News & Brews April 12, 2024
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Gov. Shapiro attends White House state dinner
The Inquirer reports that on Wednesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro and First Lady Lori Shapiro attended the White House state dinner honoring the relationship between the U.S. and Japan. “The Shapiros were among more than 200 guests, including the Clintons, Jeff Bezos, and members of the Biden family.” And while Shapiro has his own presidential ambitions, “The governor has vowed to do whatever it takes to get Biden reelected, and his attendance Wednesday night shows that their alliance remains strong.”
How the media wants you to vet candidates
Spotlight PA has provided a guide for how it thinks you should vet candidates for office. One way, specifically for incumbents, is to look at voting records (makes sense). Spotlight provides the list of bills it thinks are important—of course, this list may or may not be the same bills that voters think are important. Spotlight also provides its list of organizations that endorse or recommend candidates. So, check out the guide, but realize it’s the perspective of one media outlet.
Editorial: Anonymous donations to gov’t should be subject to Right-to-Know
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Editorial Board points out what it deems a flaw in Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know law: Anonymous donations to government entities are exempt from the law—provided the donations are from individuals and not businesses. “Giving to government is different from giving to a charity,” the Ed Board writes. “A charity can promise anonymity without a problem…. Give to government and there can be questions about quid pro quo. Was there an expectation that giving money for one project means the donor’s property will be protected in zoning or services will be used for a contract? There are very real reasons to keep a name quiet — and some of them are a bit sketchy.”
Senators hold hearing on Pa. as innovation leader
Yesterday, the Pa. Senate Majority Policy Committee held a hearing on innovation in Pa. The Center Square reports that among the themes was “figur[ing] out ways to keep young people from fleeing for greener pastures elsewhere.” Read the story here, or click here for video and testimony from the hearing.
Op-Ed: ‘Cutting cyber charter funding hurts Pa. students’
If Pa. cyber charter schools “were their own school district,” their approximately 68,000-member student body “would comprise one of the largest student bodies in the commonwealth, second only to the 118,000 students enrolled in Philadelphia’s school district,” writes the Commonwealth Foundation’s Rachel Langan. Why, then, are Gov. Shapiro and some lawmakers pushing for a 44% funding cut to these students? “Cyber charter students are public school students and deserve a fully funded education, just like every other kid in Pennsylvania. Lawmakers need to value cyber students as much as they value brick-and-mortar students.”