Last Week in the Legislature

House and Senate lawmakers returned to Harrisburg last week to hold meetings and consider legislation, including bills impacting Pennsylvania business leaders.

The House currently stands at 101 Republicans and 101 Democrats following the tragic passing of Rep. Matt Gergely (D-Allegheny). Democrats retain majority control. However, new rules – including more evenly balanced committees, with each 26-member committee now split 14-12, requiring 13 votes to advance legislation, up from 12 last session – give the minority caucus more influence this session.

The newly created Energy Committee, for example, held a start-up meeting but did not act on bills, with both chairs emphasizing a commitment to bipartisan cooperation, per a Capitolwire report last Monday.

Other House committees, such as Education, Judiciary, and Transportation, have focused on passing bills while highlighting cross-party collaboration despite policy differences. Here is a rundown of last week’s legislative action most relevant to employers.

 

Unemployment Compensation improvements (Senate Bill 153; Brooks)

The Senate passed Senate Bill 153 last Wednesday. We supported this bill (CLICK HERE for our memo).

This legislation would clarify existing Unemployment Compensation (UC) eligibility standards to codify that an individual is not eligible for benefits if they discourage their own employment.

Under current law, UC claimants are generally required to engage in an active search for work, including applying for open positions in their field, engaging in other work search activity, and interviewing for jobs.

Unfortunately, employers report interviewing job candidates who admit they are only applying in order to comply with the work search requirement and often fail to show up for job interviews or work, an occurrence known as “ghosting.” This legislation would clarify the law to disqualify claimants who discourage their own employment. It would not create any additional requirements for claimants who are searching or applying for work in good faith.

The Senate voted with bipartisan support to pass the bill 29-20, and it now heads to the House Labor & Industry Committee.

 

Energy Reforms (Senate Bills 186, 187; Yaw)

The Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee advanced two energy-related bills introduced by Sen. Gene Yaw (R-Lycoming). We supported both bills (CLICK HERE for our memo).

Senate Bill 186 would formally withdraw Pennsylvania from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multistate cap-and-trade program designed to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.

Withdrawing from RGGI would reduce unnecessary financial burdens on Pennsylvania businesses, promote a more competitive business environment, and foster economic growth. The bill would also eliminate costly carbon taxes that have disproportionately impacted energy-intensive industries, such as manufacturing and power generation. This action would lower operational costs for businesses and encourage investment in new energy generation projects in the state.

Senate Bill 187 would establish an Independent Energy Office in the Commonwealth, which would be charged with providing impartial, timely, and data-driven analysis to guide the state in determining and meeting future energy needs.

The creation of such an entity serves as a dedicated, centralized body, comprised of subject matter experts, working to address the diverse and evolving energy needs of Pennsylvania, helping to ensure that the state’s energy future is secure, sustainable, and economically viable.

Both bills advanced the committee by votes of 7-4. They now move to the full Senate for consideration.

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Founded in 1916, the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry is the state's largest broad-based business association, with its membership comprising businesses of all sizes and across all industry sectors. The PA Chamber is The Statewide Voice of BusinessTM.