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 School Plan Contrasts with Study Council OKs Verizon for cable-TV 2 Judges Charged with Corruption Survey: Affluent GOP Leave Party Bethlehem Sands Casino on Hold
Legislators Weigh in on Budget Lawmakers: Gov Kept Budget Secret Lawmakers Cautious on Spending
Brad Bumstead Pittsburgh Tribune-Review John Baer
Philadelphia Daily News Michael Smerconish
Philadelphia Inquirer
Kathleen Parker Chicago Tribune
Panetta to End Interrogation Tactics Obama Expands Faith-Based Office Gingsburg has Pancreatic Cancer Casey Deluged with Obama Requests Specter Seeks Infrastructure Cash
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UpdatesSTATE DEMS ROLL BACK REFORM RULESHouse Democrats rolled back a few reforms that grew out of the 2005 pay-raise controversy Wednesday night, an action that drew little notice as Gov. Ed Rendell's proposed budget dominated media discussions. "Now, unfortunately, because of these rules before us, it's a step back from reform," Republican state Rep. Bryan Cutler of Peach Bottom said Thursday night. House Republicans, who have five fewer members in their caucus than the Democratic majority, are raising concerns about the following three changes in how legislation will be crafted in the House: Expanded power by the House Rules Committee, dominated by the Democratic leadership team, to amend bills that come out of the state Senate for concurrence. (More) IS VIDEO POKER PLAYED OUT? ANALYSTS THINK SOPeter Carlino, the chief executive officer of Penn National Gaming Inc., has a lot of concerns with the economy, but Gov. Ed Rendell's plan to allow video-poker gambling in bars and taverns doesn't crack his top 10 list. The reason: Carlino doesn't see Rendell's proposal as having a real shot. "I think it has a very slim possibility of occurring," Carlino said Thursday. Advertisement Carlino has more than a passing interest in the debate on video poker. His company owns Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. Some industry analysts have said that video poker could hurt the state's casinos. Rendell has proposed allowing video-poker gambling in bars and restaurants as part of his plan to help students pay for college. Carlino can understand Rendell's desire to tap into the potential resource. (More)
GOVERNOR UNVEILS BUDGETGov. Ed Rendell kicked off a tough political debate Wednesday with a proposed state budget that spreads some pain across Northeast Pennsylvania, while increasing spending on key health care and education programs. Faced with an economy in deep recession and a $2.3 billion tax revenue shortfall, Mr. Rendell seeks to eliminate long-standing budget items, preserve spending for favorite initiatives like early childhood education, and embrace proposals that have languished at the Capitol for decades like school district consolidation. Mr. Rendell wants to turn over control of the Scranton State School for the Deaf to an education consortium and eventually save state taxpayers $7.2 million in operating costs annually. (More) GOP SENATORS OFFER HEALTH CARE SAFETY NETRepublican senators revived a health care access plan Monday that would give community clinics a larger role in providing treatment to the working poor. Senators said they want to offer a safety net to Pennsylvanians lacking health care, but noted their proposal differs from a plan touted by Gov. Ed Rendell and House Democratic leaders to expand state-subsidized insurance for hundreds of thousands working adults. The 15 bills in the Senate majority proposal are the same as unveiled last June down to estimates of numbers of Pennsylvanians that would be served. A $50 million expansion of community clinics would serve an estimated 175,000 Pennsylvanians and relieve pressure on hospital emergency rooms, senators said. (More)
COUNTIES NOT INTERESTED IN 1% SALES TAX HIKETo help Pennsylvania's counties ride through the economic recession, Gov. Ed Rendell yesterday proposed allowing counties except Allegheny and Philadelphia to impose an additional sales tax of up to 1 percent as a means of generating revenue. But local counties say they aren't interested in charging higher taxes. Under the proposal, the counties could share up to 50 percent of the additional revenue they collect from the levy with their municipalities, the governor said. At the moment, the state sales tax is 6 percent in most counties, except Allegheny and Philadelphia, which have a 7 percent sales tax. (More) MERGING DISTRICTS RAISES CONTROL ISSUESArea school officials say some consolidation of districts may be a good idea. The questions are: how and where? Gov. Ed Rendell wants to create a commission that pares Pennsylvania school districts down to 100 because he thinks it will save money, primarily in administrative costs. There will be 500 districts as of July 1 after two in Beaver County merge. The commission would have one year to develop a plan for the reorganization of school districts. It would be responsible for determining optimal enrollment size, new boundaries and an implementation plan. Rendell, who presented the plan during his budget address Wednesday, wants the commission to adopt two merger plans, and the state Legislature would be required to vote on both within six months. (More) GAS DRILLERS PROPOSE STATE TAX SHIFTRather than imposing a new tax on natural gas production just as the industry is starting to boom, Pennsylvania could collect royalties and bonuses by allowing wells to be developed on state-owned land, a group of gas drilling companies said Thursday. "This option would not only help create new jobs, it would also provide an immediate economic benefit that does not hinder growth and development, especially in these difficult macroeconomic times," the Marcellus Shale Committee said in a statement. Gov. Ed Rendell this week proposed a tax to raise $107 million a year from natural gas production statewide, including wells planned underneath thousands of acres in the Marcellus region that covers much of the state. (More)
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Terror Threats Prompt PA Rail Securtiy Focus PA Farm Show Hosts 70th Annual Standardbred Horse Sale
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Linda Rhinehart, VP, Government Relations 2101 Orchard Road • Camp Hill, PA 17011 • (717) 975-2148 The opinions expressed do not
necessarily reflect those of Hershey Philbin
Associates
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