July Senate Journals

The Pennsylvania State Senate met twice in July, on Saturday, July 1st, and Wednesday, July 5. Not much happened on the 5th but the journal for the 1st was 52 pages long and there were some interesting and amusing comments.

On page 3 (p. 1911 of the print version) We find Sen. Fumo staying this about Sen. Wozniak:

I ask again for a negative vote on this, because as the gentleman said, this budget is an extremely complex process and this is an integral part of that complex process, and I do not believe anybody wants to start up again at a quarter to 4:00 on Saturday. I know the gentleman wants to get home and see the new dining room furniture that his wife has purchased in his absence, so I do not want to keep him here too long, so I ask for a negative vote on this amendment.

The amendment was to a bill on museum funding. Sen. Wozniak, in his remarks, makes a noise to indicate a tape being rewound. On the next page Sen. Fumo asks how the stenographer will indicate that sound. For the record, it is listed as blrblrblrblrb (tape rewinding sound). Now we know.

On pages 9-10 of the pdf there is a discussion of teachers’ strikes.

On pages 30-33 of the pdf (pp. 1938-1941 of the print), there is a lengthy discussion of the budget. Sen. Fumo gives the history of his support for the matter at hand. Sen. Stout talks about his worries that money will be taken from roads and bridges (especially in flood-prone areas) to go to the gaming board or for further mass transit funding. He and Fumo have a conversation on this. Sen. Madigan is also involved in the discussion.