News & Brews May 29, 2024
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Another lawsuit over Pa. mail-in ballots
A new day. A new lawsuit. Yesterday, several Democrat-aligned group—the ACLU among them—filed yet another lawsuit in an attempt to get incorrectly filled-out mail-in ballots to be counted. This despite a recent federal court ruling upholding Pa.’s law requiring mail-in ballots to be properly completed in order to be valid. Per the AP, “The latest lawsuit,” filed in state court, “says multiple courts have found that a voter-written date is meaningless in determining whether the ballot arrived on time or whether the voter is eligible. As a result, rejecting someone’s ballot either because it lacks a date or a correct date should violate the Pennsylvania Constitution’s free and equal elections clause.”
Biden/Harris to kick off Black voter outreach in Pa.
In a visit to Girard College and the Black Chamber of Commerce in Philadelphia today, President Biden and Vice President Harris are slated to “launch a new Black voter outreach effort,” the AP reports. “The Philadelphia stops are the start of what the campaign is describing as an eight-figure, summerlong effort to engage Black student organizations, community groups and faith centers.” The move comes as approval of Biden among Black voters has dropped significantly since he took office.
A look at AG candidate fundraising
Both the Republican and Democrat primary races for state attorney general were contested, meaning candidates spent money they would rather have held onto for the general election. Spotlight PA gives a super short rundown of fundraising since the primary by Republican nominee Dave Sunday—whom we are supporting—and Democrat nominee Eugene DePasquale. Of course, we anticipate national Democrat organizations will target this race and wind up pouring millions of dollars from out-of-state donors and special interests into it.
Bipartisan effort to change law on net operating losses
CNHI news reports, “A bipartisan mix of Pennsylvania lawmakers look[s] to raise or eliminate the cap on net operating losses that businesses can carry over, calling the proposals essential to making the commonwealth more competitive in recruiting and encouraging business investments.” Among those leading the effort are Democratic Sen. Nick Miller (Lehigh and Northampton counties) and Rep. Paul Friel (Chester County) and Republican Sen. Greg Rothman (Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties) and Rep. Josh Kail (Beaver and Washington counties).
Hearing today on tackling benefits waste
The House Republican Policy Committee will hold the first in a series of hearings this afternoon at 2:00 p.m. on “Excellence in Government: Preserving Benefit Integrity.” At the hearing, lawmakers and testifiers will “discuss ways to safeguard Pennsylvania’s social benefit programs from fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensure the state’s resources are efficiently allocated and accessible to those who truly require assistance.” Watch the livestream at 2:00 p.m. here.