Four things to watch in the final quarter

The members of Pennsylvania's General Assembly are scheduled to resume work Sept. 17, fresh off their annual mid-summer break. There will be much to do and not much time in which to get it done.

Here are four key legislative issues to keep your eyes on as we head into the final quarter of 2007 - and our fearless forecast:

Health care: In the hullabaloo that surrounded the late passage of the fiscal 2007-08 budget, Gov. Ed Rendell agreed to table his expansive Prescription for Pennsylvania health-care-reform plan, a dizzying array of proposals that extended to nearly every aspect of medical care. As part of budget negotiations, legislators agreed to revisit Prescription for Pennsylvania in the fall.

The plan is unlikely to pass. Yes, Prescription for Pennsylvania would lower health-insurance premiums and beef up patient safety, but it would do so, in part, by taxing businesses that do not provide their workers with health insurance. Another strike against the plan is that it does nothing to address runaway medical-malpractice costs. That oversight sticks in the craw of powerful concerns such as the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Energy: A special session will be held Sept. 17 to address a Rendell proposal that would fund hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending through a tax on electricity usage. Cash from the tax would support loans and grants for energy companies, fund alternative-energy projects and help small businesses and households buy more energy-efficient appliances.

Republicans dug in their heels on this one over the summer, and it's unlikely they'll relent this time around. The GOP took a beating in the court of public opinion over the perceived bloat in the 2007-08 spending plan they signed off on. The last thing they want to do is enact a new tax.

This deal isn't dead, but the governor may have to scale it down to make it happen.

Biotechnology: The Senate agreed to vote by November on Rendell's $500 million Jonas SaIk Legacy Fund, which would bolster biotechnology and foster medical innovation. This is as close as you can get to a sure thing. Biotech is a vital sector, one Pennsylvania must support if it hopes to remain competitive with neighbors such as pharmaceutical-rich New Jersey. Savvy Senate leaders won't let partisan wrangling stand in the way of this deal.

Property-tax reform: This one is dead as a doornail. It's too politically charged and divisive an issue at this point. Democrats and Republicans spent the last year serving up proposals that do little more than shift the tax burden, and voters were too smart to fall for that trick. Don't expect to see any real movement on this issue in 2007.

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