Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of March 2. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time. Pennsylvania senators and members of the state House of Representatives are scheduled to return to session March 16.

Opioid Abuse

Gov. Tom Wolf on March 5 announced $1 million in federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant funding to programs offering support services to veterans suffering from opioid use disorder and their families.

"Pennsylvania is fortunate to have such a large and diverse veteran population," Wolf said in a statement. "However, many of our great patriots have fallen on hard times and need assistance overcoming addiction and the effects of substance use disorder. These grants will fuel increased efforts from these organizations to provide additional critical help across the commonwealth. These seven grant recipients, along with many other partner organizations, will ensure our veterans have a brighter future."

The seven grantees provide programs focused on treatment and recovery, homelessness, suicide prevention and other services in support of veterans dealing with substance use disorder.

Among the grantees were the Veterans Multi-Service Center in Philadelphia, which serves more than 6,500 veterans and families annually and is set to receive more than $400,000 to support recovery support peer specialists who will train program staff and participants on opioid overdose.

Cumberland County-based Just for Today Recovery and Veterans Support Services, which offers housing and recovery resources, was set to receive a $333,000 grant to expand its existing services as well as add new services to directly assist veterans struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, and homelessness.

The grants come from nearly $56 million secured by the Wolf administration to bolster the state's response to the prescription opioid and heroin epidemic.

Military Families

On March 2, Pennsylvania Sen. Pam Iovino, D-Allegheny, announced that she will soon be introducing bipartisan legislation to indefinitely extend the Military Family Relief Assistance Program, which provides grants of up to $3,500 to Pennsylvania veterans, servicemembers and their immediate families experiencing hardship.

Originally created in 2005, the program's sunset date was extended to June 30 by Act 66 of 2014. Iovino's legislation—which is also sponsored by two Republicans and one other Democratic senator—would preserve the successful program by eliminating the sunset date.

"The majority of veterans are thriving and playing important roles in their community by applying the skills they gained in our armed forces. But veterans can also face unique challenges as a result of their service to our nation, including mental health or physical disabilities," Iovino said. "If a veteran falls on hard times, possibly because of something related to their service, it is our opportunity to serve them. The Military Family Relief Assistance

Program has proven successful in providing temporary financial security to veterans and their families during a time of hardship. The program should be permanently extended."

The MFRAP is funded by voluntary donations derived largely from Pennsylvania Personal Income Tax refund check-offs, and is administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. It offers grants to servicemembers and veterans who experienced a sudden loss of income or assets as a result of military service; emergency child care needs; disasters resulting in the need for food, shelter and other necessities; the death or critical illness of a parent, spouse, sibling or child; and other emergencies.

Infrastructure Banks

A measure that would allow county infrastructure banks to apply for loans from the statewide Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank has been introduced by state Rep. Ryan Warner, R-Fayette, announced March 4.

Warner said the measure would provide another funding option for local governments to pursue road and bridge projects by offering local banks access to special terms and lower interest rates from the state bank.

House Bill 2064 would direct the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to develop eligibility requirements and processes for county infrastructure banks to apply for loans that are intended to fund large transportation projects. It would also require counties seeking loans to submit a 30-year infrastructure improvement plan.

"Our drivers already pay the highest gasoline and diesel taxes in the entire nation, so asking people to shell out more money to fix our roads and bridges is simply not an option," Warner said. "At the same time, it is vitally important that we invest in our transportation infrastructure here and across the commonwealth for the sake of our economy. This bill is about being strategic in our investment and getting the most bang for the taxpayers' buck."

The measure has been referred to the state House of Representatives' Transportation Committee.

Injections Site

Pennsylvania Sens. Anthony Williams and Christine Tartaglione, each D-Philadelphia, on March 3 said they would oppose the opening of a supervised injection site in the city without community input, and said they had introduced legislation to require public hearings before deciding on a site for such services.

"I am proud to stand with state and local elected officials in support of transparency and community empowerment," Williams said. "Supervised injection sites remain a controversial topic in Philadelphia. If we are to lead the nation in this effort, we must do all we can to ensure that information is readily available."

Safehouse planned to open a supervised injection site in South Philadelphia after a federal judge ruled that the site would not break current federal law. After vocal opposition from the community, and their original location no longer supporting operations at that site, Safehouse no longer has immediate plans to open a supervised safe injection site in the city.

Senate Bill 933 would require three public input hearings before any decisions about a supervised injection site are made, would require the proposed facility maintain trained medical professionals for their facilities and would require that the facility submit a proactive and comprehensive community safety plan developed alongside local law enforcement.

The measure was referred late last year to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Child Pornography

Sen. Dave Arnold, R-Lebanon, on March 3 announced he has introduced his first piece of legislation in the Senate, sponsoring a bill that would increase penalties for those convicted of child pornography in cases when the victim is very young or is known by the abuser.

"This proposal is aimed at protecting the most vulnerable young children who often lack the ability to cognitively understand the abuse they are enduring," Arnold said in a statement.

"While they may not understand it in the moment, the abuse they have suffered can last a lifetime. This legislation aims to hold those who target the youngest and most vulnerable more accountable for their appalling acts."

Under the measure, an individual who is convicted of possessing child pornography in which the person depicted is less than 6 years of age, or prepubescent, would receive a charge that is one grade higher than the current statute allows.

This would mean a felony of the third degree would become a felony of the second degree, and a felony of the second degree would become a felony of the first degree.

Auto Sales

Auto dealers who posed as private online sellers in southeastern Pennsylvania have entered into settlement agreements with the state Attorney General's Office after an investigation revealed violations of consumer protection laws and deceptive advertising, state Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced March 3.

The legal actions targeted persons who advertised vehicles for sale on Craigslist without telling potential buyers the automobiles were being sold by a dealer, as required by state law. Some vehicles were also advertised as "fully loaded," which is also a violation of state law.

"Consumers have a right to know from whom they are purchasing their vehicles," Shapiro said in a statement. "Buying a vehicle is a significant investment of time and money and consumers who turn to private sellers do it because they want to save a little of both. They deserve a smooth transition and to be treated fairly, which means knowing all of the material aspects of a deal, especially if they are buying from a dealer."

The investigations conducted by the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection targeted car dealers advertising in Craigslist in its "for sale by owner" section.

The settlement agreements were in the form of assurances of voluntary compliance and promised not to engage in deceptive advertising of vehicles.