weekly legislative update

A few bills where shuffled off to committee and some non-controversial resolutions were passed but that was it.

Veterans' Day Events

Two of our area congressional representatives are hosting or sponsoring events this weekend. From the inbox and for your consideration:

This SUNDAY, November 11, 2007, Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th District) will be joined by veterans from across the 8th District of Pennsylvania to honor Veteran’s Day. After a speaker’s program and honor and color guards, there will be an outdoor wreath laying ceremony. Generations of veterans, including some from World War II , Korea , Vietnam , the Persian Gulf and the current war in Iraq will be in attendance. The event will take place at the historic site of Washington ’s Crossing. On Christmas night in 1776, from this historic place, General George Washington and men of the Continental Army crossed the Delaware River and marched to Trenton , New Jersey .

Sunday November 11, 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Washington Crossing Historic Park Visitor’s Center Auditorium
1112 River Road
Washington Crossing, PA

And from Rep. Allyson Schwartz:

I would like to extend a special invitation to all local veterans and their family and friends to join me this Veterans Day, Monday, November 12, at an event I am hosting to showcase the honorable service of Pennsylvania veterans. I also encourage the general public to join me at this event to help thank our veterans for their service to our nation.

Preserving Their Stories: A Salute to Veterans History Project Volunteers

WHEN: Monday, November 12, 2007
10:00 a.m.

WHERE: Hiway Theatre
212 Old York Road
Jenkintown, PA 19046
(Parking available at Jenkintown Town Square and Wachovia Bank)

During the event, local veterans will be thanked for their service, as well as acknowledged for their participation in the Veterans History Project. The Veterans History Project is a national effort to preserve the experiences of our war veterans, from World War I to the present day Iraq War, as well as the civilians who supported them.

Firsthand accounts of wartime experiences offer a priceless window into the dedication, courage, and sacrifice of our soldiers. It is critical that as America's veterans grow older, we record their personal stories so that future generations will always know their legacy.

At this event I will be thanking several local organizations for their volunteer efforts with the Veterans History Project. Organizations being recognized include, George Washington High School, The Peak Center, Abington Senior High School, Upper Dublin High School, and the Philadelphia-Montgomery Christian Academy.

Miscellaneous PA Media Sightings

Philadelphia is listed among the 30 big cities in Money Magazine’s Best Places to Retire section. It wasn’t discussed in the printed Nov. issue but you can find the profile online.

Pink Magazine, which I thought had gone out of business, is apparently flourishing, though not always in stock at my local bookstores. Nor am I the only politically inclined Pennsylvania woman to read it. State Rep. Elisabeth (Lisa) Bennington (D-21), who represents part of Pittsburgh wrote a letter to the magazine complimenting them on their articles.

Off Topic: Remember Your First Paycheck?

Remember your first paying job or, for those fortunate enough to find one, an intriguing internship? The media and city officials have often mentioned how important jobs and job training are to the youth of Philadelphia.

A note showed up in my inbox this week mentioning a website designed to match up city teens with entry level jobs or internships:

We're here to help young people find jobs. It's tough out there to earn that first paycheck but we're here to make it easier.

Myfirstpaycheck.com is a job posting website for teens by teens. Check out this website to find job postings near you, as well as job advice, and other useful employment resources.

By following our advice and applying to one of the jobs we've posted, we believe you'll get a little closer to earning your first paycheck.

We're going to be constantly updating our site and adding jobs, so keep checking myfirstpaycheck.com for job advice and job postings for teens like you!

I don't know anything else about it but it sounds intriguing.

Former Nutter Campaign Staff to Run NH Senate Campaign

Bill Hyers who once worked on one of Michael Nutter's campaigns has been hired to run Jeanne Shaheen's senate campaign in New Hampshire. Hynes has also worked on John Edwards presidential campaigns. You, too, can find out political trivia like this if you read the Campaign Insider.

A Few More Election Notes

Larry Ceisler has an interesting essay today on politicspa. He discusses the significance of the row office pickups for the Democrats in Montgomery County. He says that since few people understand what those jobs are they tend to vote by party, which should give the county GOP pause. In the essay he also discusses what the GOP needs to do to bring the county back into the red column for the 2008 presidential race.

John Nagle, whose race for Radnor township commissioner was mentioned on this blog a time or two, missed being elected by 3 votes, which is pretty darn close.

We should also note the passing of Lucille Trench who served as a Bucks County commissioner for years ("Rivals, allies mourn Lucille Trench," by Jenna Portnoy, Phillyburbs, 11/06)

On a personal note, I always split my ticket, just to feel like a maverick independent. Both Republicans that I voted for lost.

A Few Updates on Veterans Legislation

Last July I wrote on HR 2874, which included provisions sponsored by Pennsylvania's Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-08) concerning homeless veterans. HR 2874 passed the House and is currently in the Senate, to be more precise it has been referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs. In an AP article, "Study: Veterans make up 1 of 4 homeless," posted today on Yahoo, Kimberly Helfing writes:

Some advocates say the early presence of veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan at shelters does not bode well for the future. It took roughly a decade for the lives of Vietnam veterans to unravel to the point that they started showing up among the homeless. Advocates worry that intense and repeated deployments leave newer veterans particularly vulnerable.

"We're going to be having a tsunami of them eventually because the mental health toll from this war is enormous," said Daniel Tooth, director of veterans affairs for Lancaster County, Pa.

While services to homeless veterans have improved in the past 20 years, advocates say more financial resources still are needed. With the spotlight on the plight of Iraq veterans, they hope more will be done to prevent homelessness and provide affordable housing to the younger veterans while there's a window of opportunity.

Sen. Specter is fond of telling the story of his father, a World War I veteran, going to Washington to protest unfilled promises to former soldiers. Perhaps he can persuade some of his senatorial colleagues to treat this wars veterans better.

In related veterans legislation (from yesterday's inbox, links mine):

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution introduced by Pennsylvania Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-8th District) that supports a 3.5% pay increase for the pay of the U.S. Armed Forces. Rep. Murphy is a former U.S. Army Captain and Iraq war veteran and his resolution – H.Con. Res. 162 – has 63 bipartisan co-sponsors from across the country. Earlier today, in a speech on the floor of the House, Rep. Murphy called on President Bush to drop his opposition to this pay increase. Murphy cited the pay gap between civilian life and military life, the fact that our military is severely overstretched and the responsibility Congress and the president have to do right by American troops. Despite both House and Senate authorization for this 3.5% pay increase, President Bush has called it “unnecessary.” President Bush threatened to veto the Defense Authorization bill, singling out the 3.5% pay raise as one of his objections. Murphy’s resolution expresses the sense of the House that that Congress and the president should raise basic pay for all components of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard by 3.5%. Murphy’s resolution passed the House with unanimous bipartisan support 409 to 0.

Wednesday Morning Election Results

The Inquirer has recently posted the Montgomery county election results. For commissioner it's Bruce Castor, Joe Hoeffel, and Jim Matthews. I predict this turns out to be not much fun for anyone. Several of the row offices, clerk of courts, controller, coroner, prothonotary, and register of wills, were won by Democrats; district attorney, register of wills, treasurer, and sheriff, went Republican.

Bucks County has all precincts reporting but still says the results are unofficial. It shows all row offices going to Republicans and Jim Cawley, Diane Marseglia, and Charles Martin winning county commissioner seats, with less than 800 votes between Martin and Steve Santarsiero.

Delaware County voted in the three Republicans running for county council.

Statewide, with 97% of precincts reporting, Seamus McCaffery and Debra Todd will be joining the Supreme Court. Christine Donohue, Bruce Bratton, and Jackie Shogan will be joining the Superior Court. All statewide judges were retained with percentages somewhere in the 60% range.

The state Democratic party has other county election news.

I'm off to work, and will be back to a late night posting schedule.

Election Update (11 p.m.)

I may call it a night soon.

The best televised election coverage (at least for Bucks and Montgomery County) is channel 69 (www.wfmz.com).

If I read the Delaware County election returns correctly, 399 of 424 precincts have reported and it looks like the county council stays solidly Republican.

Roughly half of Montco's precincts have reported in. More than half of Bucks has reported. Those are still toss ups but at this writing Bucks looks to have a better chance of changing parties on the county commission.

Statewide around 60% is reporting and as of now Democratic candidates are taking the slots for both Supreme Court and Superior Court.

Tracking Election Results

For those interested in tracking election results:

Montgomery County Elections

Bucks County Elections

Delaware County Elections

Pennsylvania state-wide elections

PCN starts having elections results at 10 p.m.

John Micek of the Allentown Morning Call is reporting live at the Allentown NPR affiliate WDIY-FM.

Montco, at this writing, is reporting only 1% of the results in, Delco 0%. How can this be? No one is reporting fast enough for me. We're watching a local station until PCN comes on; they are reporting 5% for Montco. No telling.

It is impossible for me to get much done at work on election day and schools are closed so I'm home. This afternoon and evening I put away the Halloween decorations, touched up my hair dye, baked banana bread, put together two draft blog posts, delicately worked at pulling frayed embroidery off a chenille sweater until I found a hole and threw the whole thing away, and basted together the top, bottom, and batting of a lap robe to be quilted later. Now it's just a matter of going nuts until more numbers come in.

Second Election Day Update

If you haven't voted yet and are wondering if it is worth the bother, I direct your attention yet again to this video prepared for the state Democratic party.

Someone came to the door late this morning to ask if we had voted yet. She had a list in hand and so was apparently walking the street. Interestingly, it is the first time this election season that someone came to the door, but we live on an out of the way street. Usually only the desperate or extremely motivated find us. The robocalls have been rolling in fast and furious for the past few days but all is quiet now.

First Election Day Update

When Clan Jane went to vote about 10:30 a.m. Mr. J and I were voters #82 and #83. The youngest Little J came with us and cast a vote for Debra Todd, being excited about the idea of a woman on the state Supreme Court.

As has been previously discussed here by myself and, in the comments, by other local or regional bloggers, we get a lot of business on state and local races. My sitemeter stats have been double the usual the last few days. People are finding me primarily by searching for judicial and county candidates. So a great many people are trying to find information on the candidates before they vote. I find it quite hopeful.

For those interested in knowing whether or not their county judicial candidates will able to serve out their terms before hitting the mandatory retirement age, check out the Clean Sweep site (pacleansweep.com). I do not agree with their stance on voting against retention of all current judges but if someone can only serve a year or two of their term it doesn't make much sense to retain them, as they will have to be replaced fairly soon anyway.

Friday's Rally in Love Park

Last Friday I was in the city and skipped lunch to attend the noon rally in Love Park. It was originally intended to be a get out the vote rally but after the shooting of Officer Cassidy it became a rally to mourn him and to reduce gun deaths in the city.

Jeff Shield's "Heard in the Hall" take is worth reading -- they have some better quotes.

Rep. Bob Brady (D-01) was master of ceremonies. A number of dignitaries were on the stage. Some on the list below Brady named, others I recognized. There are doubtless others there whom I missed. This is especially true as I was focused on current, past, and likely future, politicians. Apologies.

Attending:
John Younge, candidate for superior court
Christine Donohue, candidate for superior court
LeAnna Washington, state senator for 4th district
Curtis Jones, city council candidate for the 4th district
Willie Singletary, judge of traffic court candidate [blogger’s note: the Inky has asked that people not vote for him, as he has accumulated a number of traffic fines; I concur]
John Ianelli, candidate for Delaware County Council
Maria Quinones Sanchez, city council candidate for 7th district
Sean McAleer, city council candidate for 10th district
Larry Curry, state representative for 154th district
Lynn Abraham, Philadelphia District Attorney
Jackie Frazier, judicial candidate
Anna Verna, city councilwoman, 2nd district
Josh Shapiro, state representative for the 153rd district [see tie notes below]
Mickey Simon, Cheltenham Twp commissioner, 6th ward
Cherelle Parker, state representative, 200th district
Tony Payton, state representative, 179th district
Michael Nutter, mayoral candidate
Lisa Nutter, married to Michael Nutter
Bill Greene, city council candidate, at large
Michael [did not catch last name]
Bill Greenlee, city councilman, at large
Jon Saidel
Rep. Chaka Fattah

Time only allowed for a few people to speak. These are just a few notes from comments. It was outside, a little chilly, and there was no hard surface to write on so a few of my notes are indecipherable. The crowd was divided into those in the VIP pen and the rest of us. A woman on the stage signed as people spoke.

Bob Brady: There is a fallen hero in our city. This was to be a get out the vote rally but that it not appropriate now.

John Younge: Let us not forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Justice is for law enforcement, too. This has got to stop. New day, new administration.

Jon Saidel: We have an opportunity on Tuesday to change the lives of our friends and family. We live or die together. On Tuesday we vote; on Wednesday we are one city.

Christine Donohue: We share your pain and distaste for the horrible happening. The election is all the more important to make sure something like this never happens again.

Pat Gillespie and another guy named Pat who are union officials (building trades and something else): Somebody knows who that guy is and needs to come forward. There is too much pressure on police. Get behind Nutter. Don’t be petty.

Lynn Abraham: The signer is my former next door neighbor. Look at what our city has become. We have museums, new buildings, people standing together. What to do about people who won’t vote for sensible gun control. Can’t just pray to God. Need to end culture of not talking, not seeing, not testifying. Step up, speak up, say no to gun lobby.

Chaka Fattah: Can’t just be upset for the moment, not a sprint but a long distance run. New buildings in the city but in the neighborhoods there isn’t the same optimism. Where there is crime don’t focus on the criminal but on turning other young people away from life of crime. I pledge to work with Michael Nutter. We must vote our hopes not just our fears.

Bobby Edwards (former head of FOP): Work together to stop burying our offices and our children. It’s got to stop.

Brian McBride, firefighter: [did not catch]

Michael Nutter: [Ironically he had to pause for the sound of sirens to fade]. We are in Love Park for a reason. This is the city of brotherly and sisterly love and we need to start acting like it. Three officers shot in three days, one fatally. How many more? I’ve had enough. Somebody knows who did this. Step up. Be a man. Be a woman. We will find out. It seems to empty to talk about politics. Ask what can I do to make my neighborhood better? What can I do today? Accept some personal responsibility. Take care of your own children. This isn’t a job just for elected officials. Everyone needs to do their part. We won’t do it for you but with you.

The rally ended around 1 p.m.

The most wonderful thing about attending the rally and hearing Nutter speak is that I actually have faith in him, that he believes what he is saying and will work towards common goals for the good of the city.

[Miscellaneous tie note: I couldn’t get a good look at most of the people on the stage and of those I could not much jumped out at me. However, I did note that Josh Shapiro ws wearing a seasonal pale orange tie. As I was walking to the train after my meeting I saw another man wearing a similarly colored tie, although his had a subtle design in it – perhaps Shapiro’s did as well and it was visible from the distance.]

One More Endorsement

I missed this in my endorsement round up last night:

David Landau, Democratic candidate for the Delaware County Council has been endorsed by the Delaware County Times. From the paper:

He [Landau] makes no bones for his high-profile campaign, and it’s clear his tactics have gotten under the powerful GOP’s skin. Landau has been all over the county, pushing his platform of “the case against the courthouse,” in which he has laid out the overwhelming GOP registration in just about every department, as well as what he sees as a network of patronage and GOP cronyism.

But Landau has made clear his belief that voters should vote for the best candidates, not simply a Democrat or Republican. He also clearly believes the county is in dire need of some diversity and change at the top.

The paper also endorses Frank Daly and Mike Farrell for county Court of Common Pleas.

A Few Endorsements

Here is a list of a few endorsements that have come through the inbox:

Joe Hoeffel and Ruth Damsker, Democratic candidates for Montgomery County commissioner, were endorsed by the Intelligencer on Nov. 2. One paragraph:

Still, we think it's time for the Democrats to be given the opportunity to demonstrate their brand of leadership. In Hoeffel, the Dems have a true champion. Of the four candidates, Hoeffel inspires the most trust and confidence. He has a long history of public service (not only as a former county commissioner but also as a former state representative and congressman) and speaks knowledgeably of what the Democrats hope to accomplish if given the chance. Damsker, while she has voted mostly with the Republican majority during her tenure as minority commissioner, is part of the Democratic team that vows a different way of doing business, a more open, aggressive and pro-active approach than the Republicans have followed.

The Morning Call endorsed Democratic candidates for Bucks County commissioner, Diane Marseglia and Steve Santarsiero on Oct. 31. One paragraph:

Mr. Santarsiero has extensive experience with land use issues in Lower Makefield. Ms. Marseglia is well-versed in human services because she is employed as a social worker. Their townships' boards of supervisors have worked in a bipartisan fashion and also have made significant strides with environmental issues.

The Inquirer's list of endorsements from Oct. 30 is here.

Democratic candidate for Montgomery County District Attorney, Peter Amuso, has been endorsed by CeaseFirePA.

Not exactly an endorsement, but a "Broadsides" column by Deede Formichella was slated to appear in last Thursday's Main Line Life noting the positive qualities of John Nagle, Democratic candidate for Radnor's 5th ward. In part:

To begin with, Nagle’s no public service neophyte. He’s been a concerned resident for over twenty years and has been engaged in local leadership for thirteen years as a member of the Parks and Recreation Board. One of the most important issues he confronted there was the use of pesticides and herbicides on our township’s playing fields. Since hundreds of our kids enroll in soccer, Little League, and other sports that are played outdoors, the elimination of those “cides” is a tremendous health plus. Ask any parent who has a son or daughter suffering from asthma or allergies.

In addition, he’s one of the founders of the Radnor Conservancy and is currently its treasurer. Years ago, he fought for the creation of the Radnor Trail- a topic that was divisive, controversial, and not easily understood when it was initially presented. Furthermore, he became the first Chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee, a sub-committee of the Board of Health.

A Note for Women in Montco

On Tuesday voters in all the suburban Philadelphia counties will be selecting county commissioner (or council) candidates. This post is a look at one particular aspect of one of those races.

In Montgomery County each party is fielding an incumbent paired with a familiar name in county politics. For the Democrats the incumbent is Ruth Damsker and her running mate is Joe Hoeffel, who previously served as congressman, county commissioner, and state representative. The Republicans are represented by incumbent Jim Matthews and current county District Attorney Bruce Castor. Those skilled at guessing the someone’s gender based on their first name will have noticed that Ruth Damsker is the only woman running.

Does that matter, you ask? Aren’t we all gender blind? Well, I would say that no we are not. Two points related to this race.

When campaigning for the state Attorney General office in 2004 one message Castor recorded for distribution stated:

Hello, I'm Bruce Castor the conservative, pro-life Republican for attorney general. As a Montgomery County DA, I helped close down a local abortion clinic violating the law. As attorney general, I'll vigorously oppose tax payer funded abortions and physician assisted suicides. Last month I spoke out strongly against same sex marriage, and my opponent, Tom Corbett, strongly criticized me. I've always staunchly supported the pro-life movement, and our traditional values. Now I'm asking for your vote. Tomorrow is election day. Please vote for the conservative pro-life republican -- Bruce Castor for attorney general. Thank you.

Castor is entitled to his beliefs and voters who share them should vote for him. Voters who do not should vote for someone else.

Jim Matthews had an interesting opportunity a few years ago. In 2000 the commissioners created a board to write the rules and advise them on the distribution of $5 million to community revitalization projects. (Source: Diane Marczely Gimpel, “Commissioner chose six men; woman is wanted for seventh slot,” Morning Call April 7, 2000.)


Here was what he came up with:

Chairman of the seven-member board if Kenneth E. Davis of Gladwyne, president of an Ardmore lobbying firm; Other members are Lansdale Borough Manager F. Lee Mangan, Norristown Police Chief Russell Bono, former Springfield Township Supervisor James R. Selsor, civil engineer Stuart L. Rosenthal of Lansdale and Jeremy Nowak of Wynnewood, president of a community development financial institution.

That first name will be familiar to those who have studied Montco’s political history. All those names look pretty masculine to me. Here’s the next paragraph in the article:

The seventh member has yet to be picked by Commissioner James Matthews, who said he is looking for a woman from the western end of the county to fill the volunteer spot.

So I guess he filled the first 6 spots, then looked at the list and thought, “Gosh I need one of those girly things, a whosit, a whachacallit, a woman, that’s it, a woman.”

Or you could say an afterthought. There wasn’t even a single seat on the seven person board designated for a woman. Both the western part of the county and half the human race had to share.

One cannot help but wonder if someone named Ruth had been making the selection if the names would have been different. Yes, Damsker was a commissioner then, but a minority commissioner doesn’t always have a lot of say in such things.

And that’s one of the major reasons why I like to see a little diversity in government.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Three videos you might enjoy watching:

Michael Nutter's new ad. (note: it starts playing immediately).

Ruth Damsker and Joe Hoeffel's television ad (note: it starts playing immediately)

A number of reasons why you should vote next Tuesday.

PA in the WSJ

This is a list of articles regarding Pennsylvania in this week's Wall Street Journal. Chances are I missed something, but these are the articles that caught my eye.

It should be noted that I routinely do not read the editorials in the WSJ. So any discussions of the state, its elected officials, businesses, or citizens, in editorials will not be mentioned here.

PA Politicians

Rep. John Murtha (D-12) gets publicity he’d probably rather not have in “How lawmaker rebuilt hometown on earmarks,” by John R. Wilke (10/30). According to the article Murtha has brought more bacon home to his district than any other House member. It is a long article, taking up about one full page of the paper, very thorough and I have no reason to doubt its accuracy. The article does point out that under the Democratic congress this year the growth of earmarks has slowed and the total amount is about half of what it was last year.

PA Businesses

Again, no mention of Philly Car Share in “Car-sharing firms to merge,” by Darren Everson (11/01). It does mention that Flexcar, which is merging with Zipcar, does operate in Philadelphia.

Other PA

From “How access-free ruling may hit Verizon rivals,” by Corey Boles (10/29):

The Federal Communications Commission must vote by the end of the year on an attempt by Verizon to be excused from several FCC rules in the commercial telecommunications market, The company has argued there is sufficient compensation in the six East Coast markets in question and therefore it should be excused from the regulations. The markets are Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, R.I. and Virginia Beach, Va.

I have no idea what that means.

In World War I food prices soared and “diet clubs” were formed to prove that people could eat well on very little money. The University of Pennsylvania club managed to eat on 30 cents a day. Rutgers scrimped even more and ate off 27 cents a day. From “WWI ‘dieters’ had a lot on their plates, little in their wallets,” by Cynthai Crossen (10/30)

A mention of Cardinal O’Hara High School (Springfield, Pa) canceling it’s homecoming dance in “Some date: how homecoming is losing out to hanging out,” by Jeffrey Zaslow (11/01)

U Penn’s Kathleen Hall Jamison is quoted in “Talk is cheap in politics, but a deep voice helps,” by June Kronholz (11/03)

Other Interesting Tidbits

There are, apparently, professional pumpkin carvers. Who knew? (“For these sculptors, the medium if big, orange, and stinky,” by Susan Warren 10/31)

“Have a laptop? You, too, can sway New Hampshire race,” by Amy Schatz (11/01) provides an interesting look at the impact of local blogs on the second tier presidential campaigns.

weekly legislative update

This is a list of bills that passed the Pennsylvania House or Senate this week, and mention of any noteworthy resolutions. Standard caveats apply (resolutions not generally included, list of sponsors deleted if it was too long - three lines in the originally formatting).

No bills passed the special session on energy.

Our accountant friends at PICPA have provided their usual informative weekly update. They have some interesting things to say this week about a possible increase in the sales tax.


Other updates this week:

PA GOP Senate
PA Democratic Senate
PA GOP House (daily session updates)
PA Democratic House


Resolutions

HR 458 Printer's No. 2671. A Resolution recognizing the week of November 11 through 17, 2007, as "Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week" in Pennsylvania.

Bills

HOUSE

HB 31 Printer's No. 56. An Act amending the act of August 6, 1941 (P.L.861, No.323), referred to as the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole Law, further providing for supervision by county probation and parole officers.

HB 110 Prior Printer's Nos. 188, 2721.Printer's No. 2774. An Act providing for a report on potential global warming impacts and economic opportunities for the Commonwealth, for duties of the Department of Environmental Protection, for an inventory of greenhouse gases, for creation of stakeholder process, for a voluntary registry of greenhouse gas emissions and for a climate change action plan.

HB 523 By Representatives YOUNGBLOOD, CRUZ, MELIO, READSHAW, SIPTROTH, MOUL, PAYNE, GODSHALL, HORNAMAN, HESS, K. SMITH, THOMAS and CALTAGIRONE. Prior Printer's Nos. 594, 2634.Printer's No. 2775. An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for trademark counterfeiting; prohibiting the sale of food, nonprescription drugs and cosmetics under certain circumstances; and imposing penalties.

HB 1716 Prior Printer's No. 2301.Printer's No. 2636. An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for grading of theft offenses and for theft of services and certain service provider property.

HB 523 By Representatives YOUNGBLOOD, CRUZ, MELIO, READSHAW, SIPTROTH, MOUL, PAYNE, GODSHALL, HORNAMAN, HESS, K. SMITH, THOMAS and CALTAGIRONE. Prior Printer's Nos. 594, 2634.Printer's No. 2775. An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for trademark counterfeiting; prohibiting the sale of food, nonprescription drugs and cosmetics under certain circumstances; and imposing penalties.

HB 948 Prior Printer's Nos. 1114, 1547.Printer's No. 2723. An Act amending Title 30 (Fish) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for vouchers for licenses.

HB 1096 Prior Printer's Nos. 1327, 2561, 2667.Printer's No. 2725. An Act amending the act of November 10, 1999 (P.L.491, No.45), known as the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, defining "council"; establishing the Uniform Construction Code Review and Advisory Council; and further providing for revised or successor codes and for training of inspectors.

HB 1548 Prior Printer's No. 1952.Printer's No. 2726. An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for disposition of dependent child.

SB 648 By Senator D. WHITE. Prior Printer's Nos. 700, 1198, 1283.Printer's No. 1486. An Act authorizing the Department of General Services, with the approval of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and the Governor, to grant and convey, at a price to be determined through a competitive bid process, certain lands, buildings and improvements situate in the Borough of Ligonier, Westmoreland County; authorizing and directing the Department of General Services, with the approval of the Governor and the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, to grant and convey certain lands situate in the City of Connellsville, a third class city, Fayette County, to the City of Connellsville; authorizing and directing the Department of General Services, with the approval of the Governor, to grant and convey to the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority, or their assigns, certain lands situate in the City of Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania; and authorizing the Department of General Services, with the approval of the Governor, to grant and convey to Bensalem Township, certain lands situate in Bensalem Township, Bucks County; and authorizing the Department of General Services, with the approval of the Governor, to grant and convey to the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union, certain lands situate in Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County.


SENATE

HB 191 Prior Printer's No. 216.Printer's No. 1007. An Act providing for the donation of blood by certain persons 16 years of age or older; and making a related repeal.

SB 1068 By Senators M. WHITE, SCARNATI, MUSTO, ERICKSON, EARLL, VANCE, MADIGAN, GORDNER, COSTA, BROWNE, D. WHITE, RHOADES, WOZNIAK, BAKER, ROBBINS, WAUGH, FOLMER, CORMAN and C. WILLIAMS. Printer's No. 1372. An Act amending the act of October 18, 1988 (P.L.756, No.108), known as the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Act, further providing for the fund and for civil penalties.

SB 1069 Printer's No. 1373. An Act amending the act of July 2, 1993 (P.L.359, No.50), known as the Keystone Recreation, Park and Conservation Fund Act, further providing for annual reports; and making editorial changes.

SB 1100 By Senators PILEGGI, M. WHITE, MUSTO, ERICKSON, PUNT, VANCE, GREENLEAF, GORDNER, RHOADES, BOSCOLA, WOZNIAK, MADIGAN, ROBBINS, CORMAN, BAKER, STOUT, FERLO, WAUGH, D. WHITE, PIPPY and BROWNE. Printer's No. 1483. An Act providing for the Hazardous Sites Cleanup Fund, for its funding, for expenditures from the fund and for audits of the fund; making an appropriation; and making related repeals.

SB 1137 By Senators D. WHITE, RAFFERTY, PILEGGI, ORIE, SCARNATI, ROBBINS, ERICKSON, GORDNER, C. WILLIAMS, FONTANA, MADIGAN, ARMSTRONG, PIPPY, FERLO, WONDERLING, WAUGH, BAKER, REGOLA and BROWNE. Prior Printer's Nos. 1488, 1491.Printer's No. 1510. An Act amending the act of March 20, 2002 (P.L.154, No.13), known as the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare) Act, further providing for medical professional liability insurance, for the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error Fund and for actuarial data; providing for the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (Mcare) Reserve Fund; and further providing for abatement program, for the Health Care Provider Retention Account and for expiration.

SB 751 By Senators M. WHITE, FERLO, GORDNER, ERICKSON, COSTA, MELLOW, STOUT, C. WILLIAMS, EARLL, O'PAKE, KITCHEN, ORIE, FONTANA and ROBBINS. Printer's No. 822. An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, prohibiting the imposition of the death sentence in cases of mental retardation.

A Poorly Yoked Team

The Republican team running for county commissioner in Montgomery County would seem to be poorly yoked. Jim Matthews is the incumbent; Bruce Castor, currently Montco District Attorney, is running in place of the other incumbent, who decided to sit this one out due to some bad publicity of a personal nature.

Castor had a different running mate in the primary and did not seem pleased at the prospect of being on a ticket with Matthews. Nor has time healed the breach.

From “Montgomery County commissioner candidates’ feud at statewide GOP worry, by Pete DeCoursey in Capitolwire 10/15/07:

Castor’s campaign denies they have any intent but to elect both Republican commissioner candidates. Matthews' campaign says they are working together with Castor to keep the county courthouse under GOP control.
But Matthews’ supporters, as well as some statewide GOP officials, fear Democrats will use Castor’s public criticisms of Matthews in their mailers, TV and radio ads in the campaign's final weeks.

“Democrats criticizing Republicans is nothing new,” said one close Castor ally, who said he has tried and failed to get Castor to stop publicly and privately zinging Matthews. “But when the more popular Republican makes it clear he thinks the less popular Republican has ethical problems and is in cahoots with the wrong crowd, that is the kind of thing voters will notice. And it isn’t old stuff. It’s stuff Bruce said this year, and some stuff he said this fall. Why say it at all if your top goal is to keep control of the courthouse?”

The Bulletin’s “Friendly Fire” column on 10/31/07 is an interview with Bruce Castor (pawatercooler has the full text up):

It is evident to me that the county is going in the wrong direction. I didn’t want to run—I wanted (the Republicans) to win and I wanted to remain as DA. I asked the Party to pull back from Commissioner Ellis, because I did not believe that there was any scenario in which he could win the election this year, and that has certainly proven to be true. Even with the situation we face now, with our opponents led by former Congressman Hoeffel, who is every bit as well known as I am, if I were not in this position of heading our team, I think all eleven of us would go down.

Later

I don’t think the Republican Party is run by Bob Asher, but by me. If we fail, it will be my fault. I do think there are a number of people behind the scenes that are trying to make that happen. Out of the eleven candidates running, there were seven “contested” races—where both Ken Davis and I had candidates— we won six of them. The state Party is, in large measure, run by Asher, so after the disaster at the polls….if you’re the captain, you have to take responsibility for navigating the ship onto a reef. Assuming that all eleven of us win, the challenges will be to put together a government that functions, and then to reorganize and rebuild the Party.

Later

The key is Jim Matthews. When we win the election, Jim has to re-invent himself and be the party leader that is necessary to make Montgomery County that showpiece of change in the Party to get it to where it needs to be.

I don’t think it is ever a good idea to assume a ship sails or sinks on one man’s actions. Usually it is a team effort, even if only in the creation of a work environment. Also, as anyone who has ever been in any kind of partnership can tell you, thinking you can change your partner is usually a mistake. As is hoping they will change themselves. If you can’t live with the person as he is, don’t sign on.