News & Brews January 9, 2023
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Wolf calls for special legislative session
On Friday, Gov. Wolf called for a special session of the legislature “to be held on Monday, January 9, 2023, to propose a constitutional amendment to retroactively extend the timeline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil actions.” In response, Republican Leader Bryan Cutler issued a statement, noting “it is not in the best interest of the Commonwealth to do this work in special session, where we are required to only work on a single issue….” Senate Republican leaders echoed Cutler’s sentiment. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mark Rozzi issued a statement thanking Wolf and saying, “as long as I am the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the House will consider no other legislation until the General Assembly passes” the proposed amendment.
House rules up for debate?
If you’re interested in the inner workings of the House, here’s one for you. Republican Leader Bryan Cutler hand-delivered a letter to Democrat Leader Joanna McClinton on Friday, proposing several changes to House rules. Cutler also requested that the two “meet as soon as practicable” to work together on the rules.
Here’s who Fetterman is hiring
PennLive reports that on Friday, Sen. John Fetterman announced nearly 20 new staff members for his Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania offices. The list ranges from campaign aides to current senatorial staffers for other members.
State officials use state plane on taxpayer dime
PennLive takes a look at how Pa. officials, particularly Gov. Wolf, have used the taxpayer-funded state plane to travel around the wide expanses of Pennsylvania—and sometimes beyond. The story also looks at how Pa.’s use of the plane compares with neighboring Ohio’s.
Pa. GOP delegation backs McCarthy for speaker
After a crazy week in the U.S. House, which saw 15 rounds of voting for House Speaker, lawmakers voted 216 to 2012 to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy to the top post. Six GOP lawmakers voted “present”. As for Pa.’s delegation: all Republicans backed McCarthy, while all Democrats backed Rep. Hakeem Jeffries.
Op-Ed: School choice is here to stay
National Coalition for Public School Options President Letrisha Weber looks at how Democrat Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro came out in support of school choice—shocking many just weeks before the election—and how this is just one example from across the country of school choice winning.