HARRISBURG, Pa. — After nearly two months of partisan gridlock keeping state government at a standstill, Pennsylvania lawmakers are introducing a flurry of legislation this week. Here are some of the measures making their way through the Capitol:
Norfolk Southern CEO Subpoena
The Senate Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee voted to subpoena Alan Shaw, the CEO of Norfolk Southern, to testify about the rail company’s response to the Feb. 3 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
“We have concerns on the decision for the plume, the evacuation order, that random one-mile zone, sometimes two, and on and on and on,” said State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Adams).
The subpoena calls for Shaw to testify Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Committee members said they would also request documents and other evidence related to the decision-making process immediately following the derailment.
Norfolk Southern has not yet responded to FOX43’s request for comment or whether Shaw will appear.
Distracted Driving
A proposed Senate measure would prohibit using a cell phone while driving in Pennsylvania.
Most states neighboring Pennsylvania—including New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Maryland—already ban handheld cell phone use while driving.
The measure is sorely needed, according to road safety advocates like Eileen Miller, whose son Paul Miller, Jr. was killed in a car crash in 2010.
“It took one second for a semi-truck driver to take his eyes off the road to kill our beautiful, young, handsome son for nothing, because of his cell phone,” Miller said at a press conference promoting the legislation. “Our life was forever changed, forever changed.”
Reducing Medicare Fraud
Several bills were introduced in the House aimed at reducing fraud in state government, specifically in regard to Medicaid.
One measure would adopt a state version of the Federal False Claims Act, which would allow the state to recoup an additional 10% from false claims made against Medicaid during national settlements.
Another measure would adopt a state version of the Federal Improper Payment Law, requiring agencies to review programs to assess how susceptible they are to making improper payments.
“With Medicaid, like everything else, we expect our state agencies to operate competently and in the best interest of the taxpayer,” said State Rep. Valerie Gaydos (R-Allegheny). “My legislation will ensure those agencies are safeguarded against interruptions to patient service that result from improper payments.”
Education in focus
A number of measures were discussed regarding education. On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee held a hearing to discuss solutions to the state’s ongoing teacher shortage.
Educators testified that the teaching industry needs to offer more upward mobility and better career development opportunities.
“One of the reasons we have a teacher shortage is because there’s a frustration among teachers about career leadership,” said Rich Askey, president of the Pa. State Education Association.
“We don’t need to spend any more money. We don’t need any more [professional development] days. We just need to use it much better,” said Boaz Dvir, director of the Hammel Family Human Rights Initiative at Penn State.
On Wednesday a Senate bill was introduced to revive the state’s dormant school facilities funding program, PlanCon. The measure would allocate funding toward school building maintenance and construction. A co-sponsorship memo is circulating in the House.
In light of a state Supreme Court ruling that the Pennsylvania school funding structure is unconstitutional, Senate Democrats announced they would unveil a new funding strategy on Thursday.
Many other measures are expected to be introduced during session days in the coming week. Both the House and Senate adjourn after March 8 until late April.