By Jen Quinn, Legislative and Political Director, Sierra Club PA Chapter
This year has gone by so quickly and so much has happened, I can’t believe it’s mid-December already. The legislature had its last session day on 12/15, and what a day it was. Thankfully, they shouldn’t be back in Harrisburg until January. On that final session day, they managed to vote on:
SCRRR1 (Senate Concurrent Regulatory Review Resolution 1)
This is the disapproval resolution that would halt Pennsylvania’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative(RGGI). After a lengthy floor debate that included countless baseless claims from Republicans and a lot of pandering, the resolution passed 130-70. When it goes to the Governor’s desk he will veto it. They knew this beforehand but went forward with the vote anyway. Once the Governor vetoes the resolution, the legislature will have a chance to try and override the veto with a 2/3 majority vote, but as you can see from the initial vote, they don’t have the numbers. This is a prime example of purposely delaying action on climate and not offering any solutions.
SB 106
This bill started off as a bill that would change how the Lt. Governor is chosen. It passed the Senate in April. On 12/14 it was amended and on 12/15 it received a final vote (113-87) and passed. It’s amazing that in a year where we saw the legislature name countless roads and bridges and do little else, that they can move something as terrible as this bill so quickly.
With the added amendments, SB 106 will:
- Perpetuate the lie of election fraud by requiring the Auditor General conduct election audits.
- Harass and disenfranchise voters by requiring ‘valid identification.’
- Skew the balance of power in favor of the legislative branch and restrict executive branch authority by limiting executive orders or proclamations by the Governor to 21 days without the approval of the General Assembly.
- Threaten the health and safety of Pennsylvanians by allowing the General Assembly to veto regulations.
This bill is now in the Senate for a concurrence vote. Keep in mind, since this will amend the constitution, this bill will have to pass both chambers twice, once during this legislative session (2021-2022) and again during the 2023-2024 legislative session before it can be put on a ballot for vote. And remember, the Governor cannot veto this. This bill continues the harmful and dangerous trend where legislators repeatedly seek to amend our constitution to change the rules when they don't get their way.
The bills that didn’t get a vote before the end of the year:
Growing Greener 3
The legislature decided not to allocate American Rescue Plan (ARP) money for parks, trails, and watershed improvements. Perhaps they will reconsider when they return next year.
Community Solar (HB 1555)
This strong bill continues to languish in committee. Over 20 other states and Washington, D.C. have enacted community solar legislation, and there is optimism that this bill could get a vote next year, if the majority party can find time between legislating by constitutional amendment and renaming bridges. A Pennsylvania Capital-Star analysis found that in 2021, renaming laws make up one in five of the 83 bills passed by both chambers of the Republican-controlled General Assembly that Gov. Tom Wolf has signed into law.
RGGI (Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative) Proceeds (SB 15)
Allocating proceeds generated by RGGI to help transition coal communities and retrain workers, provide bill assistance to low income ratepayers, and invest in clean energy all seem like great ideas, but the majority party doesn’t seem to think so just yet, so the bill still sits in committee.
I could go on and on about good bills that didn’t get a vote this year– bills to transition to clean energy, to get lead pipes out of our communities, to close loopholes for the oil and gas industry– but that won’t do much good. Instead, what might do some good is talking to your legislator, especially if they were a ‘Yes’ vote on SCRRR1 or SB 106.
And something else that might be helpful – new maps for our state house and state senate seats. New districts won’t solve all of our problems, but they can definitely make some seats more competitive. You can view the preliminary PA House map here, Senate here, and submit comments here.
Thank you all for engaging and working for a healthier environment.
This blog was included as part of the January 2022 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!