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What We’re Hearing
The Philadelphia Building Trades Council is expected to endorse Democrat Cherelle Parker for Mayor this morning.

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Top Story

1. PA House Returns to Pass Sexual Abuse Survivors’ Bills

photo by Matt Rourke, AP

“Seven weeks after adjourning in a deadlock over its operating rules, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives returned to a special session on Tuesday and advanced legislation to give adult victims of childhood sexual abuse a chance to hold their attackers accountable.

Lawmakers voted to move a bill out of committee with bipartisan support to amend the state Constitution and create a two-year exception to the civil statute of limitations for sexual abuse lawsuits.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Related 

PA House Nears Vote On Child-Abuse Lawsuit Window. “Pennsylvania House Democrats put their freshly minted majority status to work Tuesday in shutting down Republican efforts to make changes to legislation designed to let victims of childhood sexual abuse file otherwise outdated lawsuits.” (AP)

The PA House Returned to Work, Fought Over the Rules, And Moved a Constitutional Amendment Forward. “The Pennsylvania House returned to bitterly partisan form Tuesday after a six-week hiatus, as Democrats used their first majority in more than a decade to start a special session focused on a constitutional amendment allowing lawsuits by survivors of childhood sex abuse.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Childhood Sexual Abuse Reform Legislation Teed Up For PA House Vote Later This Week. “The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is now poised to vote as early as Thursday on legislation that would provide the statute of limitations reform that survivors of childhood sexual abuse have long been seeking.” (PennLive)

Party Line Votes, Quarrels Mark Restart of PA House Session. “Silence that settled in the dormant Pennsylvania House was shattered Tuesday with state representatives returning for the first voting day after an unplanned six-week hiatus, baring partisan divisions for all to see at the outset of a special session to address legal recourse for victims of childhood sexual abuse.” (New Castle News)

Harrisburg

2. Shapiro: Office Made a Criminal Referral In Ohio Train Derailment

“Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday that his office has made a criminal referral in response to the recent train derailment over the border in East Palestine, Ohio, and the after-effects on the environment and nearby communities.

Shapiro shared the information at a news conference in East Palestine with Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan and other officials. 

“We’ve made a criminal referral to the acting attorney general in Pennsylvania to review, and acting Attorney General [Michelle] Henry can speak to that beyond my comments,” Shapiro said.” (NBC News)

Related

EPA Takes Charge of Cleanup in East Palestine Train Derailment. “The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Norfolk Southern on Tuesday to pay for the cleanup of the East Palestine, Ohio train wreck and chemical release as federal regulators took charge of long-term recovery efforts and promised worried residents they wouldn’t be forgotten.” (AP)

Shapiro Ranks Among Top 10 Democratic Presidential Candidates For 2024. “There’s a new conventional wisdom forming that it’s not so much that Democrats have a weak bench — it’s just that the strong part is relatively new, as Politico’s Jonathan Martin writes. And the new Pennsylvania governor is perhaps at the head of that class.” (Washington Post)

Democratic Governors, Including PA’s, Form Alliance On Abortion Rights. “Democratic governors in 20 states are launching a network intended to strengthen abortion access in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court decision nixing a woman’s constitutional right to end a pregnancy and instead shifting regulatory powers over the procedure to state governments.” (AP)

Identity of State Rep Accused of Groping Lobbyist Widely Known In Harrisburg Political Circles. “The identity of a state representative accused of groping a lobbyist for the Service Employees International Union is one of the worst-kept secrets in Harrisburg political circles, yet that member appears to be facing no discipline for the misconduct while Democratic leadership seems content to allow the issue to evaporate without consequence.” (Broad + Liberty)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Erie GOP County Council Members Eyeing Reelection Stay On Election Board

“Are they or aren’t they?

And should they or shouldn’t they?” (PoliticsPA)

Related

Who Has a Plan to Grow Philadelphia’s Population? “As the City Council race gets underway, Philly 3.0’s engagement editor wonders who is in favor of dramatically increasing our population by 2040, like leaders in other cities. Here’s why it matters.” (Philadelphia Citizen)

Philly Mayor Jim Kenney: It’s Harder to Buy Booze in PA Than It is to Buy a Gun. “Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney said that as he sought to buy Prosecco from a suburban Wegmans this weekend, he watched an elderly man jump through hoops to buy eight bottles of wine — restrictions the mayor said the state legislature has been unwilling to place on the sale of firearms.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Mayoral Candidate Helen Gym and Ex-Mayor Michael Nutter Clashed During a Live Event: ‘We Are Just In Total Disagreement’ “In the latest “Ultimate Job Interview” event sponsored by the Philadelphia Citizen on Tuesday night, (Nutter) grilled former Councilmember Helen Gym on a range of topics that read like they came from of an opposition research report, from potential conflicts of interest resulting from her husband’s legal career to her founding of a charter school.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Mayor Ed Gainey Is On a Committee That Can Fund Pittsburgh Bridges. But He Rarely Shows Up. “Shortly after safety concerns forced Pittsburgh to close the highly trafficked Charles Anderson Memorial Bridge this month, questions emerged about money that might have been spent earlier to shore up the 85-year-old overpass. ” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Judicial Conduct Board Elects Officers. “At its February 14, 2023 meeting, the Judicial Conduct Board of Pennsylvania elected its officers for the coming year. The Board unanimously elected Nancy L. Clemens to Chair, the Honorable William C. Wenner to Vice-Chair, and Attorney Scott B. Cooper to Secretary.” (PoliticsPA)

State Sen. Tim Briggs Drops Out of Race For Montgomery County Commissioner. “State Rep. Tim Briggs dropped out of the race for Montgomery County commissioner Tuesday, days after Democratic activists defied their party’s leadership by declining to endorse him.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher Won’t Seek Reelection. “After careful consideration, I have decided to not run for a third term as county commissioner,” Thrasher said in a news release issued Tuesday night.” (Tribune-Review)

Commissioner Irey Vaughan Not Running For Reelection in Washington County. “The seven-term Republican commissioner, who is currently the board’s chairperson, made the announcement Tuesday morning that she is not running for re-election this year after first winning the seat in 1995.” (Observer-Reporter)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• New PA Law Criminalizes HIV. Get Rid of It. (Billy Porter, Malcolm Kenyatta, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• A Better Way: Common-Sense Energy Policy Bridges Political Divides. (Eugene DePasquale, Kate Harper, PennLive)
• PA Has An Unprecedented Opportunity to Fix Public School Funding. We Can’t Miss It. (Laura Boyce, PA Capital-Star)
• The Republican Party Needs An Agenda. (Guy Ciarrocchi, Broad + Liberty)
• Be It In Harrisburg Or DC, Government By Any Other Name Is Still Government. (Bill Gindlesperger, Public Opinion)
• Readers to Politicians: You’re Not Listening. (Lock Haven Express)

1 Thing

5. Eating Well

photo by Megan Bruhn

Could Muhlenberg College be one of Pennsylvania’s secret culinary gems?

Possibly, according to a new survey by Niche.com.

This year the college ranked number one in a ‘best college food’ in Pennsylvania survey and 10th best college food in the nation, out of nearly 1,500 other schools. (LehighValleyLive)

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