News & Brews June 23, 2022
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Oz shifts away from Trump as focus turns to November
Pre-primary election, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mehmet Oz featured former President Trump prominently in his online and social media presence. Now that Oz has won the Republican nomination and must appeal to a broader set of voters to win the general election race against Democrat John Fetterman, Trump has begun disappearing from Oz’s campaign materials. Axios has more.
House committee advances election-related bills
Yesterday, the House State Government Committee advanced two bills that would, respectively, move Pennsylvania’s primary date in presidential years to March (rather than the current April) and allow poll watchers to work outside their counties of residence. The bills, which previously passed the Senate, now head to the full House for consideration.
Lawmakers reach tentative deal to ban private funding of elections
Spotlight PA reports that legislative leaders have agreed to “a tentative deal to get private money out of election administration. The exact language is still being written, but the compromise, agreed to in principle in a private meeting Wednesday … would increase state funding for county election offices, according to three sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations.” Read more here.
Senate committee to hold hearing today on Right-to-Know Law
The Senate State Government Committee will hold a hearing this morning at 9am on proposed changes to our Right-to-Know Law. Among those scheduled to testify are the current and past executive directors of the state’s Office of Open Records, local school boards and government associations, and the Pennsylvania News Media Association. Click here for the agenda, live-stream link, and links to some of the written testimony.
Dem lawmakers blame gas companies for high prices
Democrat state lawmakers are laying blame for pain at the pump on the shoulders of gas companies, calling their profits “unpatriotic” and introducing bills “targeting what they call price gouging and price-fixing.” The Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield, meanwhile, pointed out, “Gas prices are up 64 percent since 2010. Government spending, state government spending is up 174%, so who’s really gouging Pennsylvanians?”