To me, June is, at least in some respects, the best month at the Capitol. Being Budget Month, the halls of the Capitol buildings are buzzing with visitors. Many come to meet with legislators to discuss their budget needs or concerns. Young students visit to tour the Capitol. And it is the time when families come to Harrisburg to vacation and take in this Central Pennsylvania area with its rich history and many other attractions outside of Harrisburg.
It is a busy time for the House, with long session days filled with debate and votes on bills that deal with many issues other than the budget. Several bills are being passed on the floor that deal with significant issues, with the hope that these will spark action between the House and Senate. In general, no legislation gets passed without some compromise, but the goal is to achieve legislation being passed by both chambers.
One such bill passed by the House was a minimum wage bill. For several sessions now, legislators have been trying to get a raise in the state minimum wage. For too long, the wage has been set at $7.25 per hour. The House has passed out a bill that would raise the wage regionally and incrementally across the Commonwealth, with rates set between $10 and $15 per hour. This bill has been sent to the Senate and the hope is some compromise can be made to help the thousands of Pennsylvanians earning minimum wage.
Also sent to the Senate was a bill that would legalize recreational adult-use cannabis. Many view this as an inevitable thing in our Commonwealth. I personally remain on the fence about this legislation. I have heard from many constituents who seek to have this legislation passed while many others are opposed to it.
However, there were many good things included in the bill. Last month I had a group of Sto-Rox High School students visit me at the Capitol. They came to discuss the growing student vaping problem. Too often, bad businesspeople are selling vaping products to minors. These products also contain unregulated and harmful ingredients.
This House bill that deals with legalizing marijuana also has provisions that regulate the sale of vaping products and regulates the ingredients. It also regulates the ingredients and look of THC products, particularly so that the look and taste of these products are not enticing to children.
Again, good aspects of legislation in an overall bill, even with the bill’s main intent not being acceptable to everyone. These are the things that legislators debate over and work out through compromise. Too many people tend to “generalize” and focus on simply one aspect of a bill, without reading the entire bill and without seeing the overall picture.
Just this past week, the House passed a Sunday hunting bill and sent it over to the Senate for consideration. As this originated from the committee I chair, it is something I have particular interest in.
Sunday hunting was expanded several years ago, and this bill will now allow the Game Commission to expand Sunday hunting to any Sundays it finds necessary as it establishes the schedule of hunting seasons.
While this is welcomed by many hunters, other groups do not favor this expansion, particularly hikers and other environmental groups. What must be understood is that the Game Commission can set hunting seasons, but private landowners and the DCNR, which controls state parks, can choose whether they allow Sunday hunting. Game lands are controlled by the Game Commission and are there for the preservation of wild game and hunting. There are many other places of opportunity for people to take part in outdoor activities away from hunting, and many ways for people to find compromise and common ground.
The next two weeks are pivotal for the state budget. The last weeks of June will hopefully bring about a budget that is palatable for the House, Senate and the governor. The bottom line is that we must get a budget adopted, so that school districts, local governments and others can properly plan.
For more information, contact my office at 412-264-4260 for assistance.
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