News & Brews March 6, 2025
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Pa. planning >$10M spend on new voting system
Pa. Secretary of State Al Schmidt announced yesterday that the state will spend more than $10 million to switch from the SURE (Statewide Uniform Registry of Elections) system to a new Civix system, which will handle the “electronic voter registration database,” as well as “provide election night results and handle campaign finance filings and lobbyist registration,” the AP reports. In 2023 the Shapiro administration canceled another $10.7 million contract, signed under the Wolf administration, to upgrade our voter registration system. Schmidt said the new system should be in place by the 2028 presidential election.
GOP has no candidate to run for Philly DA
Progressive, George Soros-funded Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has had a rocky two terms, as his soft-on-crime approach has drawn widespread criticism. But the Inquirer reports that just a few days before the filing deadline to run in the primary election, the Republican Party can’t find a candidate to run for the office. This “means that, for the first time in decades, the city’s 130,000 registered Republicans won’t see a candidate from their party on the ballot for district attorney.” It does not mean, however, that Krasner is running unopposed. He will face former judge Patrick Dugan in the Democrat primary. Dugan “is backed by some politically influential labor unions and … raised more money than Krasner last year.”
Shapiro’s aim to hire laid-off federal workers draws skepticism
WESA reports that Gov. Shapiro is “hoping to encourage laid-off federal workers to apply for positions in state government.” But not everyone is impressed. The Commonwealth Foundation’s Nathan Benefield stated, “I don’t see it being in the taxpayer’s interest … to prioritize former federal employees over people who … may be more qualified and have private sector experience and training. Why give them preference? Are they actually more meritorious? I’m skeptical.” And Pa. House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (Bedford and Fulton counties) said, “When a job becomes vacant in Pennsylvania’s administrative apparatus, the question should first be asked if it is truly needed rather than how quickly it can be filled.”
Pa. state senators ask Trump admin to reconsider Biden’s Medicaid expansion
The Post-Gazette reports that a group of top Republican senators from Pa. has sent a letter to the Trump administration requesting a reversal of former President Biden’s Medicaid waiver that “could cost the state $2 billion.” Huge costs for Medicaid “have become a central issue in the 2025-26 state budget. The state has a structural deficit of billions of dollars, and much of the proposed $2 billion increase in spending” by the Pa. Department of Human Services “is driven by Medicaid.” The senators note in their letter, “The proposed expansion of benefits goes well beyond the scope of the program and jeopardizes our ability to balance our state budget without service cuts or potential tax increases.” While Medicaid expansion has been touted as helping those who need it, the reality is it often funds those who don’t truly need it at the expense of those who do.
Pa. budget hearings conclude today
Today, the Legislature will conclude three weeks of budget hearings. On the House side, the Appropriations Committee will hear from the Auditor General’s Office at 10:00 a.m. (watch here), and from the Governor’s Office of the Budget/Executive Offices at 1:00 p.m. (watch here). On the Senate side, the Appropriations Committee will close out its hearings with the Governor’s Office of the Budget/Executive Offices at 9:30 a.m. (watch here).