Happy Tuesday! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Now let’s get back to it.

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Flyers (23-25-10) | d. Calgary, 4-3 | TUE vs. Edmonton
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What We’re Hearing
“It is heartbreaking when you are canvassing mail-in votes and you can’t count them when there are so many steps to complete and [the voters] mess up one thing and their vote can’t be counted.”

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Chris Rabb.

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Top Story

1. The PA House Returns With Little Wiggle Room

“State representatives will return to Harrisburg on Tuesday to resume a legislative session that had ground to a stop over which party held the majority in the chamber.

House Democrats now have a 102-101 voting majority – the party’s first since 2010 – after three special elections this month in Allegheny County to fill vacant seats.

The chamber’s makeup is likely to be in flux as lawmakers seek election this year to municipal offices including Philadelphia mayor and Allegheny County executive. The thin majority allows virtually no wiggle room on either side when representatives seek to advance initiatives that evoke partisan division.” (Tribune-Democrat)

Related

The PA House Is Coming Back With a Democratic Majority? Will It Finally Be Able to Move Forward? “The speaker of the Pennsylvania House is calling lawmakers back this week to address one topic and one topic only: giving childhood survivors of sexual abuse a chance to sue their perpetrators in court.”  (Spotlight PA)

The PA House Is Back on Tuesday To Kick Off ‘A Week For The Victims’ “The Pennsylvania House will return Tuesday for the first time in more than a month to vote on two measures to help childhood sexual abuse survivors seek justice from their abusers and the institutions that protected them.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Special Session Revived In State House. “Pennsylvania’s stalled special session gets a second chance on Tuesday when House lawmakers return to the chamber floor after a month-long break.” (The Center Square)

Harrisburg

2. Unequal Election Policies Disenfranchised PA Voters In 2022

“Pennsylvania voters did not have equal opportunities to cast or correct their ballots during the November 2022 election, the latter producing a disparity that disenfranchised hundreds of voters, a Spotlight PA and Votebeat analysis has found.

As part of a first-of-its-kind review, the news organizations contacted election officials in all 67 counties about policies regarding drop boxes and mail ballots that had disqualifying technical errors. The outlets focused on how counties treat mail ballots, as state law is silent on logistical details that directly impact how Pennsylvanians can vote and whether a person’s vote counts.” (Spotlight PA)

Related

5 Ways The PA Legislature Can Improve Transparency Overnight. “Proposals from both sides of the aisle present concrete opportunities for commonwealth residents to become better informed about the governing bodies, utility providers and municipal authorities impacting their communities. Here are five examples of what some state officials are suggesting.” (PhillyBurbs.com)

Norfolk Southern Will Skip a PA Derailment Meeting As Lawmakers Return For a Big Week. “State lawmakers are set for a high-profile return to Harrisburg this week, with a special House session ending a month of gridlock in the lower chamber and a Senate committee holding a hearing on a catastrophic Ohio train derailment — even though railway company Norfolk Southern says it won’t attend.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Shell Hit With Air Permit Violations; Activists Call For Operations Halt. “Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection last week issued Shell a violation notice for exceeding its rolling limit on air contaminant emissions during the petrochemical complex’s first two months of operations in November and December.” (Beaver County Times)

Donora Native Charting Her Own Course as Second Lady of PA. “Blayre Holmes Davis has been the second lady of Pennsylvania for a little more than a month, but she’s been putting the community first for nearly her entire life.” (Uniontown Herald-Standard)

Around The Commonwealth

3. How To Get On The Primary Ballot (And Why Candidates Get Kicked Off)

“It’s crunch time for Philadelphia mayoral and Council candidates as they face their first real tests ahead of the May 16 primary: They have to actually get their names on the ballot.” (Billy Penn)

Related

Welcome to the Messy Race to Lead Philadelphia. “We in The Inquirer’s City Hall bureau spend all day reporting on this race, and we’re here to help you make sense of it.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Philadelphia Neighborhoods Fall Into Six Segregated Groups of Democrats. “Philadelphia Democrats vote overwhelmingly along racial, economic, and geographic lines.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

City Republicans Endorse Ticket. “The GOP has endorsed Seth Bluestein and Bill Heeney for two of three spots on the election commission. Since Republicans realistically have a shot at only one of the three seats, Bluestein will likely advance to the general election as the only GOP nominee.” (Northeast Times)

In Braddock, PA, Prayers and Empathy As Fetterman Seeks Help For Depression. “Teri Gilmore, who suffered two concussions several years ago, choked back tears as she described the lingering effects of those accidents: The frustration of having mental limitations. The isolation of carrying an invisible injury. The heartbreak of longing for a former version of yourself. Her experience, she says, gives her some insight into what a friend, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), is going through.” (Washington Post)

In Early Forums Ahead of May Primary, Allegheny County Executive Candidates Show Few Differences. “Last week saw the first two public forums to gather the Democrats running for county executive, and the race is off to a congenial start, with few outright policy differences emerging between the candidates.” (WESA)

Spring Primary Races Are Cropping Up Across The Lehigh Valley. “This is a municipal election year, meaning there will be hundreds of races in the Lehigh Valley for everything from county judges and magistrates to mayors and school board members.” (Armchair Lehigh Valley)

GOP County Council Members Eyeing Reelection Stay On Election Board, Democrats Cry Foul. “Two Republican members of Erie County Council who might run for re-election this year are continuing to serve on the county’s Election Board.The decision has angered Democratic leaders who say the two members should not be in a position where they can influence election policy or affect their own election prospects.” (Erie Times-News)

Judge Appoints Three New Members To County Board of Elections. “President Judge Maria Musti Cook appointed three people to serve as the Board of Elections for the upcoming 2023 primary and general election.” (York Dispatch)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Fetterman Hospitalization An Opportunity to Educate. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• We’re Rooting For You, Senator Fetterman. (Tom Purcell, Tribune-Review)
• Senator John Fetterman and the Politics of Health. (Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe)
• Shapiro’s Bold Call On Death Penalty Right On Point. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Why PA Governor’s Call To End State’s Death Penalty May Be a Game Changer. (Austin Sarat, The Hill)
• School Funding Lawsuit Verdict Will Not Fix Our Education System. Here’s What Will. (Sharif El-Mekki, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Raising The Minimum Wage Is Economic Justice For PA’s Workers. (Patty Kim, PennLive)
• In Wake of Train Crash, Norfolk Southern Reps Must Be Seen to Be Believed. (Tribune-Review)
• Access For Voters With Disabilities An Important Step For Better Elections. (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)

1 Thing

5. No Coach, No Budget, No Matter

Masterman’s debate team has no budget or coach. It competes against teams from well-funded suburban districts and pricy private schools with long histories of big-stage victories.

This month, the team just scored its own, with a pair of Masterman debaters winning the varsity public forum division at the 48th University of Pennsylvania Tournament, which drew 120 high school debaters from 23 states. It was the first such victory by a Philadelphia School District team at least in recent memory, organizers say. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

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