Allegheny County Port Authority and Housing Authority police, and officers serving at Fort Indiantown Gap.

Sen. Mike Regan, R-York, was the prime sponsor of the bill, which now goes to the state House for consideration.

"As former law enforcement myself, it is my honor to be the one to lead this effort to expand the Heart and Lung Act as a way to thank and recognize the sacrifices of those who have committed themselves to a dangerous line of work to serve and protect, despite the possibility of serious injury," Regan said.

The bill would also provide colleges and universities and county corrections agency to expand heart and lung benefits to their officers.

Mental Health

Recently elected state Rep. David H. Rowe, R-Union, on Sept. 26 introduced his first bill, which is aimed at protecting the rights of Pennsylvanians receiving mental health care by declaring that persons in treatment have a right to be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

"This bill strengthens the Mental Health Procedures Act and ensures some of our most vulnerable patients are protected from abuse," Rowe said. "I am proud to be standing for these victims who deserve justice and will be working to get my bill passed by the House this session."

House Bill 1895 would amend Section 113 of the Mental Health Procedures Act to protect the rights of Pennsylvanians receiving mental health care by stating that persons in treatment have a right to be free from abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Patient advocacy groups have noted that a current legal loophole causes victims of abuse great difficulty in holding their perpetrators accountable.

Legislative Research

Susan Boyle, a 28-year employee of the House Republican Caucus, was named director of research for the House GOP. The appointment was announced Sept. 26 by House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, and Speaker of the House Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny. She replaces the late Bruce Hanson.

"I look forward to continuing the work of Bruce Hanson. His legacy is a strong example of professionalism that set a standard for our staff," Boyle said. "My hope is that we will continue to attract high-quality employees to carry out the important work we do on behalf of the people of our great commonwealth."

Boyle was most recently the assistant director of the research department and the executive director of the House State Government Committee. She is a graduate of Bucknell University.

The House Republican research department staffs 23 standing committees and prepares and studies the thousands of pieces of legislation before the chamber.