News & Brews April 5, 2022
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Wolf may call for special session to fix his administration’s blunder
Yesterday, Gov. Wolf indicated he will call for a special session of the General Assembly if lawmakers “fail to send him a bill that opens a two-year retroactive window for these victims [of child sexual abuse] to file lawsuits outside of the statute of limitations as part of the state budget package in June,” PennLive reports. Of course, the only reason a constitutional amendment opening this window didn’t reach voters last year is that the Wolf administration screwed up the required process for advertising the amendment. So, there’s that.
Senate falls short on overriding RGGI
By a 32-17 vote, the Senate fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override Gov. Wolf’s veto and block the regulation forcing Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Senate Republicans are challenging the regulation in Commonwealth Court, and that court “has scheduled a May 4 hearing on a Senate GOP petition to prohibit the rule from being published while courts are considering the case,” the Post-Gazette reports. Click here to read Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward’s statement on the veto override attempt.
Senate hearing today on 3rd-party election funding
This morning at 11:30, the Senate State Government Committee will hold a public hearing on legislation addressing private funding of elections. The issue came to the forefront after the Mark Zuckerberg-funded Center for Tech and Civic Life awarded election grants to Democrat leaning counties in 2020. Click here for the hearing agenda and live-stream link.
Will Fetterman’s lead last in Dem. Senate primary?
The Inquirer asks whether Democrat U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman will be able to maintain his notable lead in the final weeks before the primary amid the concerted attacks from his opponents. As one Democrat strategist put it, “I think his [Fetterman’s] support is a mile wide and an inch deep.” Read the Inky’s take here.