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In this Update:

• Bill to Improve School Bus Safety Receives Senate Committee Support
• Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Key Public Safety Legislation
• April Hearings Set on Proposed UGI Gas Rate Increase
• Senate Transportation Committee Visits McCarthy Tire Service
• Youth Invited to Go Fishing on Saturday
• March 29 is Vietnam War Veterans Day

Bill to Improve School Bus Safety Receives Senate Committee Support

The Senate Transportation Committee this week voted to advance legislation I introduced to better protect children by strengthening school bus safety laws. It now moves to the full Senate for consideration.

Senate Bill 65 would increase the required stopping distance for opposing drivers from 10 feet to 15 feet, creating a greater buffer for children entering and exiting the bus. Repeat offenders would face higher fines and a trip to driver improvement school. First time offenders would be subject to increased penalties at the discretion of the MDJ. For the first time, penalties are included for those who speed up to beat an impending stop.

Each year, the Department of Transportation conducts a school bus education and enforcement program. The most recent program, conducted in October 2024, found police officers and bus drivers in 22 school districts reporting 131 violations in a single day.

I have no hesitation in recommending greater sanctions for a dangerous offense that should never happen, much less at the frequency being cited. We must insist on protecting bus drivers and their student passengers.

Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Key Public Safety Legislation

The Senate Judiciary Committee convened this week to consider a series of bills aimed at strengthening Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system and addressing critical public safety concerns. We continue to prioritize legislation that protects our communities, supports law enforcement and ensures justice for victims. The approved bills reflect a bipartisan commitment to tackling pressing issues including the opioid crisis, violent crime and public safety threats.

The committee advanced the following bills:

• Senate Bill 92 – Establishes a mandatory minimum sentence for drug delivery resulting in death when the defendant has two or more prior felony drug convictions. The bill, titled “Tyler’s Law” in memory of Tyler Shanafelter, an 18-year-old who died of an overdose after taking a pill that was laced with fentanyl, ensures that repeat offenders who profit from the addiction of others face significant consequences.

• Senate Bill 347– Prohibits the operation of safe injection sites, which are clinics or establishments that provide space for people to consume drugs like heroin or fentanyl. The bill reinforces Pennsylvania’s stance against supervised drug consumption facilities, which only further enable those suffering from drug addiction to continue using.

• Senate Bill 475 – Updates statutory language by replacing “problem-solving courts” with “treatment courts,” emphasizing the underlying mission of these specialized court programs.

• Senate Bill 490 – Prohibits courts from releasing criminal defendants on their own recognizance or on unsecured bail when the defendant is a person who poses a threat to public safety. Specifically, the bill targets repeat violent felons, high-level fentanyl traffickers, and individuals who endanger law enforcement, ensuring that these high-risk offenders remain in custody.

• Senate Bill 471 – Requires prosecutors to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) when a defendant is in the country unlawfully.

• Senate Bill 96 – Enhances penalties for threats against schools and mandates reimbursement of emergency response costs. In northeastern Pennsylvania, close to a dozen schools were plagued by anonymous threats in 2023, resulting in closures and loss of instruction time, hindering student progress. This bill would increase the grading of the crime of terroristic threats when the threat relates to a school or institution of higher education, and requires a person convicted of making such a threat to pay for the cost of the emergency response.

• Senate Bill 175 – Strengthens laws against “swatting” and other false emergency reports by updating the crime of false alarm to agencies of public safety, allowing courts to order a person convicted of that crime to pay for the emergency response. There are potential practical consequences to swatting alarms. They may be an accident on the way to the premises. Because of the anticipated confusion at the scene, there might be an unfortunate escalation due to miscommunication or tension. There may be real emergencies occurring while responders are diverted to a false alarm. It is all risk, all cost, for no justifiable purpose. It is a malicious act that should be treated as such.

April Hearings Set on Proposed UGI Gas Rate Increase

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) will hold five in-person and telephone hearings in early April to gather public input on proposed rate changes by UGI Gas.

The commission voted in February to investigate UGI’s proposal to increase its annual operating revenues for natural gas distribution service by $110.4 million (9.7%). Under the proposal, the average bill for a residential customer using 73.7 hundred cubic feet of natural gas per month would increase from $104.47 to $115.74 per month (10.8%).  

The Pennsylvania Office of Consumer Advocate has more information on the proposed increase here. The PUC lists dates, times and locations of the public hearings and information on how to provide input here. If you can’t take part in a hearing but want to comment, you can find the form to submit a comment here.

Senate Transportation Committee Visits McCarthy Tire Service

Senate Transportation Committee Chair Senator Judy Ward recently joined me at McCarthy Tire Service for a roundtable discussion on transportation issues ranging from maintaining the Commonwealth’s fleet of vehicles to navigating the complex regulations of vehicle inspections.

McCarthy Tire is the fifth largest independent commercial tire dealer in the United States with more than 70 service locations and 13 Bandag manufacturing plants along the east coast. Founded in 1926, the company is family-owned and operated, and offers sales and service for commercial trucks, industrial equipment, off-the-road, commercial fleet services, truck mechanical services, 24-hour commercial roadside assistance, retread manufacturing, as well as automotive mechanical services and repairs.

Youth Invited to Go Fishing on Saturday

Pennsylvania’s Mentored Youth Trout Day gives young people early access to the state’s stocked trout waters. This year, it will be held on Saturday, March 29, from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Youth anglers need a free Mentored Youth Permit or a Voluntary Youth Fishing License, which can be purchased for $2.97, from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Both are available online or at licensing agents across the state.

To participate, youth anglers must be accompanied by a licensed adult angler, which are anglers 16 years of age and older. Adult anglers need a valid Pennsylvania Fishing License and a current Trout Permit. Youth with a license or permit can take a total of two trout (combined species) with a minimum length of seven inches. Adult anglers may not possess trout.

March 29 is Vietnam War Veterans Day

Nine million Americans served during the Vietnam War era and 58,000 gave their lives. Sadly, because many people didn’t view the war favorably, Vietnam War veterans received a cold reception when they returned to American soil. Some were even deeply mistreated.

March 29 marks the day in 1973 when the last United States troops left Vietnam. That same day, 591 American prisoners were released and returned to the United States.

I was honored to meet Vietnam War veteran First Lt. Clebe McClary, United States Marine Corps, Ret., who served as the keynote speaker at Senator Doug Mastriano’s event in honor of Vietnam War Veterans Day. Let us recognize those who fought valiantly for our freedoms. We are grateful for their courage and sacrifices.

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