Good Wednesday morning. Transgender politics. GOP Senate forum on tap. Importance of ballot draw and position. Lamb takes reader poll. Here is the Playbook.

PA Weather
Monroeville | Chance of showers, then Mostly Sunny, 66
Williamsport | Chance wintry mix, 45
King of Prussia | Slight Chance of Rain/Flurries, 48

PA Sports
76ers | lost to Milwaukee, 118-116; THU at Detroit
Flyers | lost to Minnesota, 4-1
Penguins | lost to NY Rangers, 3-2; THU at Minnesota
USMNT | vs. Costa Rica

News

‘Protect Women’s Sports Act’ Moves to Full PA House: A move to exclude transgender girls from participating in girls’ scholastic athletics passed through the Pennsylvania House Education Committee today by a 15-9 vote.

How Important Is a Candidate’s Position on the Ballot?: Wednesday is the “casting of lots,” the day when candidates for office find out how they will be listed on the primary ballot. But who is listed first – Smith or Jones?

Readers Poll: Democrats Should Nominate Lamb for Senate: Congressman Conor Lamb won the PoliticsPA readers poll for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. 

PA Governor Race: ‘How much you’re paying in gas taxes and what Pa. candidates for governor plan to do about it’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “candidates for Pa. governor have ideas for addressing rising gas prices. Here’s what to know.”

• WENY: Shapiro Outlines Plan To Help Pennsylvanians With Rising Costs, Gas Prices

PA Senate Race: ‘GOP Senate candidates Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick will face off publicly for the first time Wednesday’: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that “for months, Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick have been blasting each other with tens of millions of dollars in television ads. Now, the two leading candidates for the GOP Senate nomination in Pennsylvania will be on stage together, in public, for the first time. After much bobbing and weaving, Oz and McCormick will take part in a candidate forum Wednesday in Erie hosted by the Manufacturer & Business Association. They’ll be joined by Republican rivals Jeff Bartos and Kathy Barnette. The 9 a.m. event will be carried on PCN and streamed on its website.”

• LNP | LancasterOnline: Republican candidates for Pa. governor, U.S. Senate join forums; here’s how to watch
• WJET: GOP candidates for Senate to participate in live forum

‘Pennsylvania congressional district map lawsuit ends quietly’: The Associated Press reports that “the remnants of a federal lawsuit by Republicans challenging Pennsylvania’s new congressional districts were dropped Tuesday, three weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene and stop the plan.”

‘Harrisburg is set for a makeover amid retirement wave and a busy primary season’: The Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports that “a total of 37 lawmakers are calling it quits this year, leaving some hotly contested openings in races around the state.”

‘The public could gain easy access to info about how Pa. lawmakers spend taxpayer money on perks’: Spotlight PA reports that “a long-awaited transparency bill that would make legislative expenses accessible online for easy public viewing unanimously cleared a key state House of Representatives panel Tuesday.”

‘Pennsylvania payrolls up, jobless rate down in February’: The Associated Press reports that “Pennsylvania’s payrolls recorded a big jump in February and the unemployment rate sank to a post-pandemic low, according to new state figures.”

‘Group wants to let independents vote in party primaries’: LNP | LancasterOnline reports that “Pennsylvania’s closed political primary system disenfranchises 1.2 million voters and empowers the most extreme voices in the two major parties at the expense of moderates, according to David Thornburgh, the former head of the Philadelphia-based good government organization Committeee of Seventy.”

‘Pennsylvania lawmakers push pro-fossil fuel bills, citing Russia’s war and need for energy security’: StateImpactPA reports that “lawmakers in the state House are advancing a slate of bills aimed at boosting the natural gas industry under the claim of energy security.”

‘Pennsylvania looks to better help communities with high pollution burdens, seeks public input’: StateImpactPA reports that “the Department of Environmental Protection is rolling out new rules to better help communities with high exposure to pollution or environmental hazards.”

‘Workers are fed up, and that’s a good sign for unions, national labor leader says in Pittsburgh’: WESA reports that “the spike in quitting that has accompanied the pandemic represents a “generational opportunity … to galvanize workers,” one of the nation’s top labor leaders said Tuesday in Pittsburgh.”

‘Pa. GOP senators file for injunction to block Gov. Wolf’s carbon-cutting plan for power plants’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “a Pennsylvania court is considering a petition by state Senate Republican leaders to block the Wolf administration from putting fees and a declining cap on carbon dioxide emissions from the state’s coal- and gas-fired power plants.”

‘State House Committee Passes Bill Pushing For Transparency On Hidden EZ-Pass Fees’: KDKA reports that “the House Transportation Committee voted unanimously Tuesday on a bill that would push for more transparency for E-ZPass holders.”

‘Fewer students are applying for aid to colleges and trade schools. That’s a risk of money ‘being left on the table’ for those in need.’: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that “experts worry that lower-income students and underrepresented minorities — groups already taking the brunt of enrollment declines in the pandemic — could be most vulnerable.”

‘Progressive candidates seek distance from label’: The Hill reports that “left-wing candidates from Pennsylvania to North Carolina to Missouri are shying away from the P-word on the campaign trail, in messaging and online fundraising, and even in media blitzes, signaling an attempt to rebrand their wing of the party as Democrats debate how to win the midterm elections.”

Legislative Election Updates

‘Everything you need to know about Pittsburgh’s April 5 special election’: Pittsburgh City Paper reports that “Allegheny County is holding two special elections next week on Tue., April 5 in the 19th Legislative District and the 24th Legislative District.”

‘Redrawn districts, incumbent battle highlight primary Lehigh Valley races for Pa. House, Senate seats’: The Allentown Morning Call reports that “a slew of high-interest election contests — including a showdown between two veteran House incumbents and a repeat of a tight 2020 House race between Rep. Peter Schweyer and Enid Santiago — are on tap for the Lehigh Valley in the May 17 primary election.”

‘State House, Senate candidates submit nomination petitions, setting up pair of contested local elections’: The Johnstown Tribune-Democrat reports that “there will be two contested local races in this year’s primaries for seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.”

‘Many area incumbents will face no opposition this election year’: The Observer-Reporter reports that “for many incumbents in Washington and Fayette counties, this could well be a very good – and very relaxing – election year.”

‘Former Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson is still eager to serve and says she’s ready to run for it’: PennLive reports that “Thompson is running for the redrawn 103rd State House seat covering a large swath of Harrisburg and several West Shore towns.”

‘Williams makes it official — he’s a Republican candidate in 119th District’: The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader reports that “former WNEP morning anchor Tom Williams made it official Tuesday: He is a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 119th Legislative District.”

Regional Spotlight: Southwest
Tribune Review: Pittsburgh metro area loses population, leads nation in natural population decline 
Post-Gazette: Pa. Fish and Boat’s first Black commissioner: ‘It’s not about race. It’s about fishing’
KDKA: Mayor Ed Gainey Says It Is Time Major NonProfits Pay Their Fair Share
KDKA: Monessen’s Former Mayor Says Inappropriate Actions Are Happening Inside City Hall 
KDKA: City Of Pittsburgh To Resume Street Sweeping Later This Week
Pittsburgh Business Times: Pittsburgh to receive clean-energy strategy funds 
Pittsburgh Business Times: Pennsylvania greenlights sale of Pittsburgh’s 5th-biggest bank
KDKA: Pitt Students Meet With State Lawmakers In Harrisburg To Talk Tuition And College Costs 
WESA: Pennsylvania holds public hearings on ‘forever chemicals’ drinking water regulation 
WESA: $246.8 million plan would complete loop of trails and parks along Pittsburgh’s downtown riverfronts 
WESA: Not sick of redistricting yet? Have a look at this draft of new City Council districts 
WESA: U.S. Steel fined $4.5 million for air pollution in Clairton 
WESA: Pitt faculty union files unfair labor charge with university over masking policy change
Post-Gazette: Port Authority union files unfair labor practice charge over employees fired for not getting COVID vaccine 
Post-Gazette: Long-awaited repairs for Emsworth Locks and Dams to get $77M boost in federal infrastructure funds
Post-Gazette: Solar companies carve out their piece of Pennsylvania’s farmland, dividing the farmers 
Post-Gazette: Union head rips Port Authority over suspensions, firings
Post-Gazette: Jim Rogers death spotlights Pittsburgh’s hurdles in quest to reform policing
Post-Gazette: Superintendent search firm brings experience, clear plan, Pittsburgh Public Schools board president says
Tribune Review: URA Deputy Executive Director Diamonte Walker leaving for private sector
Tribune Review: Westmoreland County hires firm to reduce inmate recidivism
City Paper: Applications for Allegheny County Police Review Board now open
Observer-Reporter: Survey helping officials find where to expand broadband internet in Washington County
Observer-Reporter: Tourism revenue from hotel occupancy tax rebounds in Washington, Greene
Altoona Mirror: Blair approves labor contract
Altoona Mirror: City Council hears snow emergency parking ban proposal
Altoona Mirror: Blair joins regional broadband study

Opinion  
Susan Gobreski: Democracy is all of us. We need to work together to affirm our commitment to elections
Paul Muschick: What school boards should tell parents who are picking ridiculous fights
Shannon Gority: Establishing the Clean Stream Fund would help Pennsylvania farmers avoid polluting our waterways 
John L. Micek: Pa. leads on these acts of hate. Will lawmakers act before time runs out? | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Charles Ellison and Mark Gleason: Honor this, City Council
Post-Gazette Editorial Board: Hanging out is a public health imperative
Susan Jacobson and Regina A. Hairston: The next must-do item for the Philly budget? Promoting business growth.
Trent Bryden: Teachers need to be able to see the contracts that will govern their work
Steph Sorensen: How one mom learned to hate capitalism
Trevor Burrus: 100 years of dehumanizing opioid users must end 
Margo Woodacre and Bill Ferguson: Big water companies are gobbling up public water systems 
Ernest Owens: Will Smith Went West Philly on Chris Rock — As He Should Have
William Collier: With an early Alzheimer’s diagnosis, my wife might still be living at home
Michael Coard: Ketanji Brown Jackson is proof all judges should be Black women 
Caitlin M. Brown, Sarah Louise MacMillen, and Lara Putnam: Why did child porn come up in the Supreme Court confirmation hearings?