Committee Reviews Controversial Nuclear Energy Proposal

April 12, 2019

Committee Reviews Controversial Nuclear Energy Proposal

As chairman of the House Consumer Affairs Committee, I hosted a hearing this week to hear various perspectives about House Bill 11, a bill to support nuclear energy production in Pennsylvania. Former Pennsylvania Governor and first Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge testified before the committee.

Ridge was part of the first panel of testifiers who support House Bill 11 and believe nuclear energy should receive support from the Commonwealth. They point to the fact that nuclear energy produces no carbon dioxide emissions and suggest it should receive the same state support offered to solar, wind and other clean energy sources.

The second panel of testifier argued against the provisions in House Bill 11. They raised concerns about the use of nuclear energy and questioned whether state taxpayers should support this private-sector business.

You can view the entire hearing and read the testimony of the panelists by visiting my website.

Strengthening Protections for Victims of Crime

With this week being National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the House began working through a package of bills designed to help protect victims of crime.

A cornerstone of this package is Marsy’s Law, a bill that seeks to amend the state Constitution by adding a victim’s bill of rights.

Other bills in the package passed this week include measures to shield rape victims from being re-victimized by irrelevant cross examination; allow victims and witnesses with intellectual disabilities or autism to submit out-of-court statements rather than face their perpetrators in court; expand the types of crimes for which an out-of-court statement can be accepted; and allow crime victims to attend any proceeding relating to their cases, unless attending would materially alter the victims’ testimony.

The bills now head to the Senate for consideration.

Learn more about efforts to protect crime victims in Pennsylvania here.

Expanding the Statute of Limitations for Child Sexual Abuse

As the Commonwealth marks April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, the House passed a two-bill package known as the Pennsylvania Hidden Predator Act to help empower victims of child sexual abuse.

House Bill 962, sponsored by Rep. Mark Rozzi (D-Berks), would change the civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, allowing childhood victims until age 55 to file suit, and provide for waivers of sovereign and governmental immunity relating to claims of childhood sexual abuse. It would also abolish the criminal statute of limitations for child sexual abuse moving forward.

House Bill 963, sponsored by Rep. Jim Gregory (R-Blair), would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to provide a two-year window in which civil lawsuits alleging childhood sexual abuse may be filed in court, notwithstanding any otherwise applicable statute of limitations defense.

These bills are important in the effort to ensure justice for victims of past abuse.

Reporting suspected abuse is the best way to protect children. If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, you can call the Department of Health’s toll-free ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313.

Give PennDOT Feedback

PennDOT is looking for Pennsylvanians to give feedback on its winter services and communications.

You can provide your input by taking PennDOT’s 10-question survey that asks about how often you travel in poor weather, how you rate PennDOT’s winter service, and how you rank its snow-removal priorities.

The survey also asks how you receive PennDOT’s roadway information, and if you use Pennsylvania’s 511PA system for traffic and incident information, and winter roadway conditions.

You can take the survey by clicking here.

Trout Season Open Statewide

This Saturday, April 13, marks the statewide opening day of trout season. Fishing begins at 8 a.m.

To participate, anglers ages 16 and older must have a valid Pennsylvania Fishing License and a Trout/Salmon Permit, both available at gonefishingpa.com or at more than 700 issuing agents. Multi-year licenses are also available in 3-year, 5-year and 10-year increments. Prices for licenses and permits remain the same as last year. Youth anglers ages 15 and under do not require licenses or permits.

To locate stocked trout fishing waters near you, select the 2019 Trout Stocking Schedule at fishandboat.com. Waterways on this list are searchable by county, organized in alphabetical order and provide the date, time and meeting place for each stocking event.

The FREE Fish Boat PA Mobile App is the most useful tool in an angler’s tackle box. Download the app from the Apple App or Google Play stores to locate stocked waterways or wild trout streams, use the fish identification tool, and view fishing and boating regulations.

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