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What’s Happening
The Senate convenes at 11 a.m.

What We’re Hearing
“This is not a Democratic issue. It isn’t a Republican issue. This isn’t a hard right, hard left. This was just a human issue.” – John Fetterman

Happy Birthday
Cake and candles for Rep. Mike Kelly and former senator Rick Santorum.

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Top Story

1. Candidates Running For Key PA Election Posts Wrongly Believe 2020 Presidential Race Was Stolen

“When Zach Scherer woke up on Nov. 4, 2020, he was convinced something was wrong.

“When we all went to bed that night, Trump was up by millions of votes, but the next morning, we suddenly ‘lost’ by millions of votes,” he recalled recently on his website, repeating widely debunked misinformation. “It just didn’t make sense.”

So, he decided to do something about it, organizing a local group called Butler PA Patriots, which cited conspiracy theories to press the county government for election investigations and voting policy changes.

His beliefs about elections have led him to a new phase in his journey: running for county commissioner.” (Votebeat)

Related

Judge Rules In-Person 2020 Ballot Images In PA County Are Not Accessible To Public. “The judge who ruled cast vote records (CVR) from the 2020 general election in Lycoming County are public has concluded images of votes cast in person are not.” (PennLive)

John Fetterman Talks About His Depression And Road To Recovery. “Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman sat down with MSNBC host Joe Scarborough to talk about his road to recovery from depression.” (PoliticsPA)

Norfolk Southern Says It Will Compensate Residents Whose Homes Lost Value After East Palestine Train Derailment. “If residents in and around East Palestine sell their homes for less than they were worth before February’s train derailment in the Ohio village, Norfolk Southern will make up the difference, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Tuesday.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Harrisburg

2. Shapiro To Give Commencement Address At Alma Mater

“Josh Shapiro ’95 was elected governor of Pennsylvania last November—the first University of Rochester alumnus to hold a state’s top executive position.

Shapiro, 49, will deliver the address at the University-wide 2023 Commencement Ceremony on May 12.

The governor of the fifth most populated state in the United States took time to answer questions via email about his time at Rochester, his unplanned veer into politics, and his advice for graduating students.” (U. of Rochester News)

Related

Senate Finance Committee Moves Bill To Accelerate Corporate Tax Reduction Timetable. “By an 8-3 vote, the Senate Finance Committee moved forward a bill that would accelerate the reduction of the Commonwealth’s Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) rate.” (PoliticsPA)

Senate Panel Votes To Speed Up Drop In PA Business Tax. “Legislation to accelerate the reduction of the state Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) was approved Tuesday by a Senate committee.” (Capitolwire)

Bill Updates PA Law On Policy When Governor Or Lieutenant Governor Is Incapacitated. “Legislation sparked by concerns last year about the handling of communication regarding then-Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s stroke won Senate State Government Committee passage on Tuesday.” (PennLive)

PA Senate Supports Financial Literacy As High School Graduation Requirement. “Pennsylvania state senators voted in support of a bill that if ultimately adopted into law, would require high school students complete a course in personal financial literacy as a graduation requirement.” (CNHI News)

Size, Responsiveness Of Government Frustrates Lawmaker. “State Rep. Joe Hamm, R-Hepburn Township, believes Pennsylvania’s government is too bureaucratic and too expensive.” (Williamsport Sun-Gazette)

Around The Commonwealth

3. The Fatal Shooting Of A Canvasser Underscored The Stakes Of The Mayor’s Race: ‘This Is Life In Philadelphia’

“Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis and safety concerns have dominated the debate over who will become the city’s next mayor, and yet it still came as a grim shock when a political canvasser was fatally shot Monday while passing out campaign literature.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

Lawmakers And Workers’ Right Groups Want State Officials To Let Philly Set Its Own Minimum Wage. “A coalition of low-wage workers, elected officials, workers rights groups and civic organizations urged state politicians Tuesday to both raise the statewide minimum wage and allow municipalities to set their own wage floors.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Get Ready Pittsburgh! Here Come The Political Ads. “Get ready Pittsburgh market. It’s everyone’s favorite time of year – political ad season!” (PoliticsPA)

Late Campaign Attack Ads Are Targeting Sara Innamorato In Race For Allegheny County Executive. “Here come the attack ads. With state Rep. Sara Innamorato taking the lead in a recent survey of the race for Allegheny County executive, rivals Michael Lamb and John Weinstein are launching sharp new broadsides just a week before the May 16 primary election.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Lackawanna County: Who’s Running For Office? (PoliticsPA)

George Soros Is Funding Almost All Of Matt Dugan’s Campaign For Allegheny County DA. “Billionaire liberal donor George Soros is the sole contributor to an outside political group financing most of Democrat Matt Dugan’s run for Allegheny County district attorney, a new financial filing shows.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

Editorial

• More Musical Chairs In PA House Special Elections. (Tribune-Review)
• Increase Child Labor Enforcement. (Times-Tribune)
• Tax Proposal Won’t Pass, But It’s Sound. (Observer-Reporter)

Opinion

• We Invited Philly’s Mayoral Candidates To Talk About Race. Only Two Agreed. (Steven Lawrence)
• On Wednesday Night, Trump Will Lie And CNN Will Become Fox. (Gene Collier)
• Central PA Is Among The Nation’s Worst Areas For Air Pollution. (Carolyn Heckman, Kim Anderson)
• What The War On Woke Tells Us About The GOP’s Power Play For 2024. (Heather MacDonald)
• Educational Institutions Or Woke Factories? (Lowman Henry)
• When Naysayers Lead, PA Falls Behind. (Rep. Tim O’Neal)
• Shapiro’s Property Tax And Rent Rebate Would Help Vulnerable PA Citizens. (Patrick Browne, Jason Kavulich)

1 Fun Thing

5. Dogs On Wheels

Dogs take part in a skateboarding competition in Bangkok as part of Pet Expo Thailand.

They were judged on form and agility and separated into novice and experienced categories.

Suradej (top right) took home the first prize among the experienced dogs.

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