(7/2024) Bill to Require Coverage of Biomarker Testing Passes House

Legislation that would lead to better, more effective treatment of diseases like cancer and ALS passed the state House this week and is now pending consideration by the Senate. The legislation expands the use of precision medicine, also referred to as personalized health care or individualized medicine. It uses a patient’s biospecimen to determine which medical treatments will work best for that patient. House Bill 1754 would require insurance coverage of biomarker testing by both commercial insurance and government-sponsored plans, subject to federal approval. Biomarker testing may be used for the purposes of diagnosis, treatment, appropriate management, or ongoing monitoring of an insured or enrollee’s disease or condition to guide treatment decisions.

Voter ID Update

Earlier this spring, House Republicans moved to force action on voter ID. House Bill 891 would amend the state Constitution to require an accepted form of identification by those who seek to vote. If the bill is approved by the House and Senate this session, the measure could be placed on the ballot for consideration by voters this fall. A new member sworn into office last week became the 101st member to sign the petition. However, with new partisan House operating rules requiring 25 members from each caucus to sign the discharge petition, the proposal will remain bottled up in committee despite the bipartisan support of 101 members within the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and 73% of Pennsylvanians. I joined my colleagues in signing this petition and will continue to advocate for this vital election integrity proposal.

Measuring The Impact Of Solar Development On Rural Communities

As a member of the board of the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, I attended our a monthly meeting at Windswept Farm near State College. In addition to a tour of the farm and greenhouses, we heard from experts on topics ranging from rural workforce growth to the impact of solar development on Pennsylvania farmland. I am particularly concerned about farmland being taken out of food production to accommodate solar fields that produce only a small fraction of our total energy needs. Also concerning is the safe disposal of solar panels once they are no longer operational. Only a small percentage of our townships have ordinances based on location and development of solar fields. Large scale solar development is in no way considered agriculture and should be placed only in industrial zoned areas. Townships need to address this situation sooner, rather than later so our first-class farmland is not consumed by solar development.

Your Summer Electric Bill

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) is reminding consumers that most electric distribution companies across the state will be adjusting electric generation prices on Saturday, June 1, for non-shopping, or default service, customers. With energy prices set to increase in some areas and decrease in others, the PUC encourages consumers to stay informed about these changes and evaluate their energy options, even if they already have a contract with a competitive electric generation supplier. For more information, including a list of "price to compare" adjustments, click here. Learn more about managing energy costs by visiting PAPowerSwitch.com, which includes access to competitive offers as well as energy-saving tips. To compare prices for natural gas providers, visit PAGasSwitch.com, another site run by the PUC.

Attention Artists: PGC Seeks Paintings for Wildlife Design Contest

The Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC) is seeking paintings for its 2025 Working Together for Wildlife Design Contest. The 2025 featured species is the black bear. One or more black bears can be featured in a horizontal painting measuring exactly 22.5x15 inches, or a vertical painting measuring exactly 15x22.5 inches. Each painting must have a 3-inch-wide white border or mat and be left unsigned and unframed. Participants must be Pennsylvania residents. For each entry, there is a $30 non-refundable entrance fee payable to the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Paintings must be delivered to PGC headquarters, 2001 Elmerton Ave., Harrisburg, by Monday, July 22.

Legislative Progress Report

At May’s Adams County Council of Governments (COG) meeting, I updated members about current and planned legislation that would benefit our communities.

• As a legislative member of the Pennsylvania Local Government Commission, I am drafting legislation to save townships, boroughs, and taxpayers money on public meeting transcription services. Local governments are required to record some of their meetings with a stenographer. With the technology available to us today, I believe this is an unnecessary and unjustifiable expense. Few communities can afford the $500 daily rate that these services demand when a small, initial investment in technology will pay for itself in almost no time. My bill would allow digital recordings of local government meetings.
• House Bill 451, which was recently voted out of the House Local Government Committee, would benefit Adams County, Gettysburg and many other Pennsylvania municipalities that have large amounts of non-taxable property. The bill would redirect proceeds from the Pennsylvania liquor tax to townships and boroughs to off-set their losses for non-taxable property.
• I discussed my legislation to require schools and the PIAA to accept cash as a form of payment for admission to school-sponsored sporting events.
• I provided an update on the Eisenhower Drive extension groundbreaking, which has been postponed – yet again – to late 2027. These delays could cost Adams County a major national company that has expressed interested in locating here but the move is contingent on construction of the road. Smaller companies have expressed interest as well. This road would also benefit UTZ, which is currently building a 750,000 square foot building and looking to expand further. I started working on this project 12 years ago and it is frustrating to me that infrastructure so beneficial to our local economy is taking so long.