House Appropriations Committee unanimously advances four-bill package

The House Appropriations Committee voted unanimously to advance a package of four bills — House Bills 33, 111, 240 and 439 — during a committee meeting, the chairman announced after a voice vote.

A committee executive director provided brief summaries of each measure before the vote. The staff overview described House Bill 33 as amending the Medical Marijuana Act to strengthen testing oversight of laboratories, to impose requirements on approved laboratories and to assign powers and duties to the Department of Health related to oversight. The director said House Bill 111 would prohibit life insurance companies from denying, canceling or refusing to renew a policy solely because an applicant or enrollee obtained or filled a prescription for an opioid overdose reversal agent. House Bill 240 was described as providing for hearing aid tests for school bus drivers. House Bill 439 was described as an amendment to Section 4 of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act to prohibit discrimination based on a person's hair type, hair texture, hairstyle or head covering.

Representative Khan moved to call up the four bills as a package; Representative Young seconded the motion. The chairman called for a voice vote; the committee chair said “the ayes have it,” and announced that House Bills 33, 111, 240 and 439 had been unanimously passed through the committee. The record contains no roll-call tally or numeric vote counts; the committee then adjourned.

The meeting transcript shows only a brief staff overview and the single package motion; no further debate, amendments or committee directions were recorded on the bills during this session.