News & Brews April 12, 2023

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Some Pennsylvanians’ DMV data handed to non-profit

Broad + Liberty reports that in 2020, the Pa. Department of State “apparently transferred partial data profiles of hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians to a nonprofit group through an intermediary as part of the department’s attempt to get more ‘eligible but unregistered’ citizens registered and to the polls.” The move stemmed from Pa.’s membership in the multi-state Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). ERIC has drawn attention recently “as a number of Republican-led states have left the compact.”

House committee considers Motor License Fund changes

PennLive reports that yesterday, the House Transportation Committee held a “hearing about [Gov. Shapiro’s] proposal to eliminate dipping into the Motor License Fund to fund anything other than transportation projects. Currently, the state uses $500 million of the Motor License Fund, fueled mainly by the gas tax and motor license fees, to support the state police.” While the proposal “enjoys broad support from various sectors, … those representing the policing community have expressed concern that they could end up shortchanged when the funding from this revenue stream for the state police dries up.”

Today’s budget hearings schedule

This morning at 9:30 a.m., the Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a budget hearing with the Department of Human Services. That hearing will be live-streamed here. On the House side, the Appropriations Committee will hear from the Department of Labor & Industry at 10:00 a.m., the Department of Revenue at 1:00 p.m., and the Office of the Inspector General at 3:00 p.m. Those hearings will be live-streamed here.

Pa. near top in getting more $$$ from DC than it pays in taxes

The Post-Gazette reports that from 2015 to 2021, “Pennsylvania received $416.2 billion more from Washington than individuals and businesses in the state paid in federal taxes.” This places us third behind Virginia, Florida, and Texas. The info comes per a study from the Rockefeller Institute of Government at the State University of New York. The story notes that according to the Institute, “Pennsylvania doesn’t have the kind of high-income taxpayers that call New York, New Jersey or Massachusetts home. But it does have plenty of residents receiving federal assistance, including the elderly.”

Candidates take the stage in Philly mayoral debate

Last night, seven of the 10 Democrat candidates vying for Philadelphia mayor met for their first televised debate. The Inquirer reports that topics included “the proposed Sixers arena, stop-and-frisk, education, and how to tackle the city’s gun-violence crisis.”

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