The Pennsylvania Senate passed a bill this week which would allow parents the option of having their child repeat a grade due to COVID-19 education restrictions. The bill, SB 664, was introduced by Senate President Pro-Temp Jake Corman (R-Centre, Huntingdon, Juniata, and Mifflin).
It would only apply to the 2021-22 school year to address learning gaps related to the pandemic. An amendment developed in cooperation with the Pennsylvania Department of Education ensures parents would have until July 15 to decide on whether their children should advance or be held back.
“Students have spent a lot of time learning at home over the past year, so parents have played a larger role than ever in the education of their children,” Corman said. “Giving parents the option to provide an extra year of education for their children offers a pathway to help students who have suffered serious learning gaps during the pandemic.”
After a unanimous vote from the Education Committee, the bill was approved by the entire Senate with a final vote of 48-0.
Yes
Bucks: Collett (D), Mensch (R), Santarsiero (D), Tomlinson (R)
Chester: Committa (D), Kane (D), Kearney (D), Muth (D)
Delaware: Cappelletti (D), Kane (D), Kearney (D), William, A (D)
Montgomery: Cappelletti (D), Collett (D), Haywood (D), Hughes (D), Mensch (R), Muth (D)
Sen. Lisa Boscola (D-Lehigh and Northampton) offered SB 115 which would add Pennsylvania to the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). The NLC includes 34 other states and allows for reciprocity of license transfer according to the co-sponsorship memo, and passed the Senate last year by a vote of 50-0.
This session, Sen. Maria Collect (D-Bucks and Montgomery) offered an amendment to the bill, which was voted down by a vote of 30-18, to mandate nursing staff reports. Nurse staff ratios have long been a priority of the powerful labor union, SEIU. The proposal met with resistance by private healthcare providers. After the amendment failed, many Democrats chose not to vote for the bill again. The final tally was 32-16, with Sen. Haywood the lone Democrat of the Philly suburbs voting yes.
Yes
Bucks: Mensch (R), Tomlinson (R)
Montgomery: Haywood (D), Mensch (R)
No
Bucks: Collett (D), Santarsiero (D)
Chester: Committa (D), Kane (D), Kearney (D), Muth (D)
Delaware: Cappelletti (D), Kane (D), Kearney (D), William, A (D)
Montgomery: Cappelletti (D), Collett (D), Hughes (D), Muth (D)
