Enews Updates - July 1, 2022 - Senator Mastriano

HARRISBURG – State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) led a Capitol rally today to call for action to address Pennsylvania’s fentanyl and opioid overdose epidemic.

He was joined by fellow lawmakers, medical professionals, concerned parents and Pennsylvanians recovering from addiction.

There were more than 100,000 fentanyl and opioid related deaths nationwide in 2021, a 15% increase from 2020. Pennsylvania now ranks third in the nation for overdose deaths. Heroin and opioid overdoses are the leading cause of accidental death in Pennsylvania, even more deadly than car accidents.

“We’re here to raise awareness and seek solutions to the fentanyl and opioid crisis that’s facing our commonwealth,” Mastriano said. “We’re looking at 4,500 deaths a year in Pennsylvania. This needs to end. So many beautiful people swept away because of a mistake. The time for talking is over. We need to do something now.”

Mastriano has introduced Tyler’s Law, Senate Bill 1295, to impose stricter penalties on drug dealers who peddle fentanyl resulting in fatal overdose. Those convicted would face a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison. The bill is named after Tyler Shanafelter, who lived in Mastriano’s district. Tyler died Oct. 10, 2020, after buying from a dealer what he thought was Percocet but was instead a deadly dose of fentanyl.

Tyler’s mother, Laura Shanafelter, urged passage of Senate Bill 1295.

“I’m here today because we have a crisis in America and this crisis is killing children at record levels,” she said, noting that while Pennsylvania currently has penalties on the books to punish those who deliver drugs resulting in death, few offenders ever receive more than a few years behind bars.

“That’s like telling a family their child’s life was only worth two to three years,” she said.

Also on hand to support Mastriano’s effort was Jefferson County District Attorney Jeff Burkett.

“I have watched many drug epidemics develop, and the dawn of the fentanyl epidemic is particularly disturbing,” he said. “I support Tyler’s Law because I know the sellers of this poison know how dangerous this fentanyl is, but they continue to sell it anyway.”

Others who spoke at the rally were:

Kara Kennemuth, executive director of Women at the Well Ministries, a nonprofit, faith-based program for women battling addiction.
Bernadette Bowman, executive director of House of Hope, a nonprofit program for women reentering society from the justice system.
Dr. Chaminie Wheeler, pediatrician and a child advocate.
John Patricelli, president of Affirming Fire Ministries.
Pastor Joseph Bishop, executive director of H.E.L.P (Hope for Every Living Person).
Samual Bridgeford, who completed a year-long faith-based treatment program to overcome his addiction.
Matthew Grant, who completed a year-long faith-based treatment program.
Liz Harris, who overcame the dependency of numerous psychotic prescription drugs after completing a year-long faith-based treatment program.

Lawmakers taking part in the rally were Sen. Cris Dush (R-25), Rep. Kathy Rapp (R-65) and Rep. David Zimmerman (R-99).

In addition to Tyler’s Law, Mastriano is sponsoring Senate Bill 1152, to improve overdose mapping and response. The bill would require law enforcement and emergency medical services agencies to report all overdose incidents within 72 hours to the statewide Overdose Information Network.

“There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to battling this plague on our society. We must explore all options to help save lives,” Mastriano said.

WATCH: Video to today’s rally.

Sen. Mastriano’s opening remarks.

Senate Committee Approves Mastriano Bill to Save Lives and Reduce Roadside Vehicle Accidents

Posted on Jun 28, 2022

Harrisburg – The Senate Transportation Committee unanimously voted today to approve legislation by Senator Doug Mastriano (R-33) that will reduce vehicle collisions with tow trucks on the side of roads and highways.

SB 1123 will allow tow truck operators to use rear-facing blue lights while stationary and responding to a disabled vehicle. Under current statute, only flashing or revolving yellow lights are permitted for tow trucks.

The inspiration for this bill came from a tow truck operator in the 33rd District who discovered that operators in several other states had the option for blue lights and the rate of roadside accidents was lower in those states.

Studies by the Texas Department of Transportation and the University of Michigan have demonstrated that drivers routinely ignore the sight of yellow or orange lights when encountered on the road. Blue lights elicit a different response from drivers and are far more visible in hazardous weather conditions. They also give distracted drivers more time to see and react before a potential accident.

“I believe this legislation has the potential to cut down on roadside accidents and save lives in Pennsylvania,” said Mastriano. We’ve lost too many Pennsylvanians to roadside collisions. Allowing tow truck operators to utilize blue lights can have a profound effect on driver alertness. I’m proud to say SB 1123 has the full support of the PA Towing Association.”

SB 1123 now heads to the full Senate for consideration.

Mastriano Bill to Bring Transparency to State-Related Universities Approved by Committee

Posted on Jun 28, 2022

HARRISBURG – Legislation sponsored by Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-33) to shine more light on the finances of state-related universities was unanimously approved by the Senate State Government Committee today.

Senate Bill 488, which would bring greater transparency to the records of Penn State University, the University of Pittsburgh, Temple University and Lincoln University, would mark the most significant reform to Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law since its inception in 2008.

“As we are reminded during budget season, our state-related universities receive over $500 million taxpayer dollars each year,” Mastriano said in urging his fellow committee members to support the measure. “We owe it to the taxpayers of our commonwealth to ensure visibility on how those taxpayer dollars are being used.”

The bill would significantly increase the amount of university personnel salary information that must be disclosed and provide access to budget and contract information in user-friendly, searchable online databases. Annual revenue and expenditure reports for each university will also be available for view by the public.

Mastriano noted that Pennsylvania is one of only three states in the nation that explicitly exempts state-related universities from open records provisions. For most of the nation, records of state-funded universities are presumed open or have been confirmed by courts to be open.

The measure would not affect existing exclusions related to privacy or similar legal protections required under current law.

“Senate Bill 488 will not undermine key and important elements of university operations or missions, but there is plenty of room for improvement in the level of transparency and accountability we can expect from these institutions,” he said.

Wolf Administration Plan to Toll Interstate Bridges Halted by Court

In a major win for motorists and communities near interstate highways, the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania issued a ruling blocking the Wolf Administration from moving forward with its plan to toll nine interstate bridges across the state.

The decision follows a previous ruling temporarily halting the initiative, siding with a county and several municipalities that challenged the constitutionality of the plan to toll interstate bridges under the public-private partnership (P3) bridge program.

PennDOT attempted to move forward with tolling without approval from the General Assembly. The Senate passed Senate Bill 382 to require the P3 process to be more transparent while stopping the current initiative. Gov. Wolf vowed to veto the measure.

The new order voids the entire Major Bridge P3 Initiative, including the following bridges:

Bills to Limit Exposure of Sexually Explicit Content in PA Schools Passed by Senate

Two bills that would give parents a voice in discussions of gender identity and sexual orientation in Pennsylvania schools were approved by the Senate.

Senate Bill 1277 would require districts to identify sexually explicit content in school curriculum and materials and notify parents that their child’s coursework includes such content. Senate Bill 1278 would prohibit classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade students, consistent with the timeline for when the existing academic standards on general sex education begins in sixth grade.

The proposals are in response to concerns of parents that age-inappropriate conversations about these sensitive topics are occurring prematurely and without parental knowledge in school classrooms around the state.

Clarification about what Senate Bill 1278 does and does not do is available here. You can review blurred examples of situations that parents have reported from classrooms around the state here.

Senate Votes to Protect Sports for PA Women and Girls

The Senate gave final approval of legislation that protects the integrity of women’s sports. The measure was sent to the governor to be signed into law.

House Bill 972, the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, ensures that biological males can’t compete on school athletic teams designated for women and girls. The bill also provides legal recourse for students harmed when schools and colleges violate the proposed law.

June 23 marked the 50th anniversary of enactment of Title IX, which guaranteed girls and women equal access to scholastic sports. Recently, more than a dozen states have passed legislation similar to House Bill 972 after women’s sports organizations were pressured to allow biological males to compete on their teams.

Bill to Improve Medical Care for Patients Approved by Senate

The Senate voted to improve the health care experience for patients by streamlining the prior authorization and step therapy processes for medical treatment. The bill goes to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Prior authorization means that, to qualify for payment, physicians and other health care providers must obtain advance approval from a health plan before a specific procedure or service. Step therapy requires patients to try prescription drug treatment options chosen by the patient’s insurance provider.

Senate Bill 225 would set standards for commercial insurance plans, as well as Medicaid plans, when seeking prior authorization approval and with step therapy protocols. The legislation would also provide a timely process for appeals determinations.

A recent American Medical Association survey found that prior authorization delays overwhelmingly result in patients forgoing treatment, leading to negative clinical impacts.

Senate Acts to Improve Drug Overdose Tracking and Response

The Senate approved legislation to improve drug overdose tracking and response in Pennsylvania, which ranks third in the nation for overdose deaths. The bill will be sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 1152 would require law enforcement and emergency medical services agencies to report all overdose incidents within 72 hours to the statewide Overdose Information Network or any other platform approved by the Pennsylvania State Police to capture real-time overdose reporting.

The State Police will be required to document the numbers, trends and patterns associated with known and suspected overdoses and issue an annual report available in an online format for reference by public officials and the general public.

Access to real-time data will help public officials ensure that adequate overdose reversal drug supplies are available, substance use outreach efforts are enhanced and law enforcement investigations are undertaken to interrupt sources of deadly substances.

Legislation Boosting Safety of Child Care Facilities Set for Enactment

Legislation to improve safety in state-regulated child care facilities was approved by the Senate and is set to be signed into law.

Senate Bill 563 was introduced in response to a tragic fire that claimed the lives of five young children in Erie in 2019. Only one smoke detector was found in the care home, and it was in the attic.

The measure designates the locations where smoke alarms must be installed in child care facilities and require the alarms be interconnected so that if one is triggered, they all go off.

Increased Penalties for Hiring Unauthorized Workers Approved by Senate

A bill to improve enforcement of the construction industry’s use of the federal E-Verify system was approved by the Senate and sent to the House of Representatives for consideration.

The federal E-Verify system determines the eligibility of employees – both U.S. and foreign citizens – to work in America. The Public Works Employment Verification Act already requires all public construction contractors and subcontractors to use E-Verify to confirm the legal employment eligibility of new hires. However, despite these requirements, the practice of hiring unauthorized workers continues due to the enforcement mechanisms being weak.

Senate Bill 1147 would make the financial penalties more meaningful. Rather than the current penalty of $250 – $1,000, violators would face a fine of $2,500 – $25,000. Senate Bill 1147 streamlines enforcement and reduces the need for time-consuming audits by requiring construction contractors to be enrolled in E-Verify upfront and makes it a punishable offense if they are not.

Have a Happy Independence Day

I hope you have a great July 4th holiday with friends and family as we celebrate the birth of our great nation, which remains the best hope for freedom and liberty on Earth.