Committee Approves Sanctity of Marriage Bill

Legislation setting Lt. Gov. succession advances

Committee considerations of several important pieces of legislation were the highlights of the Senate session week of March 17, according to Senator Bob Robbins (R-50).

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 1250 on Tuesday. This bill, co-sponsored by Senator Robbins, would provide for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman.

"I have received a tremendous amount of correspondence on this issue from the people of the 50th District and the overwhelming majority of the people have indicated their belief that marriage should exclusively involve the union of a man and a woman and that it holds a sacred place in our society."

The Judiciary Committee also approved House Bill 675, legislation that would create the new criminal offense of illegal dumping of methamphetamine waste on any property; making it a felony of the third degree. The bill provides for exemptions from its reach for licensed pharmaceutical companies, and any dumping performed under the color of state or federal law already promulgated.

Senator Robbins has been a leader in the Senate's efforts to crack down on the manufacture, sales and use of methamphetamine -- a highly addictive and deadly drug – derived from amphetamine, a stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Amphetamines were intended for nasal decongestants like Sudafed. These and other meth ingredients are available at neighborhood drug stores. Criminals purchase these ingredients in mass quantities and then "cook" meth in home-made labs or "kitchens."

"I strongly support efforts to crack down on meth labs," Senator Robbins said. "They are a health and safety hazard to the community and anyone involved in that process should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved Senate Bill 822 on Tuesday, a bill cosponsored by Senator Robbins that would amend the state Constitution to change the succession process for the Lieutenant Governor to address questions that arose during the Ridge Administration when Lt. Gov. Schweiker filled the position of Governor and then-President Pro Tempore Jubelirer served as Lieutenant Governor while remaining the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

The bill does the following:

In the case of death, conviction on impeachment, failure to qualify or resignation of the Lieutenant Governor, the Governor shall appoint a new Lieutenant Governor who would take office upon confirmation of a majority vote of the Senate who would serve out the remainder of the term. Should the Governor appoint any member of the Senate or House of Representatives to serve as Lieutenant Governor, that official's seat would be considered vacant and filled by election.
If, by reason of death, resignation, removal from office, inability or failure to qualify, there is neither a Governor nor Lieutenant Governor to act as Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate would become Governor for the remainder of the tern. The President Pro Tempore's seat as Senator would become vacant and filled by election.
In the case of the disability of the Lieutenant Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate would serve as Lt. Governor until the disability is removed. The President Pro Tempore would not have to vacate his seat.

The Appropriations Committee also approved Senate Bill 428, legislation co-sponsored by Senator Robbins that provides for the use of community newspapers as a means of providing legal notices under requirements set by state law.

Currently state law requires that all official and legal advertising notices be published in:

Newspapers of general circulation, or a newspaper issued daily, or not less than once a week, intended for general distribution and circulation, and sold at fixed prices per copy per week, per month, or per annum, to subscribers and readers without regard to business, trade, profession or class;
Official newspapers, or a newspaper designated by a government unit for the publication of notices and statements required by rule, order, resolution, or ordinance of such unit;
Legal newspapers.

Senate Bill 428 adds community papers of mass dissemination to this list, and permits any government entity, at its discretion, to publish notice in these types of papers in substitution of publication in a newspaper. A community paper of mass dissemination is a newspaper that meets one of the following criteria: is distributed through the US mail to entire local zip codes; or, is distributed by audited carriers to all known addresses within a political subdivision.

The bill does not change the law with respect to the obligation to publish a legal notice in a legal newspaper when such obligation exists under current law.

Senator Robbins is the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 1087, the "Public Notice Modernization Act" which would give municipalities, school districts and local authorities the option to electronically publish legal notices on the internet in lieu of newspaper advertisement as is currently required by law.

"A recent study by the Local Government Commission staff determined that local government entities could see a yearly savings of approximately $23 million in current advertising costs by electronically publishing legal notices," said Senator Robbins, who serves as Chairman of the Commission. "In addition to saving taxpayer dollars, this would provide more convenient access for citizens who want to keep track of the meetings in their school districts and municipalities and to follow the way local governments are spending their revenues."

Contact:

Michael Hengst
(717) 787-1322