April 21, 2026 · LOCAL GOVERNMENT · 1,384 words · 21 speakers · 33 segments
The voting meeting of the Senate Local Government Committee on Tuesday, April 21st, will come to order. In order to establish a quorum, I will ask my Executive Director, Joshua Walker, to call the roll.
Senator Brown? Senator Commita?
Here.
Here.
Culver?
Here.
Here.
Dush?
Here.
Here.
Hutchison?
Here.
Here.
Carney?
Proxy.
Proxy.
Kim?
Personal leave.
Personal leave.
Senator Malone?
Here.
Here.
Mastriano? Kim Ward?
Proxy.
Kiefer?
Here.
The majority of the members are present, and a quorum has been established. The first bill on today's agenda is consideration of Senate Bill 1287, sponsored by myself, which amends the municipality's planning code to require proof of water service availability for subdivision and land development approval. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Moved by Senator Kamita, seconded by Senator Dush. So current law already requires every subdivision and land development ordinance to mandate the applicants present present evidence of adequate water service. The evidence is usually referred to as a will serve letter. The municipal planning code, however, is silent on when that evidence must be submitted. While many municipalities treat submission prior to final approval as best practice, it is not uniformly required. This bill simply codifies that requirement by providing that the evidence must be presented before final subdivision or land development approval. Are there any questions or comments on the bill before we take the vote? Okay. All those voting in favor of the bill will signify by saying aye.
Aye.
All those opposed will say no. The ayes have it and Senate Bill 1287 is reported out of committee The last item on today agenda is consideration of House Bill 1442 sponsored by Representatives Borowski and Flood The bill amends Title 16 requiring coroners conducting an investigation to inquire if a death was a result of a seizure or epilepsy and to indicate SUDEP, which stands for Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy, as the cause of death on the death certificate when appropriate. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Dush, seconded by Senator Culver. The chair recognizes the prime sponsor, Representative Borowski, to speak on the bill.
Thank you, Senator Kiefer, and good morning to members of the Senate Local Government Committee. I appreciate the opportunity to bring forth House Bill 1442, also known as Morgan Rose's Law, for your consideration. Morgan Rose Hosbach was a beautiful and vibrant young woman living her best life despite the health challenges presented by epilepsy. Diagnosed at a young age, Morgan learned how best to manage this long-term chronic neurological condition which causes repeated seizures due to abnormal electrical signals produced by damaged brain cells. Sadly, at age 23, Morgan Rose became the victim of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, also known as SUDEP. This is a death of someone with epilepsy who is otherwise healthy. In SUDEP cases, no other cause of death is found when an autopsy is performed. Each year, more than one in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP. It is the leading cause of death in people with uncontrolled seizures. I learned about Morgan Rose from her mother and father, Colleen and John Hasback, who are with us today when they came to my office to discuss legislation which would help make sure that no other family had to endure the similar heartbreaking loss. Working with Colleen and epilepsy advocates from across the state, we worked with the health committee in the House to find a way to make sense out of the loss of Morgan and the daughter, as well as the daughter of my co-prime of this legislation, Representative Ann Flood. Today we have before us legislation which will clearly code SUDEP as cause of death in cases of those with epilepsy where no other cause of death is found during an autopsy No one knows what causes SUDEP and this legislation is designed to support the activities at the North American SUDEP Registry. It will allow for the cause of death to be identified and create an avenue for medical examiners and coroners to communicate with families about the registry in order to support research efforts. We have been working closely with the PA State Coroners Association, which represents all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, to not only enhance the legislation, but also to create educational opportunities to help bring SUBDEP to the forefront. I am grateful for their partnership and the support as we move this legislation forward. It is a small bill with big impact, which could bring about new levels of understanding into a disorder and help save lives in the future. I and the entire Hossbeck family thank you all for your consideration of the legislation and I respectfully ask for a yes
vote. Thank you all very much. Thank you Representative Borowski. Representative Flood cannot join us today but I do want to read the statement that she submitted to the committee. Chairwoman Kiefer, Chairwoman Kim and members of the Senate Local Government Committee,
I offer this statement for the record and regret that I am unable to be with you today. Thank you for the opportunity to share my testimony in support of House Bill 1442. In 2003, I gave birth to a beautiful little girl, Lauren, who suffered from epilepsy secondary to a severe and profound anoxic brain injury that occurred as a result of spontaneous placental abruption. She faced many challenges in her short life, and one of those most difficult was controlling her seizures. As a parent, you always want to do what is best for your child. I took Lauren to every specialist who could help her. She was seen by neurologists, neurosurgeons, and developmental pediatricians, among others. Her seizures were complex and required a combination of medications to manage them. I quickly learned the different types of seizures and how to respond when they occurred, which was often throughout the day. Not one of her doctors ever told me about SUDEP One morning in December of 2007 just before Christmas I went to wake her for her preschool holiday party and found that she had passed away She was four years old It was completely unexpected. She was in the middle of a growth spurt and her medications were being adjusted at the time. It can take up to two weeks to reach a therapeutic level and she had not yet reached that point. Despite her medical complexity, there was no expectation that she would pass away. I was absolutely devastated and immediately began asking myself what I had done wrong. Did I make a mistake with her medications? I was always meticulous and made sure everything was done exactly as prescribed. I could not understand what had happened. Because it was an unattended death, an autopsy was required. After it was completed, the physician who performed it told me that Lauren had no organ damage aside from the initial brain injury at birth. There were no medication errors, and she was otherwise healthy. I was told she died from natural causes secondary to her brain injury at birth. It was at that point that I was told it was SUDEP. I had never heard of SUDEP prior to Lauren's passing, and not one doctor had ever discussed it with me or mentioned that it could happen. Lawrence Death Certificate lists natural causes. When SUDEP is not identified or recorded, it limits what can be learned from these tragedies. More needs to be done to protect individuals living with epilepsy. Members of the committee, I respectfully ask for an affirmative vote to House Bill 1442 so SUDEP can be recognized as a cause or manner of death. This would support more accurate reporting, expand opportunities for research, and allow research organizations to pursue funding. Ultimately, this can help reduce the number
of children and adults who die from SUDEP. Thank you, Representative Ann Flood. Are there any questions or comments on the bill before we take a vote? Okay. All those voting in favor of the bill will signify by saying aye. All those opposed will say no. The ayes have it, and House Bill 1442 is reported out of committee. This concludes today's agenda, and the Senate Local Government Committee stands in recess until the call of the chair.