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Concussion Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk

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A concussion is a brain injury, and the Safety in Youth Sport Act is written to protect Pennsylvania’s children from traumatic brain injuries.  “It strengthens our overall protocols when it comes to the safety of our children in scholastic sports, in order to reduce the incidences and potential risks of traumatic head injury,” says State Sen. Pat Browne (R-Northampton), the bill’s prime sponsor. 

SB 200 received unanimous votes in both the Senate and House.  The legislation would sideline student athletes at the first display of concussion symptoms, and require the clearance of an appropriate medical professional before being allowed back on the field.  It also would require the student and parent to sign an awareness form, and mandate coaches to complete an annual concussion certification course. 

Tim Briggs

State Rep. Tim Briggs

State Rep. Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery) has been working on this issue since he was elected to the House in 2008.  He tells Radio PA the awareness piece of the bill may be even more important than the protection piece.  “If we don’t let the parents, let the kids know what can happen if they hide or shrug off the symptoms,” Briggs says, “Then it could have devastating, long-term consequences.” 

The medical community echoes those sentiments.  “I’ve talked to athletes personally… whose lives have in effect been personally affected by a concussion that was suffered in high school or college sports,” says Mike Miller, chairman of the Pennsylvania Brain Injury Coalition. 

The bill applies to students participating in interscholastic sports, school contests and activities.  It is now on its way to Governor Tom Corbett’s desk.  Supporters call it one of the best and most comprehensive bills of its kind in the nation.

Capitol Rotunda - Facing House Chamber

New Department in Limbo

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The first new state department since 1995 was to be created in July, under Act 50 of 2010.  To date, however, the Corbett administration has not taken the steps to establish a new, cabinet-level Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs. 

Budget Secretary Charles Zogby appeared before the House Human Services Committee to explain the delay, and testified that financial pressures make the change impractical.  Zogby notes that current finances warrant a look at the consolidation of departments, not the creation of a new one.  “We are going to have to think fundamentally different about how we deliver state services in this commonwealth,” Zogby says. 

Both the minority and majority committee chairmen think otherwise.  “There are huge costs in human suffering, crime, lost work productivity and increased health care as a result of leaving addictions untreated,” says Democratic Chairman Mark Cohen (D-Philadelphia), who says inaction will not save money.  “The argument by talking about all the budget pressures you’re under, I think you’re making a perfect argument about why we need this new department,” adds GOP Chair Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks). 

Pennsylvania currently has a Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs within the Department of Health.  The new law would elevate that bureau to a cabinet-level department.  Supporters say a central agency will better coordinate treatment and prevention efforts.  Zogby counters that better management of the existing 25 state programs that address addiction could accomplish the same goals.

Marcellus Shale

Lawmakers, Environmental Groups Call for More Control of Air Emissions From Drilling Industry

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Some state lawmakers and a number of environmental groups say there’s not enough attention being paid to air pollution caused by Marcellus Shale drilling.   Representative Greg Vitali (D-Del.) says the Department of Environmental Protection must do more to address air pollution caused by drilling activity.     

Vitali says a lot of the pollution comes from the various machinery used in the drilling process. He cites compressors, condensate tanks, dehydrators and other equipment.  He says the pollutants involved are nitrous oxides,   sulfur oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and methane.

Vitali says DEP needs to increase its air pollution staffing to address the problems.  He says they need more money, and the way to do that is to increase air pollution fees.  He says regulations under the Rendell administration which would have given DEP 8 million dollars more the air program were stopped by the Corbett administration.  He says the state needs to enact those air pollution fees.

Vitali adds that DEP needs to require drillers to use best available pollution control devices for their compressor engines.

Representative Camille “Bud” George (D-Clearfield) says we have to make sure our state and federal governments have appropriate oversight. He called on state government to look past what’s most convenient for industrial gas drillers and do what’s best for Pennsylvania.

Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York) says the state needs a fair and adequate Marcellus Shale drilling tax to ensure the state has both clean air and water.  He says the state needs people in DEP fully staffed with the tools to protect the environment.

Jan Jarrett of PennFuture says air emissions from the Marcellus Shale industry will make it extremely difficult for Pennsylvania to attain healthy air, if the state doesn’t use the regulations currently at its disposal to reduce emissions as the industry develops.      

Jarrett says Pennsylvania does not meet the national health based standards for ozone pollution, but the southwest regional office of DEP alone has permitted more than 13 thousand tons per year of nitrous oxide emissions associated with the Marcellus industry. She says DEP also needs to require drillers to provide accurate information about emissions from gas development activities.  She says it’s time to end the gas industry’s exemption from air pollution laws; otherwise, Pennsylvania’s air quality will deteriorate.

Representatives of other groups including the American Lung Association and Sierra Club also spoke out for more regulation of air emissions from the natural gas drilling industry.

Texting While Driving Ban on its Way to Governor’s Desk

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Pennsylvania could soon become the 35th state to ban all drivers from texting behind the wheel.  With a 45 – 5 vote in the Senate, Tuesday, a bill to ban texting while driving is on its way to Governor Tom Corbett’s desk.  “It’s no question that it’s distractive, it’s no question that it’s dangerous, and it’s also in many instances deadly,” Senator Tommy Tomlinson (R-Bucks) said during a speech on the Senate floor.  Tomlinson is the prime sponsor of SB 314. 

The bill received bipartisan support in the House too, passing the chamber with a 188 – 7 vote on Monday.  “It’s been almost five years working on this,” State Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-York) tells Radio PA.  “I think it will make the roadways of Pennsylvania safer, and at the end of the day I think it’s a stronger piece of legislation than when it started.” 

The final version of the bill would make texting while driving a primary offense, which means a police officer could pull a driver over solely for texting.  The offense would come with a $50 fine, but points would not be added to a driver’s record and police could not seize a driver’s phone. 

Governor Tom Corbett made his support of a texting ban clear, last month, while signing a new teen driver law.  “Literally the other day, somebody was driving with their elbows and texting in the fast lane of the Pennsylvania Turnpike,” Corbett recalled. 

Pennsylvania is currently one of only ten states with no law on the books concerning texting while driving.  The issue of talking on handheld cellphones is being addressed in a separate bill, which awaits state House action.

Governor, First Lady in the Halloween Spirit

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Governor Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett welcomed Harrisburg trick-or-treaters to the Governor’s residence, which was all decked out for Halloween.  “We had a lot of things donated from the community, candy bars, pumpkins,” First Lady Susan Corbett said.  “So everyone has been really great in helping us put together this evening, turning the Governor’s Residence into a haunted Governor’s Residence.”  

Governor Tom Corbett and First Lady Susan Corbett were dressed as vampires for Halloween.

Preliminary Legislative Redistricting Plan Approved Along Party Lines

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A preliminary legislative redistricting plan was approved by the Legislative Reapportionment Commission on Monday.  The vote was split along party lines. The approval came after a half hour recess to allow the legislative leaders  time to look over each side’s final proposed maps.

The preliminary plan moves a senate district from the Pittsburgh area, now held by Senator Jim Brewster, a Democrat, to Monroe County. On the house side, it adds seats in Lehigh, Berks, Chester and York Counties while cutting districts in Erie and Philadelphia, and two in Allegheny County.

House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) says there are two current Republican seats and two current Democratic seats that would be moved, even though the population gains in the state, in the aggregate, have been significantly in Republican districts.  He says the loss in population has most significantly occurred in the western part of the state.

Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R-Delaware) says six senate districts are currently based in Allegheny County.  He says combined, they’re more than 125,000 residents short of the ideal population for six senate districts., Four of them already stretch into other counties. He says the proposal moves the lowest populated district, senate district 45.

Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) says it’s not a fair plan, and not reasonable to all citizens and to their members.  He says the Republican map is not sincere; it does not follow the appropriate population numbers, the population change. He says the map also disenfranchises voters across the state and splits strong African American communities in Western Pennsylvania.

House Minority Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny) called it bait and switch. He says the plan is not about fairness for the people of Pennsylvania, it’s about maintaining the Republican majority.

The commission is made up of the four leaders and State Superior Court Judge emeritus Stephen McEwen.  The deciding vote in the 3-2 tally was cast by McEwen. He set a November 18th hearing date to take public input on the preliminary plan.

The plan will sit for a thirty day public comment period. A copy of the proposed new legislative district lines was to be made available at the Commission’s web site, www.redistricting.state.pa.us.

Senator Costa told Judge McEwen he hopes they’ll be provided the opportunity to continue to negotiate the reapportionment process, to further refine the plan Costa says was adopted along party lines.  McEwen said he would certainly be open to further negotiation and compromise, and would be delighted to hear that negotiations had been somewhat successful.

The changes are based on 2010 census  numbers for Pennsylvania.

Judge Stephen McEwen

Texting

Texting While Driving Bill Clears House With Amendments

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The Pennsylvania House of Representatives has passed a bill that would ban texting while driving. Senate Bill 314 bans sending, reading or writing texts  for all drivers.    It would make it a primary offense and establishes a fine of 50 dollars.  A primary offense means a police officer could stop a driver if they see them texting behind the wheel while the vehicle is in motion.   A text-based communication is defined in the bill as a text message, instant message, electronic mail or other written communication composed or received on an interactive wireless device.  The bill passed by a vote of 188-7. The house made changes to the senate bill, so it must go back to the state Senate for final consideration. More than 30 other states already have similar bans in effect.