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November 17, 2011, 10:10 am
The House Appropriations Committee held a key vote in the process to move the House’s version of the natural gas fee bill to the House floor for final passage. During the committee debate Minority Chairman Joe Markosek (D-Allegheny) called the bill “a drilling company bill” that does not do enough for environmental protection. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware) said “this bill is a turkey” and said the “tax rate” in the bill “is a joke.”
Majority Chairman Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) spoke in favor of the bill and asked members to not lose sight of the fact that the money from the fee will go toward “one of the largest environmental programs ever set up in the Commonwealth.” He pointed out the fee money will be dedicated to several environmental programs, including the Growing Greener programs.
House Bill 1950 is on the House floor calendar to be considered for final passage today.
Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full committee story.
June 22, 2011, 1:47 pm
Along a party-line vote, Voter ID bill HB 934 was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee this afternoon, putting it in line for 3rd consideration on the House Floor later today. An amendment proposed by Minority Chairman Joe Markosek (D-Allegheny) that would prevent funding for IDs from being drawn from the Motor License Fund failed along a similar vote, with Democrats supporting the amendment and opposing the bill. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
June 16, 2011, 11:33 am
The House Appropriations Committee met this morning off the floor and unanimously approved Unemployment Compensation legislation, SB 1030. The bill is now in place for third consideration on the floor of the House. Check the Capitol Toolbox for the fiscal note to SB 1030 and ongoing coverage throughout the day.
May 11, 2011, 1:22 pm
After nearly three hours of discussion and debate, the House Appropriations Committee voted out an amended version of HB 1485, The General Appropriation Act of 2011. The amendment reflects House Republican changes to Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed budget. Chairman Bill Adolph (R-Delaware) stated members may submit additional amendments to be vetted on the House floor.
Check the Capitol Toolbox later for more details on the meeting and for the amendment to the budget bill.
April 12, 2011, 10:58 am
In traditional Tuesday fashion, there is a lot of activity in the Capitol this morning. Over the course of my morning, the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee has favorably recommended the Governor’s nominee to be Secretary of Banking and moved a bill forward; the House Appropriations Committee has moved another four bills forward; and crowds are gathered in the Rotunda to kick off the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.
Look for full coverage of these events and the dozen more that PLS is covering today in the Capitol Toolbox.
March 31, 2011, 3:06 pm
The House Appropriations Committee wrapped up the final budget hearing of 2011 by hearing specific budget requests from fellow representatives. Members who spoke included Stephens, DeLissio, Murt, Gillen, Fabrizio, DeWeese, and Davidson, as well as several others. Several members asked for education cuts to be restored, and there was mention of the need to protect agriculture, and a call for waste and abuse to continue to be ferreted out of the state budget.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox later this afternoon.
March 31, 2011, 1:53 pm
The beginning to the end of this year’s House Appropriations budget hearings entailed the committee hearing from Secretary Charles Zogby, Gov. Corbett’s Budget Secretary. Committee members asked on concerns ranging from cuts to basic and higher education to concerns over the Liberty Loan Fund.
Check the Capitol Toolbox late this afternoon or early this evening for more.
March 30, 2011, 6:22 pm
The House Appropriations held its final budget hearing of the day with Gary Alexander, Acting Secretary of the Department of Public Welfare. The panel’s questions were varied, but several asked about reducing fraud and preserving the human services development fund. Sec. Alexander repeatedly spoke on the need for the budget to remain focused on the department’s core mission.
Look for the complete story late tonight, or first thing when you get to work in the morning if you’re not a night owl.
March 30, 2011, 1:59 pm
The House Appropriations Committee held a budget hearing with community colleges this afternoon. Dr. Jerry Parker, President of Delaware County Community College and President of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges was joined by several other community college presidents and fielded questions on the governor’s proposed budget cut, increases in enrollment, and workforce development initiatives. Check out the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today to read the full story.
March 30, 2011, 12:53 pm
The House Appropriations Committee held its budget hearing with the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) this morning, and topics of discussion ranged from unemployment compensation and the debt levels held by the state on federal loans, to program cuts and eliminations and the state’s prevailing wage law. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
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