Good Tuesday Morning. Here’s hoping that you are enjoying your holiday break and staying warm.

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Pittsburgh | Cloudy, 31
Harrisburg | Mostly Sunny, 36
Philadelphia | Sunny, 36

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76ers (20-12) | TUE at Washington
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What We’re Hearing
“There’s a real opportunity with a bunch of new players on the field to hit reset and see what they can get done.” – Jim Schultz

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Top Story

1. Shapiro Aiming For A Reset With PA’s Republican Legislators

“Josh Shapiro is about to inherit a state government so divided that the parties can’t even agree who controls the Pennsylvania House.

So as Shapiro, a Democrat, prepares to be sworn in next month as the state’s 48th governor, he’s seeking to mend relations with Republican legislative leaders who were often at odds with outgoing Gov. Tom Wolf.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

As Shapiro Prepares For Office, PA GOP Sees Chance For School Choice. “With Governor-elect Josh Shapiro set to assume office in January, Republicans see an opportunity to expand school choice in the commonwealth.” (Broad + Liberty)

Partisan Fights Dominated The PA Legislature’s Recent Session, Eclipsing Some Major Accomplishments. “It’s never a good sign when official legislative business becomes a punch line. In 2021, 19% of laws passed by Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled General Assembly renamed a bridge or road, according to a Pennsylvania Capital-Star analysis. The statistic became a joke among lobbyists.” (Spotlight PA)Pennsylvania Politics Are Heated. It Could Soon Be Utter Chaos. “A razor-thin victory by Democrats, combined with a handful of vacancies and the hardball political culture in the state capitol, has kicked off a high-stakes battle for control of the House.” (POLITICO)

Reminiscing

2. Lamb Reflects On Capitol Riot And Aftermath As He Departs Office

“As U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb’s tenure comes to a close, he has not been able to shake the memory of the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riot.

“On that day, it just felt like an attack on our country,” he said.

The Democrat from Mt. Lebanon will be leaving office come the new year, and in his farewell speech on the House of Representatives’ floor last week, Lamb emphasized a moment that put his time in Congress in immense perspective.” (Tribune-Review)

Related

Ag Secretary Redding Looks Back On Eight Years Of Progress And Challenges. “Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding has served the commonwealth under the Wolf administration for the last eight years. The Capital-Star chatted with Redding about his tenure as secretary, the administration’s agricultural accomplishments and challenges, and what’s ahead for agriculture in the new year under a new administration.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Outgoing PA State Senator Pat Browne On His 28 Years Of Lawmaking: ‘Hopefully, I Made A Difference.’ “Pat Browne’s most recent drive to Harrisburg on Interstate 78 took him past one huge commercial enterprise after another — distribution centers for Amazon, PetSmart and Dollar General among them — and he couldn’t help but think how his part of Pennsylvania had changed in 28 years.” (Morning Call)

Snyder, Now A Former State Representative, Laments Lack Of Bipartisan Spirit In Harrisburg. “Pam Snyder has been a former state representative for close to a month now, but she says she has been working as hard as ever.” (Observer-Reporter)

Around The Commonwealth

3. On A New Map, PA Elects Most Diverse Assembly Ever

“When mapmakers reimagined the boundaries of Pennsylvania’s 253 legislative districts, they did it with an eye on the state’s growing racial and ethnic minorities, and officials say that has helped yield the most diverse incoming class of lawmakers yet.” (Associated Press)

Related

Smucker Set To Take More Senior Role On Influential Committee. “U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, entering his fourth term on Jan. 3, is working with a Democratic congress woman from Alabama and a bipartisan pair of U.S. senators to create a new retirement account option for low-income workers.” (LNP)

Why The PA Gas Tax Is Rising In 2023 – And Efforts To Halt Future Hikes. “While gas prices have been dropping in recent weeks, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will be increasing the state gas tax by a few cents, starting Jan. 1.” (York Daily Record)

‘Historic’ Spending On Lehigh Valley Midterms As Two Winners Tabs Exceeded $1M. “In what is being called historically exceptional, two Lehigh Valley candidates for state Senate each had victories that were boosted by more than $1 million in cash and in-kind donations.” (Armchair Lehigh Valley)

Blair County Judge Sullivan Plans To Retire. “Blair County Judge Timothy M. Sullivan says he has no regrets when he looks back at his decision to run in 2005 for a county judicial seat.” (Altoona Mirror)

Passing The Gavel. “In 2007, after practicing law for 21 years, Pamela Ruest ran for judge of the Centre County Court of Common Pleas. She won her election over a young district magisterial judge just seven years removed from law school, Jonathan Grine. Four years later, Grine ran again – successfully – and the two became colleagues on the bench. Now, Grine is preparing to become Ruest’s successor.” (StateCollege.com)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• In Crowded Race For Philly Mayor, Ranked-Choice Voting Makes Sense. (Kyle Sammin, Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Freeze Gas Tax, Or Dedicate It. (Times-Tribune)
• Jan. 6 Committee Strays From Mandate To Pursue Prosecutions. (Don Wolfensberger, The Hill)

1 Thing

5. Perspective

Things that didn’t exist on Christmas 20 years ago:

iPhone
Facebook
YouTube
Instagram
Twitter
TikTok
Android
Bitcoin
Tesla
iPad
Gmail
Netflix streaming
Amazon Prime
Slack
Reddit
Etsy
WhatsApp
Messenger
Google Maps
Snapchat
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Chrome
Zoom
Skype
Spotify
Airbnb
Uber

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