News & Brews June 7, 2021
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PSEA is scared
If your product is great, you shouldn’t fear competition, right? Well, after Sens. Scott Martin, John DiSanto, and Jake Corman introduced the Excellence in Education for All Act(SB1) on Friday, which would significantly expand educational opportunity for kids across PA, the state’s largest teachers union immediately came out swinging. The PSEA issued a press release blasting the idea of funding students instead of systems, criticizing charter schools, attacking tax credit scholarship programs that help thousands of students, and basically showing the PSEA is terrified of anything that competes with its ability to trap kids in failing schools in order to fill the union coffers with as much dues as possible. The Senate Education Committee is expected to consider SB1 today during a hearing that beings at 12:00pm. Maybe if the PSEA is so afraid of putting kids first, it means the PSEA…isn’t putting kids first.
MontCo ignores law & court decision, counts undated ballots
While Philly reversed course on its intent to count undated mail-in ballots in violation of state law and a state Supreme Court decision, Montgomery County seemingly had no qualms about following through and ditching the rule of law. The Delaware Valley Journal reports the county went ahead and counted undated mail-in ballots in this past primary election, despite the law. “While it appears the number of undated ballots would not alter the outcome of any of the races on the ballot,” the piece notes, “the issue is likely to return for the 2021 general election in November.” Indeed.
How has population shifted among PA communities?
With redistricting looming, Capitol reporter John Finnerty takes a look at Pennsylvania’s shifting population, noting suburbs and cities were the fastest growing parts of the state this past decade, with smaller communities losing population. As the state gears up to redraw legislative and congressional district maps, these shifts will play a key role in the debate.
Butler v. Wolf: The latest
In the ongoing court case before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals challenging Gov. Wolf’s shutdown orders and capacity limits, the New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) on Friday submitted a request to the court asking to participate in oral argument on behalf of the business community. As far as I can tell, oral argument in the case has not yet been scheduled. On May 21, Butler County submitted a letter to the court arguing that with Gov. Wolf’s most recent extension of his emergency disaster declaration, the case is not moot.
Telework, hybrid work here to stay for some state employees
PennLive covers the changing face of employment location for some of Pennsylvania’s state workers as some of these workers will be heading back to the office beginning in July after 15 months of telework.