☝️ Thursday. One. Day. Closer.

PA Weather
Venango | Sunny, 83
Belleville | Partly Sunny, 86
Tamaqua | Partly Sunny, 81

PA Sports
⚾ Phillies (58-50) | Miami 8-9 | Thu vs. Miami
⚾ Pirates (48-59) | Detroit 3-6 | Thu-Sun vs. Milwaukee
⚽ Union | Thu vs. D.C. United (Leagues Cup Rd of 32)

What’s Happening
The Senate will be in session at 1 p.m.

What We’re Hearing
“Even the Oz people are hoping Dave will run.” – Pittsburgh-area donor Rob Kania about Dave McCormick

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Ryan Mackenzie

All The PA Political News You Need To Start Your Day
Get your political news emailed to you at the start of every day. Sign up for your free subscription to the PoliticsPA Playbook.

Top Story

1. Ward Calls Senate Back To Finalize General Appropriations Budget

“I am calling the Senate back to session at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 3, 2023, to finalize the General Appropriations Budget (HB 611). Signing HB 611 will provide the necessary funding to schools, counties, and organizations completing 75% of the budget. The remaining 25% of the budget requires legislation to authorize expenditures.

Gov. Shapiro has provided us the necessary assurances to guarantee the monies for those programs will remain untouched until the legislature has finalized the language. Senate Republicans will continue to negotiate with our counterparts in good faith and in the best interests of Pennsylvanians. We hope our counterparts will do the same.” – Sen. Kim Ward

Related

PA Senate Expected To Return Thursday To Sign 2023-24 Budget Bill. “The Pennsylvania Senate is expected to convene Thursday to sign the $45.5 billion budget bill that has been hung up for the past 33 days.” (PennLive)

Sudden Senate Return Signals Budget Revival. “The Senate’s top-ranking Republican called lawmakers back to Harrisburg to face the $45.5 billion spending plan sitting on the chamber’s desk for the last four weeks.” (The Center Square)

A Philly Political Strategist Played A ‘Major Operational Role’ In Trump’s Fake Elector Scheme. “Mike Roman, a former GOP ward leader who got his start in Philadelphia’s GOP politics, could now be cooperating with the special counsel’s investigation into Trump’s fake elector scheme.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

VP Kamala Harris To Visit Philadelphia Next Week. “It’s the second time in two months that the vice president has come to the city to highlight the Biden administration’s focus on infrastructure and labor.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

State

2. Proposed Relief For Child Sex Abuse Won’t Reach Ballot In 2023

“Survivors of childhood sexual abuse must continue waiting for their day in court after the Pennsylvania General Assembly failed to meet the deadline to get a proposed constitutional amendment on the November ballot.

In an email this week, the Department of State told Spotlight PA it is too late to draft, approve, and publish the legally required notices in newspapers to hold a constitutional referendum this year.” (Spotlight PA)

Related

Thompson Says House Farm Bill To Address Animal Welfare Law. “The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee said Wednesday he will use the upcoming farm bill to address a Supreme Court ruling upholding a California animal welfare rule that pork producers warn will generate a patchwork of laws that interfere with interstate commerce.” (Roll Call)

An Interview With Rep. Summer Lee. “Rep. Summer Lee (D) made history in 2022 when she became the first Black woman elected to serve in the House of Representatives for Pennsylvania. A graduate of Penn State and Howard University School of Law, Lee has spent much of her career focused on civil rights and social justice advocacy.” (The Hill)

Documents Reveal New Details About Shapiro’s Secret Working Group On Emissions. “Materials underline the political balancing act facing the governor as he solicits views on the state’s membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Proposed Legislation Would Give Property Tax Relief To Disabled Veterans. “Senators Tracy Pennycuick and Rosemary Brown have teamed up to introduce legislation aimed at providing property tax relief to more disabled Pennsylvania veterans by allowing them to reduce the assessed value on their property in relation to their disability rating.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. ‘Everything Has Fallen On A Cliff’: Battleground State GOPs Nosedive In Trump Era

“Around the nation, state Republican party apparatuses — once bastions of competency that helped produce statehouse takeovers — have become shells of their former machines amid infighting and a lack of organization.

In Pennsylvania, the state party sold its headquarters last year, sparking concern among some Republicans in the state about its finances. The Democratic state party’s main PAC also outraised its equivalent nearly two-to-one in 2022.” (POLITICO)

Related

Anti-Trump Ads Sponsored By Republicans Coming To PA. “An anti-Donald Trump Republican political action committee has launched a six-figure ad campaign in Pennsylvania and three other swing states focusing on the latest criminal indictment handed down against the former president.” (PoliticsPA)

A Pittsburgh Pension Plan Will Get A $260 Million Bailout Under Biden’s Stimulus Law. “A pension plan for 2,400 Pennsylvania workers, retirees and their beneficiaries is getting an influx of federal funds that will allow it to pay full benefits for an extra two decades, the White House announced Wednesday.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Philly Lawmaker Again Crosses Aisle To Support School Vouchers. “A state lawmaker crossed the aisle live on talk radio to support Lifeline Scholarships for students in low-performing schools to attend private institutions instead.” (Broad + Liberty)

The Secret To Being A Good Mayor? Swagger. “Former Mayors Michael Nutter of Philadelphia and Kasim Reed of Atlanta reveal the keys to leadership with Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser” (Philadelphia Citizen)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Pittsburgh Synagogue Verdict Shines Light On Enigmatic Nature Of Justice. (Tribune-Review)
• Gov. Shapiro, Lawmakers Should Try Some Common Sense To Fix The Budget Mess. (John Baer)
• Donald Trump Tried To Subvert Democracy. He May Finally Face Justice. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Further Prosecutions Over The 2020 Election Not Justified. (Bruce Ledewitz)
• Trump Strong In PA But Delegates Could Turn Elsewhere. (John Gizzi)

1 Thing

5. The Sad Case of PA’s Little Brown Bat

Doug Wentzel, program director at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center in Huntingdon County, has spent more than two decades caring for wildlife, including songbirds, birds of prey and bats.

Over the last decade, Wentzel has seen bats become much rarer at Shaver’s Creek due to the devastating effect a deadly fungal infection has had on bat species in Pennsylvania and across the country.

Now, the Little Brown Bat, once the most common species of bat in Pennsylvania, is on the state endangered species list. (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Thanks for starting your day with us.
What did you think of today’s newsletter?
Please invite your colleagues
to subscribe to the PoliticsPA Playbook