👋 Hi, Friday. Where did spring go?

PA Weather
New Castle | Decreasing Clouds, 34
Lewistown | Sunny, Breezy, 35
Collegeville | Sunny, Breezy, 43

PA Sports
Flyers (23-26-10) | FRI vs. Montreal
Penguins (27-21-9) | lost to Edmonton, 7-2 | SAT vs. St. Louis
76ers (39-19) | d. Memphis, 110-105 | SAT vs. Boston

What We’re Hearing
The catastrophe “is a result of corporate greed. Tenfold.”

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Doyle Heffley.

Join Our PoliticsPA Community
Sign up for free and get your Playbook subscription emailed to you every weekday morning. We promise.

Top Story

1. PA House Set to Vote on Bill Giving Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors Chance For Justice

“Survivors of childhood sexual abuse who have been waiting for a chance to seek justice may see positive movement in that direction in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Friday.

The chamber has positioned two separate pieces of legislation for a vote that would lift the statute of limitations on childhood sexual abuse crimes for a two-year period. It would allow survivors to file previously time-barred civil claims against their abuser and any institution that covered it up including public schools.” (PennLive)

Related

Abuse Measures In Line For Friday Floor Vote By PA House. “Two bills seeking to extend legal recourse to long-ago victims of childhood sexual abuse are lined up for final approval Friday in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.” (Tribune-Democrat)

Speaker Proposes ‘The Rozzi Rules.’ Speaker of the House Mark Rozzi released the following statement outlining multiple proposed changes to the House operating rules for the regular session beginning next week to work toward a more bipartisan operation that better reflects the will of Pennsylvanians. (PoliticsPA)

Harrisburg

2. PA Leaders Begin To Piece Together What Happened After Train Derailment

“A state Senate committee hearing in Beaver County on Thursday represented one of the first comprehensive efforts to understand the response on the Pennsylvania side of the border to a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Feb. 3.

Republican Sen. Doug Mastriano led the hearing of the Veteran Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee at Beaver County Community College and invited numerous Pennsylvanians impacted by the derailment, in addition to local and state officials who led the response.” (WESA)

Related

‘The Whole Sky Was Black’: PA Residents Describe The Horror of the East Palestine Derailment. “Residents who live near the Pennsylvania-Ohio border close to this month’s catastrophic train derailment told lawmakers horror stories Thursday of skin rashes, headaches, sick animals and an overwhelming sense of helplessness.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Train Crew Had Little Warning Before Ohio Wreck, Probe Finds. “The crew operating a freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, didn’t get much warning before dozens of cars went off the tracks, and there is no indication that crew members did anything wrong, federal investigators said Thursday as they released a preliminary report into the fiery wreck that prompted a toxic chemical release and an evacuation.” (AP)

• A NTSB Report Shows Norfolk Southern’s Train Was Heating Up For Miles. The Crew Wasn’t Warned Until It Was Too Late. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Sexual Harassment Claim Leads to PA House Wrangling Over Expanding Its Policy. “Pressure is building in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to address what one Republican member called “glaring holes in our ethics rules” as it relates to sexual harassment claims.” (PennLive)

At Ceremonial Swearing-In, Deluzio Says He’ll Be ‘A Fighter For Western PA’ “U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio D-17th District, held a ceremonial swearing in his district on Thursday, telling a gathering at the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters hall in Carnegie that he was committed to bringing union jobs back to the area.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Perry Asks For Constitutional Protections In Phone Seizure Case. “Attorneys for U.S. Rep. Scott Perry argued in court Thursday that federal investigators should not have unfettered access to Perry’s cellphone communications because of Constitutional protections against questioning a sitting Congressman for his or her legislative activities.” (PennLive)

3 Black PA Lawmakers Share What Being In Key Positions Means To Them. “Pennsylvania’s government is the most diverse it has even been.” (Reading Eagle)

Penn State Alum Creating Political Change As Youngest PA State Senator In a Century. “From a young age, Nick Miller knew he wanted to give back to his hometown community of Allentown, Pennsylvania. Fast forward a few years, and Miller is now serving his community as senator of the Lehigh Valley.” (Onward State)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Philly City Council President Clarke Will Not Seek Reelection

After four decades in City Hall, Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke announced that he will not seek reelection after the conclusion of a Council meeting on Thursday. (PoliticsPA)

Related

The Fight to Succeed Darrell Clarke Has Already Started: “It’s Pandemonium.’ “Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke’s announcement Thursday that he will not seek reelection has kicked off a 10-month succession battle, with several veteran members saying that they are vying to lead the chamber.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

• Clarke’s Departure Opens The Door To a Major Leadership Shakeup On City Council. (Philadelphia Inquirer)

 A Super PAC Backing Jeff Brown Put Tom Wolf In a TV Ad That Tom Wolf Didn’t Want to Be In. “Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: A super PAC backing Jeff Brown for mayor is getting pushback for using images of a politically famous person — without permission — in a television ad.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Tree Shaker Or Jelly Maker? “Our Ultimate Job Interview series with the major mayoral candidates has featured plenty of drama … and helped shed light on the qualities needed in City Hall.” (Philadelphia Citizen)

As 2023 Primary Heats Up, Allegheny County Progressives and Moderates Lean On Allies. “Running for office is a great way to find out who your friends really are. Which is one of many, many reasons why I’ll never do it.” (WESA)

Allegheny County Voter Turnout Rises With a Boost From Mail-In Voting. “Allegheny County cast more votes in the November election than any other Pennsylvania county — surpassing even Philadelphia, which has about 350,000 more residents and 100,000 more registered voters.” (Tribune-Review)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Shapiro Perks Suggest Ethical Backsliding in Harrisburg. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• These Six States Will Determine The 2024 Presidential Election. (Myra Adams, The Hill)
• The Republicans’ PA Political Future Fades as They Lose The Suburbs. (Guy Ciarrocchi, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Thousands of Americans Suffer From a Major Depressive Disorder. (PennLive)
• Shapiro Evolves, Seeks to Abolish Fallible and Irreversible Death Penalty. (Michael Coard, PA Capital-Star)
• The NLRB Attacks Severance Pay. (Wall Street Journal)
• Republicans Grapple With How to Win Over Women Voters. (Caroline Vakil and Julia Manchester, The Hill)
• Next Train Disaster Is Inevitable. (Lori Falce, Tribune-Review)

1 Thing

5. Spring Training

It’s back. Baseball’s spring training games begin in earnest on Saturday with the Phillies taking on the Yankees and the Pirates facing off against the Blue Jays.

Hope springs eternal.

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