In response to the rising number of opioid-related deaths, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh filed lawsuits against eight pharmaceutical companies on Tuesday.

Governor Tom Wolf vetoed controversial SB 936 Friday afternoon after a week of partisan battles over how the bill would actually affect injured workers.

In a statement, Wolf said the bill would ration care and hurt health outcomes for laborers across the state.

"Senate Bill 936 threatens health care for millions of workers who could be injured on the job, including police, corrections officers, and firefighters, who put their lives on the line every day, and whose injuries can be unique, debilitating and severe," Wolf said. "It is wrong to sacrifice health care for our first responders to protect the bottom-line for insurance companies and corporations." 

On the eve of deciding whether to sign or veto a bill that restricts workers’ compensation in the name of fighting quackery and opioids, Governor Tom Wolf announced a slew of executive orders to reform how injured workers heal.

“Pennsylvania’s injured workers must have access to reliable, safe, and effective prescription drugs that assist their recovery and ability to re-enter the workforce, while keeping in mind the need to safely and appropriately prescribe all medications, including and especially opioids,” Wolf said in a statement released Thursday afternoon.

It was a busy week in Harrisburg with both chambers in session, and so while a flurry of activity is expected, here are three bills that deserve a little extra attention:

In January, the City of Philadelphia announced it will implement safe injection sites, also known as comprehensive user engagement sites (CUES), in an effort to limit the number of people who will likely die from overdosing on opioids. 

Since the announcement, several Democrats have not warmed up to the progressive plan.