SB 450, PN 1227 (Yaw) – The bill removes the membership of the Director of the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development and replaces it with a member from the Pennsylvania State University Extension. A vote of 49-0 was recorded.

HB 1121, PN 1169 (Topper) – An Act designating the bridge, identified as Bridge Key 45676, carrying Pennsylvania Route 26 over Yellow Creek in Hopewell Township, Bedford County, as the Colonel Joseph M. Stine Memorial Bridge. A vote of 49-0 was recorded.

SB 726, PN 829 (Phillips-Hill) – Amends Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) to provide for new criminal offenses related to the use and possession of “ransomware” and establishes guidelines for notifications and payments in the event of a ransomware attack.

Amendment A02559 (Phillips- Hill) – The amendment provides that any compute, computer network, software or data used during the commission of an offense using ransomware is subject to forfeiture proceedings in addition to any other criminal penalty.

Provides strict timelines for notification of a ransomware demand by commonwealth agencies and managed service providers working on behalf of a commonwealth agency:

• Managed service provider must notify the commonwealth agency within one hour of discovery or receipt of demand.
• Commonwealth agency must notify the Office of Administration and an entity with jurisdiction or supervision over the agency within two hours of discovery, notice or receipt of demand.
• Commonwealth agency or managed service provider must notify the FBI within 24 hours of notification or receipt of demand.

The amendment was agreed to by a vote of 29-20 and the bill went over in its order as amended.

SB 818, PN 1004 (Ward) – Amends the Health Care Facilities Act, by aligning and permitting surgical procedures performed at ambulatory surgical centers with surgical procedures on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Services Ambulatory Surgical Center Covered Procedures List (ASC-CPL).

Amendment A03434 (Ward) – The amendment makes where the bill provides that ambulatory surgical centers (ASCs) may seek waivers if they deviate from the list of approved surgical procedures from the CMS list “or its successor,” this amendment removes “” or its successor” and relies on the CMS list as of the effective date of this bill.

The amendment clarifies that an ASC may preform surgical procedures permitted on the CMS list without applying for a waiver if the procedures do not conflict with Federal or State law or regulation. It also clarifies that the Department of Health need only transmit to LRB for publication in the PA Bulletin any updates to the current CMS list, rather than the current list any subsequent updates.

The amendment was agreed to by a vote of 29-20 and the bill went over in its order as amended.

SB 861, PN 1072 (Stefano) – The bill would make Pennsylvania the 22nd state to join the EMS Compact. The bill would facilitate the day-to-day movement of EMS personnel across state boundaries in the performance of their duties. EMS personnel licensed in a compact member state would be granted a Privilege to Practice in other compact member states. A vote of 49-0 was recorded.

HB 930, PN 2240 (Culver) – The bill Requires law enforcement to collect and send DNA for missing children, high-risk missing persons, and unidentified decedents to the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) for submission to the Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS). A vote of 42-7 was recorded.