Two bills sponsored by state Sen. Bob Robbins,

R-50th, and another bill he strongly supported were recently signed into law.

One of the new laws provides state and county probation and parole offices with relief from an unnecessary requirement, Robbins said.

Previously, a 48-hour supply of medication was to be provided to state and county probation and parole offices when a prisoner was released from a correctional facility. The new law will stipulate the parolee is directly provided with the medication instead.

"The truth is, probation and parole offices are not pharmacies and should not be in the business of dispensing medication," Robbins said. "Parolees should be capable of self-medication."

Another law aims to preserve full funding for Pennsylvania's National Guard Educational Assistance Program. Robbins wrote the 1996 law that established the program.

In exchange for six years of service in the National Guard, members may receive free college tuition for up to five years. Guard members can attend any public or private university in the state; however, tuition assistance cannot exceed that charged by the State System of Higher Education.

Another law clarifies the state veterans preference law.

The law will now be extended to military reservists and members of the National Guard who are federally activated for war or armed conflict, then released from that active duty to serve out their remaining service obligation.

"This new law clears up a gray area in the law that has prevented the State Civil Service Commission from awarding veterans preference to deactivated reservists because they were 'released from active duty' rather than 'honorably discharged,' as was required by state law," Robbins said.

State Rep. Frank LaGrotta,

D-10th, applauded Gov. Ed Rendell for signing into law a measure LaGrotta said establishes the most aggressive, comprehensive broadband network plan in the United States.

LaGrotta, a member of the House Consumer Affairs Committee, co-sponsored the measure, which requires Pennsylvania's telecommunications companies to provide universal broadband service to all areas of the state.

"This is a very important step forward for Pennsylvania because it will put us on the cutting edge of the technology, bringing higher quality services to consumers and diversifying the telecommunications industry in our commonwealth.," LaGrotta said.

He said the measure creates an Education Technology Fund to help schools obtain broadband services and the necessary equipment, as well as stimulate other investments in new technology and keep Pennsylvania competitive with the rest of the nation.

State Sen.

Mary Jo White, R-21st,

has been named Legislator of the Year by an organization working to bring more renewable energy to the marketplace.

White, who chairs the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, was honored by the Alternative Fuels Renewable Energies Council.

White's committee this year approved two key pieces of legislation recently signed into law.

Senate Bill 1020, co-sponsored by White, requires that within 15 years, at least 18 percent of electric energy sold in Pennsylvania be generated from alternative energy sources. Those sources include solar, wind, waste coal and geothermal energy.

White also co-sponsored Senate Bill 255, which modernizes the Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant Program. The program provides grants and rebates to buyers to cover a portion of the cost difference between the price of an alternative fuel vehicle and a conventional vehicle.