As Democratic lawmakers continue to call for gun reforms, Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lisa Baker (R-Luzerne) this week announced the committee’s fall schedule, promising a series of hearings on gun violence, the statute of limitations and the parole process in Pennsylvania.

After two mass shootings in Ohio and Texas earlier this month, Baker pledged to hold public hearings prior to taking action on gun-related measures. Those hearings will be held on September 24 and September 25 to address “behavioral health, Second Amendment rights and other gun-related issues,” according to a release from her office.

Democrats again appealed to Gov. Tom Wolf Wednesday to call a special session on gun control, following recent mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, as well as sustained gun violence in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley.

At least one Republican has joined that call, with Rep. Wendi Thomas (R-Bucks) telling The PLS Reporter Tuesday that she supported lawmakers returning early from their summer break to address the matter.

The second phase of the state’s Justice Reinvestment Program, which cruised through the Senate with unanimous approval, will likely receive more scrutiny in the House, with the bills likely to remain in committee until fall.

House Judiciary Chair Rob Kauffman (R-Franklin) said his committee will take the summer to review the three-bill package, with a litany of members saying they wanted to ensure the committee learned from the successes and failures of the first installment of JRI, passed in 2012.

We get it, session weeks are busy. That’s why we put together a list of the bills being discussed in committee and on the floor of the General Assembly that are worth devoting your precious time to tracking. From 5G to budget reform, here are five bills to watch for the week of June 17.

A bipartisan group of senators banded together Tuesday to call for legislative action on lead poisoning as they unveiled bills to address lead contamination in homes, buildings and water systems. 

The legislative package is a direct result of the state’s Advisory Committee and Task Force on Lead Exposure, which was established in 2017. Led by Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), the senators announced bills that would require universal lead testing for children, mandate inspections of child-care facilities, establish a statewide lead-free housing registry, and require all school drinking systems to be inspected and certified.