🚗  Friday. Gentlemen (and ladies), start your engines. I-95 is reopening.

PA Weather
Oil City | Showers, 75
Mount Union | Showers, 75
Bryn Mawr | Showers, 79

PA Sports
Phillies (38-36) | Atlanta 1-5 | F-Sun vs. NY Mets
Pirates (34-40) | Miami 4-6 | F-Sun vs. Miami
Union (9-5-4) | Sat vs. Inter Miami

What We’re Hearing
Lt. Gov. Austin Davis and his wife, Blayre Holmes Davis, are expecting a baby girl.

Happy Birthday
Early returns for Rep. Joe Hohenstein (Sat.).

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Top Story

1. House Republicans Warn State Budget Could Be Late As They Push Back On Democrats’ Proposal

“House Republican leaders warned Thursday that the General Assembly could miss the June 30 deadline to pass a new state budget after voting against funding for Pennsylvania’s state-related universities and opposing appropriations bills that departed from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s spending proposal.

Republicans accused the chamber’s majority Democrats of mismanaging the 203-member chamber’s calendar, putting an on-time approval at risk.

“[House Majority Leader Matt Bradford, D-Montgomery] correctly pointed out that there’s only eight days left, but the only reason that we’re stuck at eight days is because they waited so long to actually begin the process,” House Minority Leader Bryan Cutler said.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

Related

Partisan Fighting Over Funding For Pitt Reveals Tensions In PA Budget Negotiations. “Partisan face-offs in the state House on Thursday that included one over funding for the University of Pittsburgh gave the clearest sign yet that state budget negotiations could stretch past the June 30 end of the fiscal year.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Perry, House Freedom Caucus Face Internal Purge Push. “Tensions inside the conservative House Freedom Caucus have reached the point that some members are floating the idea of purging colleagues from the group. At least two hardliners have discussed — and proposed to Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry (R-Pa.) — trying to boot members who no longer meet the group’s ideological standards, according to three Republicans with knowledge of the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity.” (POLITICO)

State

2. Lifeline Scholarships. What Are They? What’s The Problem?

Perhaps you have heard of them. Lifeline Scholarships.

Catchy name. Inflammatory game. (PoliticsPA)

Related

Is It Time For School Vouchers To Be PA Law? It’d Be An Education ‘Game Changer’  “School-choice proponents have been waiting decades for a taxpayer-funded voucher program to come to fruition in Pennsylvania and now are growing increasingly hopeful it might come to pass as part of the 2023-24 state budget.” (PennLive)

Shapiro Affirms Support For Funding Private School Vouchers Amid Budget Push. “A coalition with wealthy backers is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to use public dollars to create tuition vouchers so K-12 students can attend private schools, an idea Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration has reiterated that he’s on board with, to the dismay of many of his fellow Democrats.” (Spotlight PA)

Emails Show How Religious Liberties Law Firm Have Influenced Bucks and  York Schools. “A conservative, religious liberties law firm has encouraged Central Bucks School District officials to embrace restrictions on transgender athletes, offering them a ready-made policy and resources to promote it.” (Bucks County Courier Times)

PA House Passes Bill To Provide Up To $15,000 Stipends For Student Teachers. “Legislation that would provide student teachers up to a $15,000 grant during their 12-week required student teaching assignments won Pennsylvania House of Representative passage on Thursday by a 141-62 bipartisan vote.” (PennLive)

• PA Senate Passes Bill To Expand Treatment For Sexual Assault Survivors. (WESA)
• PA Senate Votes To Expand Ban On Using Cell Phones While Driving. (AP)

House Committee Hears Testimony On Changing State’s Closed Primary: ‘Why Can’t Pennsylvania’?  “A state House committee heard testimony on Thursday from supporters and opponents of legislation that would update Pennsylvania’s election code to do away with closed primaries.” (Pennsylvania Capital-Star)

• Election Officials Wary Of Open Primary Logistics. (The Center Square)
• Schmidt Certifies 2023 Primary Results. (PoliticsPA)

Harry Confirmed To Lead Department Of Corrections. “The Pennsylvania Senate unanimously confirmed Laurel Harry to serve as the Secretary of the Department of Corrections.” (PoliticsPA)

Around The Commonwealth

3. Temporary Lanes On I-95 Will Reopen Today At Noon, Shapiro Says

“The temporary lanes for the damaged section of Interstate 95 in Northeast Philadelphia will reopen noon Friday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office announced.

“Thanks to the crews that have worked around the clock to repair I-95, six lanes of traffic will reopen to motorists at 12:00 p.m. ET tomorrow,” Shapiro’s office said in an advisory Thursday evening.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Related

They Danced When Biden Won. Now They’re Biting Their Nails. “A strong showing in the midterms should have Democrats sitting pretty. So why are some Philly Dems on edge?” (POLITICO)

Ups and Downs. “It’s party time in Hershey … as well as Philadelphia. For completely different reasons. The Bears are bringing the Calder Cup back to the region for a Saturday celebration at the Giant Center. Laborers are bringing a gift to the residents of the Delaware Valley, too, as lanes of I-95 are expected to open Friday. All of our Ups and Downs are right here.” (PoliticsPA)

Tax Cuts And More Police Spending Are In Mayor Jim Kenney And Council President Darrell Clarke’s Final Budget. “Philadelphia’s business and wage tax rates will fall slightly, police funding will increase by $55 million, and the city will spend $45 million more on efforts to recruit and retain municipal employees as part of a $6.2 billion budget that City Council approved Thursday.” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Senate Judicial Committee Gives Unanimous Approval For Judge Appointments To Piecuch, Toomey. “Snyder County District Attorney Michael Piecuch and Northumberland County District Judge Michael Toomey received unanimous approval for early appointment to the Court of Common Pleas Thursday from the Pennsylvania Senate Judicial Committee.” (Daily Item)

Johnny Doc At Center Of Testy Union Fight. “Local 98 will make a crucial choice Saturday about union leadership. And Johnny Doc is at the center of contention about that. Where else would he be?” (Philadelphia Inquirer)

Editorial

4. What They’re Saying

• The Reproductive Rights Of PA Women Are At Risk In The Next Senatorial Race. (Dr. Sherry L. Blumenthal)
• One Year After Dobbs, We Must Better Persuade Our Fellow Citizens Of The Pro-Life Position. (Michael J. McMonagle)
• To Stop Censorship, We Must Let Moms For Liberty Speak. (Jonathan Zimmerman)
• Permitting Reform Is Unsexy, But More Important Than Ever. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
• The Time Is Right For PA To Finally Raise Its Minimum Wage. (Marc Stier)
• Don’t Let PA Replicate The Minnesota Mess. (Andy Bloom)
• America Can Fix Its Highways Much Faster, If It Wants. (Matthew Yglesias)

1 Thing

5. Pig On The Run

The pig wasn’t greased, but it was just as elusive.

After a week of Lancaster Township residents calling police to report a pig on the loose in the city suburb of Hamilton Park, officers from Manheim Township Police Department called in a team from Lancaster Farm Sanctuary to help them chase and eventually corner the 200-pound potbelly Thursday.

The equipment the officers had on hand was designed to catch dogs, not pigs. Moreover, they had nowhere to take it.

Officers still have no idea where the pig, named Gregory, came from and are not currently investigating, as he has been safely relocated.  (LNP)

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