September 17, 2007
Contact:
 Anna Gustafson
717-787-2637
Back

Senate Update
by
Senator James J. Rhoades

While the General Assembly resolved many of the pressing needs facing our Commonwealth during the first half of 2007, there are a number of important issues that still need to be addressed. The Senate returns to session on September 17, and I am looking forward to a busy and productive session as we work toward accomplishing many of the items on our ambitious Fall agenda.

One of the Legislature's top priorities will be improving our state's energy policies. There have been a number of exciting advances in alternative energies in recent years, and I am hopeful that we can use these advances to produce more clean energy to protect the environment, reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy, and cut costs for consumers.

The Governor has promised to call a Special Session of the General Assembly on energy this Fall, and the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee has already scheduled hearings on September 19 and 25 to discuss alternative fuel mandates. Since there are a wide range of energy issues that should be considered during this special session, I plan on talking more about these issues in one of my weekly columns later this month.

Another top priority for the Senate will be strengthening the state's Right-To-Know law. All state government information should be considered open to the public unless it meets specific exceptions in established law, and I will be working with my colleagues to determine how these exceptions should be defined. The General Assembly has made great strides recently in bringing greater accountability and transparency to state government, and I am confident that the General Assembly will continue with this spirit of reform in the Fall session.

The Senate is also expected to consider a number of other issues, including (but not limited to):

• improving the Uniform Construction Code,
• strengthening the state's immigration laws,
• funding the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act,
• addressing transportation funding issues that were not resolved with the funding plan signed into law in July.
   

Senator Rhoades represents the 29th Senatorial District, which includes all of Schuylkill County and parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties.