News & Brews February 15, 2022
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A look at Corman’s campaign for governor
The Inquirer presents a less than flowery picture of Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman’s campaign for the Republican nomination for governor, focusing particularly on staff turnover (which isn’t entirely unusual). The piece also notes that while Corman “is among just a handful of candidates who have enough campaign cash for TV ads,” some say his fundraising has been less than anticipated. Read the piece here. (Disclosure: Commonwealth Partners has endorsed Bill McSwain for governor.)
Former rep fined for campaign finance violations … but still getting pension
The Associated Press reports that a county judge in Harrisburg yesterday fined Democrat former state Rep. Margo Davidson $150 for violating campaign finance law. The story notes that “[t]he case involved expense reimbursements from the House and from her campaign” and adds that Davidson “had already paid more than $6,000 in restitution.” But lest we forget, because of a sweetheart deal from Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Davidson is still getting a taxpayer-backed pension, to the tune of $1,271.88 per month, in addition to a $65,564.24 lump-sum payment she took.
Op-Ed: The latest Covid info the Wolf administration claims not to have
Remember how several weeks back, some states and localities were releasing info on how many Covid hospitalization were “for” Covid rather than simply “with” Covid—a key distinction? I thought I’d try to get the same info from the Wolf administration. You can guess how my effort ended. Broad + Liberty has the full op-ed by yours truly. Read it here.
Senate committee hearing today on election reform
The Senate State Government Committee will hold a public hearing this afternoon at 1pm on bipartisan election reform. The hearing will include testimony from the Bipartisan Policy Center and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. Click here for the agenda, and click here to watch the livestream at 1pm.
House budget hearings today
Speaking of hearings, the House Appropriations Committee will hold multiple budget hearings today, including a 10am hearing with the Department of Revenue, a 1pm hearing with the Independent Fiscal Office, and a 3pm hearing with the Department of Aging. Click here for the links to watch those hearings.