April 21, 2026 · TRANSPORTATION · 1,529 words · 11 speakers · 121 segments
The voting meeting of the Senate Transportation Committee will come to order. To establish a quorum, Abby, please call the roll.
Bartolotta?
Aye.
Brown?
Aye.
Flynn?
Aye.
Kearney?
Aye.
Wengerholt?
Foxy?
Miller?
Aye.
Robinson?
Aye.
Aye.
Robinson?
Aye.
Hoffman?
Aye.
Seville?
Aye.
Tupano?
Aye.
Vogel?
Aye.
Williams?
Board King?
Roxy?
Board Judy? Present. Aye.
The first bill is my second bill. The first bill is my second bill. The first bill is my Senate Bill 1286 on behalf of Kyle Costrello and Glenn Compton to increase penalties for careless driving resulting in unintended death. Is there a motion to consider the bill?
Seconded by Senator Bartlett.
Before I begin, I would like to recognize my constituents who are joining us today and grieving the loss of their loved ones, Kyle and Glenn. First, we have Beth, who is the mother of Kyle and her husband, Mike, who live in Blair County. We also have Jean, who is the wife of Glenn Compton and lives in Nevada County. She's joined by her two daughters, Jen and Kate, and her granddaughters, Samantha and Sydney. We have two great-grandsons with them as well. and last I'd like to recognize Ellen Miller who is a constituent who fought tirelessly for our new distracted driving law the Paul Miller's Law and I appreciate you all being here today we're starting to see more motorcycles on the road as the weather becomes warmer this was the case for Kyle Costrello who was riding his motorcycle in Lancaster back in 2024 in July. Tragically, another driver crossed the center line and crashed into Kyle's motorcycle, ending his life. The police investigated the crash and didn't have probable cause to conduct a chemical test, and the other driver was given a mere fine of $500 for ending crime. As the investigation later unfolded, there was evidence alleging the other driver may have been under the influence. Beth has collected online petitions supporting this bill as well. Originally, we worked with her to craft legislation requiring a warrant for a chemical test if there was a fatality involved in a crash. Death in a crash should be enough for a probable cause. We've heard about potential constitutional challenges when evaluating the original proposal, and the necessary for us is the product of compromise. In addition to seeing more motorcycles the warmer weather brings, also traffic cones and work zones. Last August, Glenn Compton and his wife Jean were driving in Juniata County when they entered a work zone and came to a stop Sadly an out driver was approaching behind them without noticing the stop traffic He crashed into the back of Lund car which ended his life And seriously, you're with us today. You look well and you seem to be recovering. Thank goodness. We reviewed the police report, which left more questions than answers. The result of the crash was distracted driving. However, the other driver wasn't charged for ending Glenn's life and seriously. Instead, the other driver was charged with an unintentional death and a mere $500 fine. He worked extensively with law enforcement, and I introduced this bill to close a longstanding loophole on how vehicular crimes are prosecuted under Title 75. Are there any questions or comments on the bill? And Abby, please call the roll.
Bartowada?
Aye.
Brown?
Aye.
Flynn?
Aye.
Aye.
Carney?
Wangerholt?
Potsy, aye.
Miller?
Aye.
Robinson?
Aye.
Aye.
Rothman? Aye.
Paul?
No.
Tano? Aye.
Vogel?
Aye.
Williams?
Aye. Board Kim?
Foxy, aye.
Board Judy? Aye.
The ayes have it. Senate Bill 1286. The next two bills are my Senate bills, 1295 and 1296, to reinforce commercial vehicle safety. 1294 to end CDL mills, which passed Senate education yesterday. If there aren't any objections, we'll consider both bills under the bill. Is there a motion to consider both bills?
Moved by Senator Vogel, seconded by Senator Robinson.
In 2025, there were at least 17 fatal crashes and 30 deaths caused by non-domicile drivers in the United States. These drivers took the lives of innocent people because they failed to comprehend our rules of the road. They weren't accurately vetted and weren't properly trained to operate an 80,000-pound truckload. A commercial driver's license is governed by Congress and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Congress didn't create an unqualified right for every foreign domiciled driver to obtain a CDL. Instead, federal laws and regulations provide a pathway for states to issue CDLs, and eligibility is controlled by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. If Pennsylvania doesn't comply, then we're at risk of losing federal funding for our roads and bridges. The Senate Transportation Committee held a fact-finding hearing in December. The legislation before us reflects improvements to the vehicle code based on hearing testimony, as well as the new federal regulations that took effect March 16 2026 Senate Bill 1295 provides comprehensive reforms such as requiring applicants and holders of commercial learner's permits, or CDL, to comprehend English, mandating completion of the federal entry-level driver training, including both theory and behind-the-wheel training, and aligning PennDOT's non-domiciled procedures with the new federal regulations, including evidence of lawful immigration status. I want to underscore that Senate Bill 1295 does not repeal the non-domiciled statute. In fact, we're embracing immigrant commercial drivers who are lawfully present and can safely operate a heavy truckload around cars, bicycles, and pedestrians. Next, Senate Bill 1296 establishes new penalties for failing to meet English proficiency standard, including a one-year disqualification on a first offense and a disqualification for life on a second offense, enhanced penalties for causing injury or death, and a $3,000 fine on employers and contractors with non-English-speaking drivers who are convicted. Before we take any questions, I received an opinion from the parliamentarian on a potential personal conflict of interest. The parliamentarian determined that there was no conflict of interest for me. based on that opinion, the parliamentarian suggested that I need to vote on this piece of legislation. Are there any comments on the bill? None, Abby, will you call the roll on both bills?
Corte Wada?
Aye.
Brown?
Aye.
Flynn?
Farney?
Aye.
Langerholt?
Proxy, aye.
Miller?
Aye.
Robinson?
Aye.
Aye.
Rothman?
Aye.
Paul?
Bono?
Aye.
Vogel?
Aye.
Williams?
Board Kim?
Proxy, aye.
Board Judy?
Aye.
Aye. You guys have it, and Senate Bills 1295 and 1296 are reported out of committee.
The fourth bill today is Senate Bill 1262, sponsored by Senator Pennycook, to recreate an enhanced penalty for impaired school bus drivers. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Bartolotta, seconded by Senator Vogel. Senator Pennycook was unable to be with us today, but this bill stemmed from an incident in her legislative district where an impaired school bus driver was operating a school bus filled with children. We hope this measure will deter school bus drivers from being drunk, high, or both behind the wheel. And I like to mention that the School Bus Association is supportive of this legislation Are there any questions or comments on the bill None Abby, will you call roll on the bill, please?
Bartolotta?
Aye.
Brown?
Aye.
Swin?
Aye.
Aye.
Arnie?
No.
Mr. Hope?
Foxy, aye.
Foxy, aye.
Miller?
Aye.
Aye.
Robinson?
Aye.
Rothman?
Foxy, aye.
Bochal?
Foxy, no.
Hano?
Aye.
Vogel?
Aye.
Williams?
Foxy, no. Board Kim? Foxy, aye.
Foxy, aye. Board Judy? Aye.
Aye.
You guys have it in Senate Bill 1262 is reported out of committee. The last bill is Senate 1273, sponsored by Senator Bartolotta, to clarify information sharing to address Amber Alerts. Is there a motion to consider the bill? Senator Stefano and Senator Robinson second. I now would like to defer to Senator Bartolotta to speak on her bill.
Thank you, Madam Chair, and Chairman Flynn and members of the committee for considering bill 12-73. It really is a simple bill that makes it clear that the Turnpike Commission can share certain information collected through the automated tooling system with law enforcement officers that are investigating active camber alerts and missing endangered person advisory system alerts. So many people are shocked that when you're driving on our turnpike, watch out for this kind of car, this car, this car, this car, this car. No one seems to understand that our turnpike is closed with the actual images every single time. license plate and everything else, but it is not legal for that information to be shared. This is something that could give our law enforcement to find a missing child or someone who has a missing endangered person, I'm on that advisory system alert as senior media. Absolutely devastating and terrifying. We have the tools. We have wonderful law enforcement. They can be on that scene and helping to address the strain of families. But more importantly, we are leasing children in a timely fashion. So I ask my colleagues for your support and the government's vote on the Senate board.
Senator Bartolotta, are there any questions or comments on the bill? None. Are there any negative votes? None. You guys have it. Senate Bill 1273 is reported out of committee. This concludes today's agenda. The Senate Transportation Committee stands in recess until the call of the chair.