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Legislative Report
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The latest news from the State Capitol |
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Detailed Look into Governor’s Budget to Begin Next Week
Members of the House Appropriations Committee will begin their detailed look into the governor’s $33 billion budget proposal as hearings begin on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
The opening day of hearings will include testimony from the Independent Fiscal Office and the Department of Revenue, while Wednesday will focus on the themes of job creation and ensuring stability of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education.
The remainder of the week will include looks into the proposed budgets of the departments of Transportation and Conservation and Natural Resources.
The full schedule is available here, which will also include video of the archived hearings once available.
More information about the governor’s proposal is available here.
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Protecting the Public from Dangerous Sex Offenders
Legislation is on its way to the governor that would strengthen existing laws to protect Pennsylvanians from dangerous sex offenders, namely those who are released back into the community without supervision to monitor their transition.
House Bill 631 would require the court to impose a mandatory three-year probation period consecutive to any term of total confinement for a person convicted of a Tier III sex offense under Pennsylvania’s Adam Walsh Act, commonly known as Megan’s Law.
Under existing law, the court has the flexibility to order supervision by the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole, or county probation. If a person is paroled and adequately adjusts to freedom under parole supervision, current law permits the court to modify or even terminate probation supervision.
Additionally, this bill would ensure sexual offenders remain registered under Megan’s Law. Its language addresses the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s decision in Commonwealth v. Muniz, when the court ruled that Megan’s Law provisions could not be applied to defendants who committed their crimes before the enactment of the Adam Walsh Act in 2012. Without the enactment of this legislation, up to 17,000 sexual offenders could be removed from the state sexual offender registry.
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Half-Million PA Veterans Opt for ID Card Designation
More than a half-million Pennsylvania veterans have opted to have a “veterans” designation added to their driver’s license or photo ID card, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. The designation – an American flag with the word “VETERAN” beneath it – began in 2014.
Qualified applicants for a veterans designation must have served in the United States Armed Forces and/or the reserve component, and have been discharged or released from service under conditions other than dishonorable. There is no fee for the veterans designation; however, regular renewal or duplicate fees still apply.
Forms for driver’s license or ID renewals and duplicates have a box for applicants to certify that they are a veteran, and to have the designation added. Once the veterans designation has been added to a driver’s license or identification card, it will automatically appear each time it is renewed. For more information, visit dmv.pa.gov and click on the American flag/veterans designation icon.
The veterans designation does not entitle a veteran to any special consideration or discount but rather identifies the bearer as a veteran. Any other recognition, such as a discount, complementary meal or other token of appreciation is completely and solely determined by the organization, business or entity providing a service.
Pennsylvania is home to the fourth-largest veterans’ population in the country.
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PennDOT Offices Closed for Presidents Day
In observance of Presidents Day, all PennDOT driver license and photo centers, including the full-service center in Harrisburg, will be closed Saturday, Feb. 17, through Monday, Feb. 19. Customers may still obtain a variety of driver and vehicle products and services online through PennDOT’s Driver and Vehicle Services website, dmv.pa.gov.
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| Office Locations |
| 101 Ehalt Street, Suite 105, The Train Station, Greensburg, PA 15601-2300 | Phone: (724) 834-6400 |
| Youngwood Borough Bldg, 17 South 6th Street, Youngwood, PA 15697 | Phone: (724) 925-5490 |
| 117B East Wing, House Box 202057, Harrisburg, PA 17120-2057 | Phone: (717) 260-6146 |
| Email: mailto:enelson@pahousegop.com |
| TTY: 855-282-0614 |
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