September 30, 2026 · TRANSPORTATION · 1,563 words · 16 speakers · 54 segments
Good morning. The voting meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee will come to order. To establish a quorum, will Abby please call the roll?
Bartolotta. Proxy.
Proxy.
Brown. Yes.
Aye.
Flynn. Aye.
Aye.
Carney. Here.
Aye.
Wengerholt. Proxy.
Proxy.
Miller. Yes.
Aye.
Robinson. Proxy.
Proxy.
Rothman. Proxy.
Proxy.
Saval. Here.
Aye.
Stefano. Here.
Aye.
Vogel. Proxy.
Proxy.
Williams. Aye.
I hear.
Aye.
Ward Kim.
Proxy. Proxy.
Ward Judy.
Present.
The first bill is my Senate Bill 1466 to establish the meritorious service metal plate. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Brown followed by Senator Stefano. This bill came to my attention because of Bill Fink, a former mayor of Tyrone, who's a decorated Air Force veteran. He pointed out to me that we don't have a license plate for meritorious service awardees. This particular medal was established in 1969 for the recognition of commendable non-combat service to any member of the United States Armed Forces. Military personnel who receive this medal are recognized for individual leadership, flexibility, and close attention to the mission throughout the United States and abroad. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? Seeing none, are there any negative votes? Seeing none, the ayes have it. Senate Bill 1466 is reported out of committee. The second bill is Senate Bill 1476, sponsored by Senator Yaw and myself, to authorize haulers to possess electronic copies of special permits. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Brown, seconded by Senator Stefano. Businesses hauling loads over 80,000 pounds must receive a special permit from PennDOT and or local authority according to federal, state, and local rules. Today, PennDOT issues a special hauling permit in the form of a PDF with the approved route. However commercial drivers can move loads unless they have a printed copy of the special permit which is required for police inspection The person filing the application for the special permit could be at a different location than the hauler At times the hauler is on the opposite side of the state and the person must drive a printed copy of the special permit to the hauler. I ask for your support to update this rule and PennDOT's regulation, which would benefit Pennsylvania businesses. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? Are there any negative votes? Okay, we'll do a roll call vote. Abby, please call the roll.
Bartolotta? Proxy, aye. Proxy, aye.
Brown? Aye. Aye.
Flynn? No. Nay.
Carney? No. No.
Wengerholt? Proxy, aye. Proxy, aye.
Miller? No. No. Robinson?
Proxy, aye. Proxy, aye. Rothman? Proxy, aye.
Proxy, aye. Saval? No. No. Stefano?
Aye. Aye.
Vogel? Proxy, aye. Proxy, aye. Williams?
No. No. Ward Kim?
Proxy, aye. Proxy, aye. Ward Judy? Aye.
The ayes have it, and Senate Bill 1476 is reported out of committee. The third bill is House Bill 71, sponsored by Representative Smith, to authorize safety cables for towing purposes. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Stefano, seconded by Senator Brown. We have Representative Brian Smith with us. Would you like to discuss your bill?
Chair Wood, Ward, Chair Flynn, members of the committee, thank you for considering my House Bill 71 and for giving me the opportunity to come today to talk to you about how it all got started. I had a constituent come into my office a couple years ago and brought me a ticket he had received for pulling a trailer that he had bought at a local place, and it had cables on it, plastic-coated cables. And he was pulled over, given a ticket, and he didn't feel that was right. So he brought the ticket to me, and I got looking at it. He actually reached out to the manufacturer, got the specs on the cables, the strength of the cables and all that, and we showed that it was actually stronger than the chains. So in my mind, I thought because a manufacturer is making these, they feel they're better. I actually had pulled a trailer with the cables on it and felt they were much easier to use than the chains So I brought this bill up three sessions ago and I finally got it to pass the House unanimously And here we are So I appreciate it if I going to vote I appreciate your support
And thank you for having me be here. Thank you. Thank you for working on the bill and your persistence. Before we vote, I'd like to recognize Senator Barterlada. Thank you for being with us. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? Seeing none, are there any negative votes on the bill? Okay. Seeing no negative votes, the ayes have it. House Bill 71 is reported out of committee. Thank you, Representative Smith. The fourth bill is House Bill 593, sponsored by Chairman Nielsen, to expedite junk titles for abandoned vehicles. Is there a motion to consider the bill?
I'm sorry?
Okay. That's coming up. Okay. Senator Saval, is there a second? Senator Bartolotta. Representative Nielsen, Chairman Nielsen is here. Would you like to speak on your bill?
Madam Chair, I'd just like to thank both chairs and committee. And if they're firm to vote, I don't want to take up too much of your time because you know how I get when I get a microphone. Thank you for considering both my legislations today.
I appreciate your thoughts. Thank you so much, Chairman, for being with us. A brief description. Vehicles that are abandoned by their owners require tow truck operators to apply for a junk title from PennDOT. Processing times for junk titles have increased at PennDOT, leaving tow truck operators waiting as long as six months for junk titles. This legislation will require the timely approval or denial of an application, ensuring reliability in the processing and delivery of junk titles. This is another example of legislation we've prioritized to improve PennDOT's current services, and I applaud Chairman Nielsen for his efforts on the bill. The bill passed the House with unanimous support. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? Senator Barnolata?
Very, very quickly, and thank you very much for this piece of legislation, because we all know too well, I don't care if it's urban, rural, or anywhere, a lot of these junk vehicles just sit around forever and ever, and it leads to the broken window sort of syndrome of people think that the neighborhood is in poor condition, and it leads to crime and everything else. So I appreciate this very much and look forward to the affirmative vote.
Thank you Any other comments Are there any negative votes on the bill Seeing none the ayes have it House Bill 593 is reported out of committee The next bill on the agenda is House Bill 2336 sponsored by Chairman Nielsen to improve driver education in work zones Is there a motion to consider the bill Senator Brown, seconded by Senator Bartolotta. Chairman Nielsen, I applaud you for introducing this bill to improve work zone safety, which requires new drivers to review educational materials from PENDOT and require at least one question on the driver's exam relating to workplace work zone safety. This bill passed the House with unanimous support. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? Seeing none, are there any negative votes on the bill? Seeing none, the eyes have it, and House Bill 2336 is reported out of committee. Thank you, Chairman Nielsen. The last bill is House Bill 2437, sponsored by Representative Davidson, to allow counties to allocate Act 13 funds for municipal ridges. And this is the Marcellus impact fees. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Bartolotta, seconded by Senator Brown. Now, this bill is a companion legislation to Senator Rothman's Senate Bill 1070, which passed the Senate with overwhelming support. Representative Davidson, would you like to comment on your bill?
Yes, thank you, Madam Chair and the members of the committee, and Mr. Chair as well, and members of the committee, for considering this legislation today. You know, this was brought to my attention by the Director of Planning in Cumberland County, where my district represents. And, you know, it's a simple fix. These funds, as mentioned, were set aside in the Marcells Shale Fund to repair at-risk county bridges. But the problem in Cumberland County is all their bridges are in better condition than at-risk. And so there's money available for them to repair these bridges and keep them safe for our drivers on the roads. But they can't access them because they're in too good of a condition, so they can't do preventative maintenance. So this is a simple fix that would allow them to access those funds to keep their bridges in good condition. And as mentioned, this bill did pass. The Senate companion passed this committee unanimously last year, and the House version passed the House unanimously earlier this year. So I appreciate your consideration and ask for an affirmative vote.
Thank you, Representative Davidson. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? Are there any negative votes on the bill? Seeing none, the ayes have it. House Bill 2437 is reported out of committee. That concludes today's agenda. The Senate Transportation Committee stands in recess until call of the chair. Thank you.