🌤️  Hello Monday. We need a drier day today, PA.

PA Weather
Pittsburgh | Sunny, 83
Harrisburg | Partly Sunny, 83
Philadelphia | Partly Sunny, 85

PA Sports
Phillies (48-41) | Miami 3-7 | All-Star Break
Pirates (41-49) | Arizona 4-2 | All-Star Break
Union (10-4-7) | LA Galaxy 1-3 | Wed vs. Nashville

What We’re Hearing
“A miscalculation by those who thought they could jam down a bill that did not have support in our caucus.” – Rep. Matt Bradford

What’s Happening Today
US Senate votes at 5:30p. US House returns Tuesday at 6:30p

Wake Up to All the Political News You Need in the Morning
Sign up for your free subscription to the PoliticsPA Playbook and we’ll email you every weekday morning.

Top Story

1. Bad Blood, Technicalities, And Complicated Code Bills Keep PA Budget In Limbo

“While both chambers of the Pennsylvania legislature have passed a budget spending plan that Gov. Josh Shapiro says he’ll sign, legislative technicalities and bad blood over an axed school voucher proposal are prolonging the commonwealth’s week-long impasse.

Still left undone are budget-enabling code bills, at least one of which must be passed alongside the main spending plan legislation.

Also causing the delay is a mundane constitutional prerequisite for bills to become law: Before legislation goes to the governor, presiding officers in both chambers must sign it.” (SpotlightPA)

Related

PA Budget’s State Of Play: Stuck In Overtime With No Immediate End In Sight. “This year’s budget dilemma presents a unique twist. A general fund budget bill has passed both legislative chambers, but a constitutional requirement stands in the way of it reaching Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk. The governor has said he will sign it into law.” (PennLive)

Here’s Why A Supreme Court Ruling Might Have Killed A Key Election Conspiracy Theory. “The U.S. Supreme Court ruled last month that state legislatures lack unilateral authority over federal elections — which includes election laws, congressional districts, and federal election certifications.” (WESA)

State

2. Cyber Charter Schools In PA Face Rule Changes Under A Democrat-Backed House Bill

“Cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania could face greater transparency and see their funding reduced by millions of dollars under a Democrat-backed bill that passed the state House of Representatives on Friday.

Pennsylvania’s 14 cyber charters receive public funds to pay for students’ tuition, with the money coming from school districts. Supporters say the programs help students who don’t perform well in typical learning environments. But public school advocates in Pennsylvania say that by paying cyber charters the same rate as brick-and-mortar charter schools, it’s creating a burden on school district budgets.” (AP)

Related

House Passes Bill Changing How Cyber Charter Schools Are Funded, Saving School Districts $456M. “Legislation that takes aim at reducing one of the biggest cost drivers for public schools but could hinder the operation of one of Pennsylvania’s school choice options won passage in the state House of Representatives on Friday.” (PennLive)

Spicher Nominated As Secretary of Banking And Securities. “Wendy Spicher has been serving in an interim role as acting secretary in the department after the departure of Sarah Hammer earlier this year.” (PoliticsPA)

Probation Reform May Be Coming To PA. “Several changes may soon be coming to Pennsylvania’s probation system. On June 27, a bipartisan reform package passed the upper chamber 45-4. Senate Bill 838 would make exiting the probation program easier for people who reach educational or employment goals. It would also end the practice of prolonging an individual’s participation in the program for minor offenses, such as a traffic ticket.” (PhillyBurbs.com)

PA Lawmakers Introduce Bill To Legalize Marijuana. “A bill to legalize marijuana for adults has been introduced in the Pennsylvania legislature. Despite past partisan tension on marijuana laws, the proposed bill is generating bipartisan support.” (CNHI News)

PA House Passes Bill Outlawing Discrimination Based On Hairstyles. “Discrimination based on a person’s hairstyle could be outlawed in Pennsylvania, in an effort to protect Black residents who wear their hair in natural or protective styles.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

A Case For Primary Runoffs In PA. “Sens. Ryan Aument, R-Lancaster, and Frank Farry, R-Bucks, plan to introduce legislation they say would achieve that goal by using a primary runoff system in state and federal primaries – not in county or municipal races.” (The Center Square)

Around The Commonwealth

3. PA Teachers Are Quitting In Big Numbers. Here’s Why Some From The Pittsburgh Area Left For Good

“Teaching has always been in my blood,” Ryan Wilpula said. “It was a tough decision but I just, for my own wellbeing, it was time to go and I was lucky enough to find a way out.”

An assessment by the Penn State Center for Education Evaluation & Policy Analysis found that 7.7% of Pennsylvania teachers, or a total of 9,587, left their positions between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Related

Take Our Reader Poll: Did Shapiro Make A Budget Deal With Senate Republicans? Poll remains open until midnight on our website and Twitter feed.

Kenyatta Johnson And Curtis Jones Jr. Are Front-Runners In Philly City Council President Race. “Johnson and Jones are currently seen as the front-runners, according to conversations with more than a dozen City Hall sources. But neither has secured the support of a majority of their colleagues, and if they fail to reach that mark, many see Mark Squilla as a compromise candidate.” (Philadelphia Inquirer) 

Scranton Officials Support Hiking PA’s Minimum Wage. “Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti’s administration submitted and city council recently introduced a resolution advocating for a minimum wage increase.” (Times-Tribune)

Legal Activist Groups Sue Delaware County Board Of Elections. “The ACLU of Pennsylvania and the Public Law Interest Center have filed a lawsuit against the Delaware County Board of Elections, fighting for the right for some provisional ballots to count.” (Delco Times)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• High Marks For Gov. Shapiro’s First Budget Even As GOP Lawmakers Fail To Learn Their Lesson. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Shapiro Holding Kids In Failing Schools Hostage. (Rep. Aaron Bernstine)
• Shapiro Caves To Labor Unions On School Choice. (Rep. Joe D’Orsie)
• Shapiro’s Broken Promises; Families’ Broken Trust. (Sen. Ryan Aument)
• Voucher Backtrack Another Calibrated Move By Shapiro. (Dennis Roddy)
• As PA Freedom Caucus Learned, Political Humor Is Hard To Pull Off On Social Media. (Alison Dagnes)
• Dems Representing Allentown Show True Colors On Public Education With Budget Vote. (Joe Vichot)
• City’s Communications Are Abysmal, And Look Increasingly Political. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• Nurses Are Screaming For Help; Lawmakers Should Listen. (Kevin B. Mahoney, Linda H. Aiken)
• Vivek Ramaswamy Brings His Message Of Meaning To PA. (Salena Zito)
• Republicans Crying Over Cocaine Have Forgotten Jan. 6. (Dick Polman)

1 Thing

5. Too Much Of A Good Thing

“Tropical downpours were the order of the day in Berks County on Sunday as storms produced severe flash flooding around the region.

Some spots were inundated, such as Reading Regional Airport, where 5.35 inches of rain had fallen by early evening. That breaks the old record of 5.32 inches set in 2004.

Just to the west, a staggering 7.35 inches was recorded by a gauge at the Penn State Berks campus.” (Reading Eagle)

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