News & Brews January 31, 2025
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Shapiro’s ‘lightning plan’ lacks legislative support
The Center Square reports that Gov. Shapiro’s latest energy pitch “courts developers through state kickbacks for building ‘reliable energy sources,’ regional hydrogen projects and sustainable aviation fuel production.” But Senate Republicans aren’t jumping on board, “especially … since he [Shapiro] won’t drop a lawsuit to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multi-state carbon tax estimated to nearly quadruple energy costs.”
Pa. Senate passes first bills of new session
While it’s unclear if House Democrats will do anything major until they fill a vacant seat and regain their one-vote majority, the state Senate this week passed the first bills of the new legislative session. They are “a set of benefits reform measures that Republicans said would help crack down on fraud,” PennLive reports. Among the reforms are a measure to “amend Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation law to state that unemployed workers can’t get benefits if they ‘take any action to unreasonably discourage the claimant’s own hire in suitable work.’”
2nd hearing today on stopping new energy taxes
This morning at 11:00 a.m., the Pa. House Republican Policy Committee will hold the second in a series of hearings on stopping new energy taxes. The purpose of the hearings is “to analyze unfavorable energy policies (i.e., RGGI and PACER) and how they negatively impact consumers and businesses, and drive investments outside of Pennsylvania.” Click here to watch the live stream at 11:00 a.m.
Registration open for Pa. conservative conference
Registration is open for the annual Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, which is the country’s largest state-based conservative conference. The event, which will take place April 3-5 at the Penn Harris Hotel in Camp Hill, will be headlined by former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany. Additional speakers announced so far include Congressman Dan Meuser and Pa. Auditor General Tim DeFoor. Click here for more.