PA Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

10/09/2020

The LBFC will be closed on Monday, October 12 for Columbus Day.

10/07/2020

PA Senate GOP

PA Senate GOP

Legislative Budget and Finance Committee

Hearing to release two reports entitled: PA Health and Human Services Hotlines (House Resolution 507) and Financial Analysis of PA Game Commission (Act 107)

10/02/2020

The Legislative Budget & Finance Committee will hold a public meeting on October 7, 2020 in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building in Harrisburg. The LBFC intends to release two reports entitled: Pennsylvania Health and Human Services Hotlines (HR 507 of 2019) and Financial Analysis of Pennsylvania Game Commission (Act 2019-107). NOTE: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, and for the sake of public safety, the LBFC Committee meeting will also be held remotely via video conferencing and is open to the public by way of livestreaming the meeting to the LBFC's page and Senate Republican website.

09/29/2020

09/07/2020

The LBFC will be closed on September 7 for Labor Day.

07/24/2020

lbfc.legis.state.pa.us

The summer edition of the LBFC newsletter is now available at the LBFC website, linked here: http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/News/35/LBFC%20Newsletter%20Summer20.pdf

06/30/2020

06/29/2020

The LBFC will hold a public meeting tomorrow, June 30 to release two reports entitled: "PA ILEC Broadband Deployment Mandates (SR 2019-48)" and "A Study in Response to Act 2019-20: Non-Economic Impacts of Single Use Container Bans/Fees." The meeting is scheduled for 9:30 am via Zoom and will be livestreamed for the public here on the LBFC page.

06/29/2020

05/07/2020

On May 4, the LBFC released its report “A Study of the Statutory Cap on the Pennsylvania State Police” that found there is a need for additional state troopers and made the following recommendations: 1) to expand and renovate the state trooper academy, 2) to address ongoing state police funding issues, and 3) to eliminate the statutory complement cap. A link to the full LBFC report ishttp://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/Reports/659.pdf
The LBFC also released its annual assessment “The Impact of Tavern Gaming on the Pennsylvania State Lottery.” The report finds that in 2019 among the 47 active tavern gaming establishments, tavern games generated $1.37 million in state and host municipality tax revenue, which has not had a material impact on the State Lottery. The full report is available here: http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/Reports/662.pdf
The LBFC meeting was held remotely via online video conferencing technology and was livestreamed on the Pennsylvania Senate website.

04/16/2020

Please see the first LBFC newsletter. You may access it directly through the link below or also via the LBFC website. http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/News/32/LBFC-Newsletter-(COVID)-Spring2020.pdf

03/27/2020

General inquiries or questions may be made to the LBFC info email, at [email protected]

03/16/2020

Due to concerns related to COVID-19, the LBFC is open but operating under a telework policy. If you need to reach an LBFC staff member, email is the best option at this point.

03/13/2020

Coronavirus concerns disrupt work at US state capitols

https://apnews.com/ec09b65725e075b1b31cb600456ebefa

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mounting concerns about the coronarvirus spread to state capitols across the country Thursday, as some lawmakers halted their sessions, shut out the public and scrambled...

03/06/2020

The LBFC is working on the following projects:
• Act 2018-90: An evaluation of the Department of Health funding under the organ donor trust fund
• Act 1995/1-17: A study of the adequacy of fees charged in Pennsylvania’s instant check system for firearms purchases
• SR105: A study of the statutory cap on the State Police complement
• Act 2019-107: A financial analysis of the PA Game Commission as part of the Sunday hunting legislation
• SR 48: An audit of the compliance of telecommunication carriers with PUC and high-speed broadband universal service deployment mandates
• Act 2019-20: A study of the environmental impact and any impact upon residents of this Commonwealth from any regulation impacting single-use plastics, reusable plastics, auxiliary containers, wrappings or polystyrene
• HR 507: A study analyzing the current Pennsylvania health and human services hotlines and their cost to the Commonwealth
• Act 2013-90: An annual report analyzing the impact of tavern gaming on the State Lottery

02/05/2020

LBFC released its report “A Study of the Impact of Venue for Medical Professional Liability Actions” yesterday. Staff had reviewed thousands of pages of documents and data points and concluded it was not possible to measure the specific effects of tort reform—let alone venue alone—on issues such as physician and hospital availability, hospital services, the number of medical malpractice filings, the value of medical malpractice payments, or case duration. The study does find that a change in venue, coupled with regionalization of hospital services, would likely create a less predictable market in the near term which may result in rate destabilization in adjusting to the new rule. Read the entire report athttp://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/Reports/656.pdf and read LBFC Deputy Executive Director Christopher Latta’s testimony here: http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/Presentations/658.pdf

01/30/2020

LBFC will hold a public meeting on Monday, February 3, 2020, to hear staff findings regarding the SR 20 study of the impact of venue for medical professional liability actions. The meeting will be at 11:30 am in Hearing Room 1 of the North Office Building.”

01/17/2020

LBFC offices will be closed Monday, January 20 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

12/31/2019

The LBFC is closed
January 1, 2020.

12/23/2019

12/17/2019

SR 105 of 2019 requires the LBFC to study the statutorily-imposed cap on the State Police complement. Project Manager Steve Fickes attended the graduation of the State Police’s 150th class of cadets.

11/28/2019

LBFC offices are closed November 28 & 29 for Thanksgiving.

11/08/2019

LBFC offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11 for Veteran's Day.

11/04/2019

As part of the LBFC 60th anniversary celebration on October 21, the office began collecting food donations. Several boxes of donations were delivered last Friday to the Central PA Food Bank. Thank you very much to all who donated.

11/04/2019

11/01/2019

On October 21, the LBFC held a drop-in event in the East Wing of the Capitol to celebrate the LBFC’s 60th anniversary. Visitors enjoyed cake and snacks as they viewed historical examples of the committee’s reports from each decade and read through a timeline of events in and around the sixty years of LBFC’s operations. Thank you very much to all legislative members and staff as well as prior LBFC staff who stopped by to visit and help commemorate this marker moment for the committee.

10/11/2019

10/04/2019

Milk study cited as springboard for ideas to help dairy farmers

https://www.readingeagle.com/berks-country/article/milk-study-cited-as-springboard-for-ideas-to-help-dairy-farmers

Among recommendations is to develop cheese plants

10/01/2019

Yesterday, Project Manager Steve Fickes gave an interview to Fox43’s Jamie Bittner regarding the Committee’s recent report on the dairy industry.

10/01/2019

Report recommends fee for plant-based milk products in Pennsylvania

More follow-up news coverage regarding the LBFC Dairy Report.

A report is recommending Pennsylvania adds a fee to plant-based beverages. The recommendation was just one of 9 issued in the study by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee on the dairy industry. Lawmakers in the General Assembly will decide what to do next with the findings. "I think the num...

09/27/2019

Dairy Study:Put Fee on Plant Drinks

Dairy Study:Put Fee on Plant Drinks

A new study recommends Pennsylvania begin charging a fee on plant-based milks to level the playing field for dairy farmers.

09/27/2019

Study suggests 9 ways to improve Pennsylvania's milk market

Study suggests 9 ways to improve Pennsylvania's milk market

Legislation sponsored by Berks lawmaker directed the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee to conduct the study.

09/26/2019

Study recommends better marketing, new regulations to aid Pa. dairy farmers | WITF

Study recommends better marketing, new regulations to aid Pa. dairy farmers | WITF

A new study details the challenges facing Pennsylvania’s dairy industry and offers recommendations to help it.

09/26/2019

Study: Create Pricing Class for Plant Milks

Study: Create Pricing Class for Plant Milks

The creation of a milk pricing class for plant-based drinks leads a new list of recommendations for aiding Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers.

09/25/2019

The LBFC today released its study on the issues impacting dairy producers and the dairy industry in Pennsylvania. The study had been requested by SR 384 and reviews the context of milk regulation as well as key difficulties confronting the state’s dairy industry. The LBFC staff report addresses five key findings and proposes nine recommendations to improve fairness, potential, and oversight of Pennsylvania’s milk market. Recommendations include regulating plant-based milk under the state’s Milk Marketing Law, further developing PA’s identity and uniqueness for fluid milk, and expanding the membership of the Milk Marketing Board.

A link to the full report is here: http://lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/Resources/Documents/Reports/653.pdf