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What We’re Hearing
“I am shooting for having this done by mid-September, before the deadline, and having it on the House floor. That’s my goal and I am sticking to it.” – Rep. Glenn Thompson

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Chris Deluzio.

News To Start Your Day
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Top Story

1. What Does PA’s Budget Impasse Mean For You?

“As you already are aware, the FY24 budget for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is in a holding pattern. Both chambers of the General Assembly have passed a spending bill, but the debate over school vouchers and a deal that Gov. Josh Shapiro made and reneged on has Senate Republicans fuming and refusing to return to Harrisburg.

So what does this mean for you and me?” (PoliticsPA)

Related

State Senate Majority Leader Outlines Ways To Resolve Budget Mess. “In a sit-down interview with KDKA-TV political editor Jon Delano at Sen. Joe Pittman’s Indiana, Pennsylvania, office, Pittman was clear that Republicans feel misled.” (KDKA)

A Group That Favors Term Limits For Congress Is Keeping The Heat On Lawmakers From PA. “U.S. Reps. Guy Reschenthaler, John Joyce, Scott Perry and Dan Meuser, all Republicans, are among more than 100 lawmakers who have signed a bipartisan pledge organized by the nonprofit group U.S. Term Limits.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) 

Jill Biden Is Coming To Pittsburgh To Tout The President’s Economic Policies. “Mrs. Biden plans to visit the city as part of the administration’s summer tour touting economic gains and investments in America’s workforce, Bloomberg reports.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Bipartisan Bill Seeks To Lower Costs Of Renewable Fuel Credits. “Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey is the Senate’s main co-sponsor. In the House, backers include Reps. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who often votes with Democrats on energy and environment issues.” (POLITICO)

State

2. Thompson: $1.2T Farm Bill On Track To Finish By Mid-September

“Stakeholders continue to provide testimony on the $1.2 trillion Farm Bill being considered by the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture on a daily basis.

The ultimate goal is releasing the bill to the full House for a vote in mid-September, said Committee Chair Glenn Thompson, R-15, Bellefonte.

Thompson is the first chairman of the Agriculture Committee from Pennsylvania in nearly 170 years. He said he wants the Farm Bill to be bipartisan, bicameral and highly effective.” (Daily Item)

Related

More Than 20 States Have Reformed Their Statutes Of Limitations For Childhood Abuse, But PA Still Hasn’t. “In the nearly five years since a bombshell grand jury report found thousands of children were sexually abused at the hands of Roman Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania, more than 20 states have passed legislation making it easier for victims to pursue civil action against their abusers and the institutions that protected them.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Feds, States Reach Settlement In Lawsuit Over Chesapeake Bay Pollution From PA. “A settlement agreement has been finalized in a lawsuit that alleged federal officials weren’t doing enough to stop Chesapeake Bay pollution originating in Pennsylvania.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

PA Bill Would Let EMS Workers Leave Overdose-Reversing Drugs At The Scene. “In rural York County, EMS workers have to make the long journey through farmland to reach overdose patients — and they’re often visiting the same address multiple times. The patient can overdose again, or someone else in the house can.” (WITF)

PA Treasury Announces Fee Cut On Education Savings Plans. “Fees on 529 plans – which are tax-advantaged accounts for families to save money for their children’s education – will now range from 0.1925% to 0.2925% annually, depending on the investment chosen, according to PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity’s office.” (PennLive)

Around The Commonwealth

3. How PA Plans To Deploy $1.16B Allocated For Broadband Expansion

“More than $1 billion in federal funds is earmarked for Pennsylvania to expand broadband access, and state officials hope to deploy those resources over the next five years, aiming to serve thousands of people still without high-speed internet across the commonwealth.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Related

PA Senator To Propose Banning Book Bans In Next Session. “A memo from Pennsylvania Senator Amanda M. Cappelletti sent to members of the state Senate promises a bill to tackle book bans in the next legislative year, 2023-2024, putting Pennsylvania among states like Illinois, New York, and New Jersey who have sought to do the same.” (BookRiot)

Lancaster GOP Lawmakers Will Likely Reject Recreational Marijuana Proposals, But A Local Democrat Says ‘The Time For Legalization Is Now’  “One who supports approving adult use of marijuana, state Rep. Izzy Smith-Wade-El, supported reduced penalties for marijuana possession when he served on Lancaster City Council and now hopes to reform marijuana policy statewide.” (LNP)

Former PA Lt. Governor Candidate Fined After State Ethics Committee Investigation. “Clarice Schillinger, the Executive Director of “Back to School PA” and a former Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor, was fined after a State Ethics Commission investigation after she “failed to file a complete and accurate Statement of Financial Interests for calendar year 2021.” (abc27)

Bucks County Libertarian Party Twitter Account Suspended For Violent Speech. “Threads or Twitter? Well, if you are the Libertarian Party of Bucks County right now, you only have one option.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

State Court: Allegheny County Autopsy, Toxicology Information Should Be Open To The Public. “A Pennsylvania state court handed down a key decision that will allow autopsy and toxicology reports in Allegheny County to become public records, a move that will greatly expand open access to information about deaths in Allegheny County.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Franklin County DA Matt Fogal, Now An Independent, Won’t Seek Reelection. “An independent since leaving the Republican party in late 2020 following months of disagreements with conservatives, Fogal said he determined he had no real path to re-election in very red Franklin County.” (Chambersburg Public Opinion)

Gay Soccer Coach Vowed To Follow College’s Stance On Homosexuality. She Was Fired Anyway. “Kelsey Morrison took over a historically subpar women’s soccer program at Geneva College in 2021 with the hope of growing the roster and guiding the team to a winning season.” (Beaver County Times)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• Confused Over The Kerfuffle Over The PA Budget? That’s The Point. (The Grammarian)
• Mayor Ed Gainey Isn’t Talking, But He Is Taking. (Ruth Ann Dailey)
• Shapiro Fixed One Collapsed Bridge. Can He Fix Another? (John Baer)
• Elvis Is Dead; Trump Did Lose The 2020 Election; And Truth Is Truth. (John Sigle)
• Why Trump Gets Underestimated. (Rich Lowry)
• Saving Public Education In PA – Where It Began. (Marc Stier)
• Today’s Supreme Court: ‘Not A Normal Court,’ But Not Unprecedented Either. (Bruce Ledewitz)
• The Man Who Governs Josh Shapiro. (Matt Brouillette)
• Pennsylvania, Resolve The Budget Impasse. (Elaine Maimon)
• Higher Education Needs To Get It Right In Managing Payments To Athletes. (Stephen F. Gambescia)
• Shapiro Lost His Way. But He Can Still Rescue Himself And The Kids Depending On Him. (Stephen Bloom)
• Who Gets To Judge Challenge Books? (Tribune-Review)
• Bill Ensures Maximum Vote On Referendums. (Observer-Reporter)

1 Thing

5. Hollywood Actors Set Stage For Strike

“Hollywood actors could soon have a new role: picketers.

Thousands of screen performers represented by the powerful labor union SAG-AFTRA, which stands for the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, are on course for strike action after the guild and a trade association representing the industry’s leading studios could not agree on a new contract.

The strike would be limited to film and television productions. The walkout would not involve SAG-AFTRA members who work in the news business, such as certain broadcast hosts and announcers.” (NBC News)

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