⏳ Good Morning, Wednesday. We’re halfway home.

PA Weather
Uniontown | Increasing clouds, 53
Chambersburg | Mostly sunny, 58
Towanda | Mostly sunny, 53

PA Sports
Flyers (29-32-12) | Montreal 3-2 | THU vs. Ottawa
Penguins (36-28-10) | Detroit 4-7 | THU vs. Nashville
76ers (49-26) | WED vs. Dallas

What We’re Hearing
Trevor Naglieri, who most recently managed Pennsylvania Republican Jeremy Shaffer’s unsuccessful 2022 congressional bid will serve as Donald Trump’s New Hampshire state director, according to two GOP operatives familiar with the move.

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Josh Kail and Sen. Sharif Street.

Add Me To The Playbook List
For the best morning read in the Commonwealth. Get your free subscription to the PoliticsPA Playbook and we’ll email you every weekday morning. Join the PoliticsPA community.

Top Story

1. Election Day Ballot Problems In Luzerne County Examined

“Election Day shortages of the paper needed to run voting machinery caused significant problems in a northeastern Pennsylvania county in November, but the extent of the problem or what caused it are still unclear, witnesses told a congressional committee Tuesday.

The three-hour hearing of the U.S. House Administration Committee into events in Luzerne County on Nov. 8 brought outrage from members of both parties about the problems that contributed to a delay in reporting results from the country’s largest swing state.” (AP)

Related

House Panel Hears Complaints About PA Election. “Republicans in Congress are demanding to know how a shortage of paper ballots in Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County on Election Day 2022 affected thousands of voters.” (Roll Call)

DA Sanguedolce Reacts To Congressional Hearing On Election Paper Shortage. “Luzerne County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce said he and county detectives took the time to watch the three-hour hearing, and he observed questions were raised about why the county is relying on the DA’s office to handle the paper shortage investigation when every aspect of the investigation may not be criminal.” (Times Leader)

PA Court Decision Does Little To Clear Up Confusion Over Fixing Ballots. “Pennsylvania’s patchwork of ballot curing policies will remain in place, at least for now, following a decision from a state appellate court last week.” (Votebeat)

Harrisburg

2. PA Health Dept. Hearing Covers East Palestine, Post-COVID Landscape

“A House hearing examining the state Health Department budget Tuesday was highlighted by discussions about long-term health monitoring at the East Palestine, Ohio, toxic train derailment site, the post-COVID-19 health care landscape, maternal death rates, new state skilled nursing facility regulations and the new multi-purpose state laboratory.

The department is completing an assessment of a chemical exposure survey of Pennsylvania residents and first responders in the vicinity of the Norfolk Southern train derailment last month on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border, Acting Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen told the Appropriations Committee.” (Capitolwire)

Related

Money Trail From Norfolk Southern Leads To Local Politicians. “Norfolk Southern’s impact on politics is profound. It’s no secret that heavy-duty campaign and PAC contributions total into the multi-million dollar range for the railroad.Some local politicians who have spoken out against Norfolk after the train derailment took money from the company for their campaigns.” (WKBN)

PA Wants Norfolk Southern To Reimburse Farmers Who Lost Meat Sales After East Palestine Derailment. “Pennsylvania will work with Ohio to start testing tissue from animals that might have been affected by environmental fallout from last month’s Norfolk Southern train derailment, Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding told lawmakers Tuesday.” (Post-Gazette)

PA Courts: 32 Percent Of Active Judges In State Are Women. “About one-third of Pennsylvania’s current active judges are women, according to statistics compiled by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.” (Times Herald)

PA State Police Budget Hearing Focuses On Proposed Special Fund, Trooper Classes. “The governor’s proposal for a special state fund to underwrite state police spending and to have four trooper cadet classes were key issues discussed Monday during a House budget hearing.” (Capitolwire)

Staffing, ‘Tranq,’ Opioid Funding Mark PA House Hearing On DDAP Budget Request. “The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is considering exemptions sought by treatment providers to exceed a regulatory staffing ratio in order to care for patients with substance use disorder.” (CNHI News)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Lee Defends TikTok As ‘Incredible Organizing Tactic

“Rep. Summer Lee on Tuesday defended TikTok as an “incredible organizing tactic,” throwing her support behind the platform amid a bipartisan effort by lawmakers to crack down on the popular video sharing app because of national security and data privacy concerns.

“We can think about privacy and security and make sure that we’re doing everything to ensure that, but also, banning TikTok is not, you know, the answer right now,” Lee told The Hill when asked about her stance on banning the app.” (The Hill)

Related

On The Calendar. The candidates for Allegheny County Executive will meet in a forum tonight at 6:30 p.m. at The McKeesport Palisades. Topics will include the candidates’ vision for the Mon Valley and Eastern Suburban region.

Pittsburgh Challenges Nonprofit Property Tax Exemptions For UPMC, AHN and Others. “Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is moving ahead with efforts to challenge the tax-exempt status of 26 properties within the city Tuesday. This marks the first batch of properties targeted by a city-wide review of parcels owned by nonprofits.” (WESA)

Pay Attention To The Philly Mayoral Election. “So why should Penn students be paying attention this early? The reason is because registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in Philly by seven to one, so barring any major surprises, the winner of this May’s Democratic primary will likely be the winner of this November’s general election.” (The Daily Pennsylvanian)

Jeff Brown Could Be Philly’s First Outsider Mayor In a Century. Can a Grocer Run The City? “Brown, a longtime ShopRite proprietor, is billing himself as the anti-politician ahead of the May 16 Democratic primary, running in a crowded field of people who have been elected officials during some of the most turbulent times in generations.” (Inquirer)

Amen Brown Has Survived Another Ballot Challenge. But The Judge Also Cited ‘Serious Concerns’ About His Financial Disclosures. “Amen Brown survived another attempt to get him kicked off the ballot. He got another stern rebuke from a judge, too.” (Inquirer)

Philly’s Northwest Coalition Has Elected Mayors. Will It Determine The Next One? “The Northwest coalition, based in middle class neighborhoods like Germantown, Mount Airy, and West Oak Lane, has had a major influence in Philadelphia politics for decades.” (Inquirer)

Two Women Vie To Fill Delco Vacancy Left By Zabel Resignation. “Democratic state Rep. Mike Zabel was forced to resign his Drexel Hill seat three weeks ago following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate touching of women. With a special election set for May 16,  two women are now vying to fill that vacancy.” (Delaware Valley Journal)

• Delco: Who’s Running For Office? (PoliticsPA)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Gov. Shapiro Should Represent Workers Over Powerful Campaign Donors. (Andrew Holman)
• Philadelphia’s Water Contamination Was A Test Of The City’s Response To A Crisis. It Failed. (Dena Ferrara Driscoll)
• Water Scare Latest Attack On PA By Plastics. (Will Bunch)
• It’s Past Time For PA Policymakers To Ease The Strain Of Medical Debt. (Antoinette Kraus)
• School Districts Need Help From State Funding. (Gerald Zahorchak)
• Is Zappala Holding Kennywood To A Higher Standard Than Other Shooting Scenes? (Tribune-Review)
• Now Is The Time For Transformational Change In PA Education. (Rep. Jesse Topper)
• Lancaster County Residents: Please Consider Running For Local Office. (LNP)
• The Face Of Courage. (York Dispatch)

1 Thing

5. Your Opening Day Baseball Quiz

“A Pirates coach once managed a team “that was so bad we considered a 2-0 count on the batter a rally.”

The 2023 baseball season is just a day away and Washington Post columnist George Will gets you ready by testing your baseball knowledge.

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