News & Brews July 18, 2022
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Pa. House Majority Leader appeals to SCOTUS on legislative maps
Pa. House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff is appealing to the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in the new state House maps. As reported in the Inquirer, Benninghoff’s filing claims: “Pennsylvania’s Legislative Reapportionment Commission admittedly made extensive use of race in constructing up to 14 state legislative districts. … The Commission ‘positioned’ Pennsylvania voters into districts because of their race, drawing majority-minority and influence districts in Philadelphia, Allentown, and elsewhere.” Read more.
Last Week in Wolf: Executive order, veto pen
Similar to Democratic governors in other states, Gov. Wolf signed an executive order related to non-Pennsylvanians seeking abortions in Pennsylvania after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade. PennLive reports, “Wolf said in a statement that he would refuse a request from any other state to arrest or detain any out-of-state resident who had traveled to Pennsylvania to seek an abortion, as well as anyone providing or assisting with it.” But lest you think he traded in his veto pen in favor of executive orders, last week Gov. Wolf vetoed bipartisan legislation that would have prevented municipalities from banning natural gas hookups in building codes. Apparently, Gov. Wolf is in favor of local decision-making in regards to climate change mandates, and federal decision-making in regards to expanding abortion access.
Where did the workers go?
The Independent Fiscal Office is asking the same question many job creators are: “Where did the workers go?” The Center Square breaks it down: “The commonwealth has lost 120,000 workers since 2019 …and its 4.6% unemployment rate is higher than the national rate of 3.6%.” Further, “even though the labor market is strong, with many job openings and employers offering higher wages, Pennsylvania has fewer people ready to work a job than before the pandemic.”
“Scholarships work.”
“We know that there are thousands of students in Philadelphia who deserve and could benefit from scholarships but are unable to access them. Each year, we turn away thousands of deserving Philadelphia students whose lives could be transformed through education,” writes Keisha Jordan, president and CEO of Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia. Check out her piece in the Inquirer, sharing the impact that the recent $125 million increase in tax credit scholarships will have for students in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania.