Good Wednesday Morning. RIP Blake Hounshell.

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What We’re Hearing
“Answer the call you signed up for as elected officials and public servants. Pennsylvania is waiting.” – Tom Wolf

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Top Story

1. ‘Pennsylvania Is Waiting’: Wolf Urges Lawmakers To Focus On Helping Child Sex Abuse Victims

“Gov. Tom Wolf is growing impatient with the General Assembly’s failure to act quickly to ensure a proposed constitutional amendment to extend the timeline for past victims of child sexual abuse to file civil actions.

After the first day of a special session focused solely on opening a two-year window in which survivors of childhood sexual abuse could sue their attackers in civil courts produced no progress on that issue, Wolf, who only has a week left in his term of office, released a statement on Tuesday expressing his frustration.” (PennLive)

Related

‘Is This Ever Going To End?’ Abuse Survivors Still Waiting For Statutory Window. “Nearly two decades after widespread sexual abuse and systematic cover-ups by Catholic clergy were uncovered in Pennsylvania, survivors are still waiting for state lawmakers to give them legal relief.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

PA Senate Adds Controversy To Effort To Help Childhood Sex Abuse Survivors. “A proposed constitutional amendment to provide a two-year window to revive child sex abuse claims is teed up for consideration by the state Senate on Wednesday as part of a package of more controversial amendments.” (PennLive)

PA House At A Standstill As Deadline Nears To Get Relief For Child Sex Abuse Survivors On May Ballot. “Pennsylvania’s closely divided state House has recessed indefinitely, throwing the chamber’s agenda, including a number of far-reaching constitutional amendments, into limbo.” (Spotlight PA)

Report: Taxpayers Could Shoulder $32B Cost In Childhood Sexual Abuse Cases. “A new report in Pennsylvania estimates opening a two-year litigation window for survivors of childhood sexual abuse to file civil claims against public schools could cost taxpayers as much as $32 billion.” (The Center Square)

Harrisburg

2. Legislation Introduced To Move PA Presidential Primary Date

“State Senators Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and David Argall (R-Carbon/Luzerne/Schuylkill), along with State Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) and Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia), will introduce legislation that would move Pennsylvania’s 2024 presidential primary election date one month earlier.” (PoliticsPA)

Related

State Lawmakers Renew Effort To Move Up PA’s Presidential Primary Date. “After a similar effort died in the last legislative session, state lawmakers are once again pushing a bill to move up Pennsylvania’s presidential primary election date.” (PennLive)

• Democrats Are Trying To Revamp Their Presidential Primary Calendar. (WESA)

PA Senate Committee Approves Bill That Would Roll Back Automatic Gas Tax Increase. “The Senate Transportation Committee voted Monday to approve legislation that would roll back the gas tax increase that took effect days ago. Pennsylvania’s gas tax of 61.5 cents a gallon is the second highest in the nation, behind only California.” (Capitolwire.com)

An Outdated Law Prohibits Teachers From Wearing Religious Emblems. PA Lawmakers Are Trying To Get Rid Of It For A Third Time. “Nearly 20 years have passed since a Pennsylvania elementary school instructional aide was suspended for refusing to conceal a small cross on her necklace — a suspension that ultimately led a federal court to rule that her rights were violated.” (Morning Call)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Shapiro Announces Three More Cabinet Appointments

“Governor-elect Josh Shapiro selected three more members to his team with the appointments of Rich Negrin as Secretary of Environmental Protection, Cindy Adams Dunn as Secretary of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Russell Redding as Secretary of Agriculture.” (PoliticsPA)

• Former Top Philly Official Rich Negrin Is Shapiro’s Pick To Lead DEP. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Shapiro Names Picks For Ag, Parks And Environmental Agencies. (Associated Press)

Related

In Remembrance Of A Beloved And Very Online Journalist. “Blake Hounshell, a witty and astute political observer who possessed a special knack for understanding the dynamics of internet journalism and became one of the driving forces behind POLITICO’s success over nearly a decade, died Tuesday morning at age 44.” (POLITICO)

Philly’s Next Mayor Will Inherit An Unprecedented Gun Violence Crisis. Here’s How It Is Defining The Race. “Crime has been a top political issue in Philadelphia for as long as anyone can remember, but few recall a time when it was quite this salient.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Chester’s Receiver Accuses Mayor Of Threats, Asks Court To Strip Elected City Officials Of Administrative Powers. “The city of Chester is in economic free fall. For the past two and a half years, a state-appointed receiver has been working with city officials to save Chester from its fiscal emergency. However, the relationship between the two parties has fractured.” (WHYY)

Allegheny Co. Councilwoman Bethany Hallam Faces Censure Vote Following ‘Vulgar’ Language At Meeting. “An initial attempt to censure Allegheny County Councilwoman Bethany Hallam, over foul language directed at a fellow member, was defeated Tuesday night. A full vote to censure will occur later this month, a councilman said.” (Tribune-Review)

• County Council Delays Bill To Censure Hallam For ‘Vulgar’ Remark At Jail Oversight Board. (WESA)

Erica Brusselars Launches Bid For Allegheny County Treasurer. “For the first time in nearly 25 years, Allegheny County could have a new county treasurer, as Democrat Erica Rocchi Brusselars announced her candidacy Tuesday.” (Tribune-Review)

Scranton School District Moves Out Of Recovery. “When the Scranton School District entered recovery four years ago, many questioned if the district’s finances would improve enough to leave the state program. A lot can change in four years.” (Times-Tribune)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

A glance around the Keystone State at editorials and opinions.

• Should Speaker Rozzi Register As An Independent? (Tribune-Review)
• Don’t Let Bipartisan Experiment In PA House Unravel. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• How Truthful Must Politicians Be? (Matthew Yglesias, Bloomberg)
• Harrisburg Republicans Are Leveraging Abuse Victims For Political Gain. (J.J. Abbott, Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
• Khalid Mumin Appears A Solid Choice For State Education Secretary. (Irv Randolph, Philadelphia Tribune)
• Local Towns Should Pay For State Police. (Times-Tribune)

1 Thing

5. Picking The Best Whoopie Pie

“I have eaten many whoopie pies in my life, so my love of this tasty treat came in handy at the Pennsylvania Farm Show today. It was less than 10 minutes from the start of the Jan. 10 whoopie pie contest in the show’s main hall, and organizers Sheila Hackinson and Diana Bissett were still searching for judges

Enter a Lancaster Farming reporter looking for a story.

I had never judged a baking contest, but who says no to judging the best whoopie pies in the state?” (Lancaster Farming)

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