Mike's Memo

Welcome to a new year of "Mike's Memo," an update on what's happening in the 48th Legislative District, the State Capitol, and the progress on my "Promise to Pennsylvania," a pledge to advance government reforms, enact meaningful lawsuit abuse reform, eliminate wasteful state spending, and cut taxes. If you haven't done so already, please take a few moments to visit my website at www.senatorfolmer.com to learn more about issues that may affect you and your family.

Week of February 1, 2010

Committees Reports

Last week a number of Senate Committees met to consider various bills, with some legislation being reported to the full Senate for consideration, including:

• Senate Bill 104 - my state vehicle accountability bill
• Senate Bill 109 - my "Taxpayer-Funded Advertising Transparency Act"
• Senate Bill 766 - proposed "Science in Motion" grants
• Senate Bill 895 - making the Pennsylvania Rifle the official state firearm. The bill was discussed at length, and the committee voted 8 – 3 to move it to a full Senate vote. 

Proposed Health Information Exchange Discussed

The Senate Communications & Technology Committee recently held a public hearing on the proposed strategic plan for the Pennsylvania Health Information Exchange (PHIX), a proposal to link electronic medical records and electronic health records to doctors and hospitals across the Commonwealth.   

Ann Torregrossa, Director, Governor's Office of Health Care Reform, and Phil Magistro, Deputy Director Implementation, offered testimony on the development and details of the plan.  Kelly Lewis, President & CEO of TechQuest Pennsylvania and the Technology Council of Central Pennsylvania, also appeared before the Committee and raised various issues. 

Given the questions and concerns over recommendations to enter into an agreement with Delaware, and piggyback on their existing health information network, Democrat Committee Chairman John Wozniak and I sent a letter to Governor Rendell urging delay in signing such contract. Senator Wozniak and I also expressed the need for an expedited process to allow other technology firms to submit proposals and compare with Delaware operations. Additional comments on the PHIX proposal, are available on my website.   

The Senate Communications & Technology Committee will meet again Wednesday, February 10, at 10 a.m. to consider:

• Senate Bill 964 – legislation to allow individuals applying for hunting and fishing licenses to provide alternative identifications (other than Social Security Numbers) no later than April 10, 2010.
• Senate Bill 1147 – legislation to authorize the electronic gathering of driver's license numbers or non-driver identification card numbers (in place of Social Security Numbers) for hunting and fishing licenses. 

Committee News

For more information on these issues or other legislative and state topics, or if you are unable to open the bill links, visit the Pennsylvania General Assembly website at www.legis.state.pa.us. You may also want to visit "News for Constituents", a comprehensive look into various issues affecting Pennsylvanians across the Commonwealth.

Please feel free to contact me at any time on state-related issues that are of concern to you. I may be reached through e-mail at mfolmer@pasen.gov, my website, or any one of my offices listed below.