The Pennsylvania State Capitol Building, in downtown Harrisburg.

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action from Nov. 1 and the week of Nov. 4. The General Assembly was in recess at press time. Members of the Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives were scheduled to return to session Nov. 18.

Bills Signed

On Nov. 7, Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law House Bill 859 to assist nonprofits with safety and security measures. The legislation was requested in response to attacks against the Jewish community, including the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh.

"Schools and other community institutions should be a safe place for every child and resident," Wolf said in a statement. "I thank the bipartisan efforts that helped ensure safety and security funding was available for these nonprofit, community institutions where people gather and should have peace of mind."

Wolf also signed the following bills:

• House Bill 374, which creates the Pennsylvania Keystone Tree Fund and allows citizens to make a voluntary $3 contribution by checking a box on the PennDOT driver's license application and renewal form. The contributions will be used to fund programs within the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that use trees to help filter pollutants from waterways.
• House Bill 407, which creates a uniform definition for the term "blight" for legislation enacted in 1937 or later.
• House Bill 510, House Bill 511, and House Bill 512, which support intergovernmental agreements between local municipalities.
• House Bill 1085, which repeals the State Personal Property Tax Act, first enacted June 22, 1935.
• Senate Bill 694, which amends the Oil and Gas Lease Act to allow for cross unit drilling for unconventional wells.

Opioid Addiction

Wolf announced Nov. 7 a total of $3.4 million in federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grants for support services for pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder.

The grants are part of the $55.9 million SAMHSA grant secured by the Wolf administration and administered through the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs to bolster the state's response to the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic.

"Pennsylvania continues its leadership role in the national, statewide and local fight against the scourge of opioids with a focus on all those affected by this crisis," Wolf said in a statement.

"These grants will go a long way to create or expand programs to help vulnerable pregnant and postpartum women get the services they need to treat opioid use disorder and start a healthy life for them and their newborns."

The funding will be directed to nine providers through grant agreements up to $400,000, the administration's statement said. Among the organizations awarded grants include those who provide postpartum physical and mental health care, child care during periods when the mother is engaged in treatment, and parenting-, nutritional- and employment-readiness education.

Farm Workers

Pennsylvania agricultural employers would no longer have to pay into the state unemployment compensation system for temporary workers hired under the federal H-2A visa program, under a bill introduced in the state House of Representatives.

House Bill 2032, according to its sponsor, state Rep. Torren Ecker, R-Adams, would align Pennsylvania's seasonal farm workers' laws with those in place at the federal level. Ecker said the legislation would save farmers thousands of dollars in unnecessary taxes.

Under state and federal law, foreign seasonal farm workers admitted under the visa program are not eligible to tap into unemployment compensation.

"These employers and legal workers went through the proper channels and followed the rules in order to work in Pennsylvania," Ecker said. "However, despite not being eligible for unemployment compensation, they and their employers are forced to pay into the fund through taxes with each paycheck."

Syringe Exchange

Pennsylvania Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, on Nov. 7 announced his plan to introduce legislation that would expand access to needle and syringe programs throughout Pennsylvania.

"As Pennsylvanians continue to deal with the impact of the opioid crisis, syringe exchange programs should be allowed to operate freely across the commonwealth," Williams said in a statement. "Support from the General Assembly will enable more programs to operate, improve public safety, and allow drug users to seek treatment options."

Syringe exchange programs are legal in about half of the states and are a proven harm-reduction method in combating the spread of infectious disease, according to a memo sent by Williams to colleagues seeking cosponsors.

A recent study published in the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome estimates that Philadelphia's syringe exchange prevented more than 10,000 HIV diagnoses in its first 10 years of operation.

Williams said he is seeking cosponsors on the bill from his Senate colleagues before formally introducing the legislation.