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| News You Can Use |
| Legislative Headlines |
House Approves Delozier Bill to Safeguard Electric Service
This week, the House approved my legislation that would allow electric companies to change how they set their rates to adapt to new technologies.
House Bill 1782 would allow the Public Utility Commission (PUC) to approve the use of alternate ratemaking mechanisms by utilities. This bill does not add to the amount a company is approved to earn or recover from ratepayers. This continues to be determined by the PUC. It also does not change the type of costs that may be recovered by a utility through rates. The bill clarifies the PUC’s authority to approve the use of alternative rate mechanism. These mechanism could be used to recover capital costs and expenses to provide service as they do now, and the PUC retains the ability to approve such recovery. Alternate ratemaking includes decoupling, performance-based rates, formula rates and multiyear rates. Under the bill, customers must be informed of a utility’s application to deploy these types of rates.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
Cutting Through the Red Tape
To help enhance Pennsylvania’s economy by helping job creators, the House this week passed a multi-bill package to cut government red tape and reduce burdensome regulations while still maintaining the integrity of health and safety regulations.
Among the bills are those that would review statutes and regulations for possible revision or repeal; enhance the review process for regulations that impose a major cost burden on the state; grant the General Assembly the authority to repeal any regulation in effect without the governor’s consent; reform the permit process; and require each state agency to designate a regulatory compliance officer.
Pennsylvania currently has more than 153,000 regulatory restrictions that stretch across every industry operating within the Commonwealth. These restrictions create hurdles that businesses of all shapes and sizes must jump over in order to create jobs in Pennsylvania.
The World Bank and the Mercatus Center at George Mason University estimate that over-regulation has a negative effect on economic growth, ranging between 0.8 percent and 2.3 percent.
The bills would not require the repeal of any regulations vital to the health and safety of the Commonwealth’s citizens.
The package now moves to the state Senate for consideration.
Getting Monthly Medications at Once
As a way to help senior citizens and others who take monthly maintenance medications, the House this week passed legislation that would allow customers to synchronize the refilling of their prescription drug medications.
House Bill 1800 would make filling prescriptions more convenient, as it would eliminate multiple visits to the pharmacy by allowing all prescriptions to be filled on the same day each month. Different refill dates throughout the month can make it difficult, especially for those who use public transportation, to pick up their medicine.
Studies have shown that when medications are not synchronized, a reduction in taking medications as prescribed occurs.
Currently, consumers can request this synchronization, but this bill simply puts the practice into state law and prohibits an insurance company from denying coverage for a partial fill of a script in order to facilitate medication synchronization. Thirty-five other states have enacted or introduced similar legislation.
The bill now goes to the Senate for its consideration.
Bills on the Move: Career, Technical Education Package Passes House
To help job creators fill in-demand jobs now and in the future, the House overwhelmingly approved a nine-bill bipartisan package to improve career and technical education opportunities and enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum.
The package includes measures to promote public-private partnerships; remove barriers for qualified career and technical educators; expand awareness of training opportunities and future earning potential; increase flexibility for innovative secondary career and technical programs; enhance and promote articulation agreements; develop and maintain a comprehensive online career resource center; coordinate state-level career exploration and workforce development opportunities; improve local and occupational advisory committees; and add K-12 teachers to the membership of the Workforce Development Board.
The bills – which are designed highlight the benefits of this educational option for students looking to enter the workforce -- now move to the state Senate for consideration.
More information is available here.
Prevent Lyme: Check for Ticks
With May designated as Lyme Disease Awareness Month in Pennsylvania, individuals who spend time outdoors should check themselves for ticks and be aware of the symptoms of Lyme disease and other tick-related ailments.
The first line of defense against Lyme is to take precautions in the outdoors by using insect repellent with DEET, wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants, checking for – and promptly and properly removing – any ticks, and showering shortly after exposure.
If bitten, an individual should monitor the area for the next month. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, joint pain, a bull’s eye rash may appear, and other symptoms that can be mistaken for viral infections, such as influenza or infectious mononucleosis.
Pennsylvania has led the nation in confirmed cases of Lyme disease for three straight years and for the first time deer ticks have been found in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. The 2014 Lyme disease report released last year by the Department of Health showed 7,400 cases of Lyme disease reported in the Commonwealth.
In an effort to address this issue, Department of Health recently launched “Don’t Let a Tick Make You Sick,” a campaign aimed at raising Lyme-disease awareness.
For tips about how to protect yourself from Lyme disease, click here.
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| Committee Updates |
Tuesday, May 1
Judiciary Committee:
HB 1197 (Costa) – Title 18/Animal fighting penalties.
Tourism and Recreational Development and Finance Committees:
Public hearing on HB 1511 (M. Quinn) – Amends Act 2 of 1971 to update and clarify the collection of the hotel occupancy tax from online travel companies.
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| Upcoming Events in the 88th District |
Car Seat Safety Check
My annual car seat safety check is set for Thursday, May 31, from 4-7 p.m., at L.B. Smith Ford Lincoln, 1100 Market St., Lemoyne. Local law enforcement will be on hand to ensure that child safety seats are properly secured in vehicles. Parents and caregivers also will be instructed on the correct installation procedures. If you have any questions, please call my district office at 717-761-4665. |
| Rep. Delozier in the Community |
• Last week, I held my sixth annual Tribute to Veterans Breakfast and Appreciation Ceremony. As part of the event, I presented all veterans with a patriotic pin. Thank you to all our veterans and active duty military personnel. Check out my website for many pictures from the event.
• Bitner Brothers Construction in Lemoyne recently held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of its second location. This active family business has been headquartered in the Carlisle area for more than 100 years.
• Fourth-grade students from Broad Street Elementary School visited the Capitol this week as part of their grade-level curriculum. Prior to their tour, the group posed for a photo on the Rotunda steps.
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| Office Locations |
| 2929 Gettysburg Road, Suite 6, Camp Hill PA 17011 | Phone: (717) 761-4665 |
| 141 East Wing, PO Box 202088, Harrisburg PA 17120-2088 | Phone: 717-783-5282 |
| Email: sdelozie@pahousegop.com |
| TTY: 855-282-0614 |
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