Government Relations
thirds vote from the Senate is required to overturn a governor’ s veto. This is a turnaround from the previous legislative session, when Senate Democrats enjoyed the biggest pickup for the party since 1970.
Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, Republicans picked up three seats and now lead Democrats, 122-81. House Democrats began this session with their lowest total since 1957-58 after losing four seats in western Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’ s legislative makeup is part of a national trend. Democrats face the hurdle of having legislative control( Senate, House, and governorship) in just five states, their lowest number since the Civil War era. There are 25 states with a Republican governor and a Republican state legislature. According to the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures( NCSL), the Democratic Party has lost a total of 919 seats in state legislatures since 2009.
A week after the election, the House and Senate held their leadership elections. Democrats and Republicans choose their party leadership on an annual basis. The positions in leadership correspond with a higher salary and better pension benefits. The following will be Senate and House leadership for the 2017-2018 session:
Senate Republican Leadership President Pro Tempore-designee: Joe Scarnati( Jefferson) Leader: Jake Corman( Centre) Appropriations Chairman: Patrick Browne( Lehigh) Whip: John Gordner( Columbia) Caucus Chair: Bob Mensch( Montgomery) Caucus Secretary: Richard Alloway( Franklin) Caucus Administrator: Chuck McIlhinney( Bucks) Policy Chair: David Argall( Schuylkill)
Senate Democratic Leadership Leader: Jay Costa( Allegheny) Appropriations Chairman: Vincent Hughes( Philadelphia) Whip: Anthony Williams( Philadelphia) Caucus Chair: Wayne Fontana( Allegheny) Caucus Secretary: Larry Farnese( Philadelphia) Caucus Administrator: Has Not Yet Been Appointed Policy Chair: Lisa Boscola( Northampton)
House Republican Leadership Speaker-designee: Mike Turzai( Allegheny) Leader: David Reed( Indiana) Appropriations Chairman: Stan Saylor( York) Whip: Bryan Cutler( Lancaster)
Caucus Chair: Marcy Toepel( Montgomery) Caucus Secretary: Donna Oberlander( Clarion) Caucus Administrator: Kurt Masser( Northumberland) Policy Chair: Kerry Benninghoff( Centre)
House Democratic Leadership Leader: Frank Dermody( Allegheny) Appropriations Chairman: Joe Markosek( Allegheny) Whip: Mike Hanna( Clinton) Caucus Chair: Dan Frankel( Allegheny) Caucus Secretary: Rosita Youngblood( Philadelphia) Caucus Administrator: Neal Goodman( Schuylkill) Policy Chair: Mike Sturla( Lancaster)
The General Assembly will continue to determine your fate on dental-related issues, such as insurance practices, small business ownership, and access to oral care. PDA looks forward to working with incumbents and ensuring newly elected legislators are updated on issues pertinent to the practice of dentistry.
PADPAC 101: The Importance of Hard Dollars
PADPAC enjoys the distinction of being one of the largest bi-partisan health care PACs in Pennsylvania. We could lose this distinction, however, if we do not have“ hard dollar” resources. For campaign finance reporting purposes, it’ s critical to make the distinction between hard and soft dollars. Hard dollars( contributions made with a personal check or credit card) may be used for political campaign contributions, while soft dollars( donations made with a corporate check or credit card) may be used for administrative purposes.
The foundation of PDA membership is advocacy – our efforts to advocate and protect your profession before the legislature in Harrisburg. We cannot carry out this work without hard dollars. After a major election year, it’ s especially important to rebuild our hard dollar reserves in order to maintain and grow our large network of supportive legislators. It is through hard dollars that our lobbyists, staff and members can meet with legislators and secure lasting relationships. Please consider a hard dollar contribution with a personal credit card or check today! Donate online at www. padental. org / padpac.
PADPAC Membership Categories: Century Club: $ 120- $ 199 Keystone Club: $ 200- $ 499 Capitol Club: $ 500- $ 999 Liberty Club: $ 1000 + President’ s Club: $ 2,500 +
10 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2017 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL