Tim Murphy and Beth Hafer Alerts

If you don't like the work being done by Rep. Tim Murphy (R-18) and are going to be in Pittsburgh tomorrow, take note. Scads of people, Penn Action, a US Action partner; Veterans for Peace; the Thomas Merton Center; Code Pink; Pax Christi; Network for Spiritual Progressives; American Friends Service Committee; and the Raging Grannies, will gather in front of the downtown Macy’s under the old Kaufman Clock (400 5th Avenue, Pittsburgh) to announce a Wish List of Better Priorities for 2008.

You can also stop by Beth Hafer's website, haferforcongress.com and see what she has to say. Hafer is running against Murphy this time around. If you check the events section you'll see she is having a fundraising reception in Philly on Thursday.

If you thought I posted this entry just so I could type the phrase Raging Grannies, you are correct.

Book Review: Four Trials by John Edwards

Last December I started reading autobiographies by the Democratic presidential candidates. By spring I had read most of them but only posted on Obama's Audacity of Hope. I got stuck on the next one and, after rewriting it twice, finally had to just set it aside and move on. So this evening I bring you John Edwards. Fellow blogger, the Liberal Doomsayer posted his review last May.

Four Trials by John Edwards with John Auchard. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

This is not, strictly speaking, an autobiography. For one thing a co-author of sorts is listed; employing a ghost writer is probably not that unusual for a politician but one that is listed might have had a larger role than simply tidying up. For another Edwards does not tell the story of his life in linear form, the way most autobiographies are constructed. Instead he writes about four trials he worked on as an attorney, with personal information and anecdotes included in the beginning and ending section of most of the trial stories. We don’t find out he has two siblings until nearly at the end of the book. That is unusual in a standard autobiography.

Whoever actually wrote the book has a wonderful voice, even on flat paper. It is inviting and humble and puts you at ease. If it is Edwards I can see why juries would believe him. As I read the book I felt very much like this is someone I could sit and eat rice and beans with and he would not look askance at my food choices or notice if, as sometimes happens, I ended up wearing part of my meal.

Preface

Just a few pages, not much personal information.

E.G.

This trial was about the overuse of Antabuse and the subsequent brain damage to the patient, E.G. It was a case that Edwards took early in his career, three years after his return to North Carolina following a few years in Nashville. In the beginning of the chapter he discusses a little of his childhood, the frequent moves due to his father’s work for a mill company, the essay he wrote at age 11 on why he wanted to be a lawyer, his clerkship for a judge, and the fact that his wife still wears the wedding ring he bought for $11.00.

Quote from p. 6:

My world is different now, and of course people close to me still suffer in real ways, but now many of them are powerful, and they have the privilege of knowing what to do and how to do it when son, daughters, mother, father, friend finds the whole world coming down. They pick up the phone and make a call, and it is often the right call. And then other calls are made that night, while they sleep or at least try to sleep. And sometimes – perhaps often – it does much good. Yes, this is my world now – I know that – and I can’t deny that in many ways I am happy that it is. But all my life I have known people like E.G. or people like neighbors of E.G. I haven’t forgotten what they are up against – in part because when I was young, I really saw what they are up against. And it is impossible to forget.

Jennifer

The second trial in the book concerns a breech birth that went wrong and left the infant girl with cerebral palsy. At the time the tide of medical opinion had shifted towards cesarean sections in the case of a full breech but the attending physician decided to allow a vaginal birth. The complications from this left the baby with cerebral palsy. Edwards starts off the chapter with the story of his oldest child’s birth, also a c-section. On page 71 he notes that other attorneys often made comments after the winning verdict described in the first section. His victory as was attributed to luck or his hair. In one speech before the court he recounted how cute the little girl was at age 6 and then followed through an age progression ending with “Fifty-six year-old women with cerebral palsy are not so cute anymore.” (p. 105)

This chapter has what I considered the most bizarre paragraph in the book. Edwards is talking to the jury and says on p. 107:

”And so here we are again. She speaks to you again. But now she speaks to you, not through a fetal monitor strip; she speaks to you through me. And I have to tell you right now – I didn’t plan to talk about this – right now I feel her, I feel her presence; she’s inside me, and she’s talking to you. This is her. What I’m saying to you is what Jennifer Campbell has to say to you.”

He ends the chapter by discussing some of the medical policy changes that occurred in North Carolina after he won this case. The very last paragraph compares his daughter’s dance recital to a physical achievement hard won by the girl who was the focus of the chapter. His last sentence: “And I thought: there is, in this world, more than one form of grace.”

Josh

This section concerns the case of a young boy whose parents were killed by a tractor-trailer. It also gives a good long personal introduction to the case. Pages 115-131 discuss a lot of his upbringing and his early adult years. It starts with Edwards’ relationship with his father, his effort and failure to relive his father’s dream of playing football and going to college. Edwards was a standout football player in high school but lost his athletic scholarship to Clemson after one semester. He transferred to North Carolina State in Raleigh and then on to law school at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He writes about his parents and their work and the family rituals he remembers well. He was friends with his parents and is pleased to be friends with his children. Like many first generation college students (those whose parents did not go to college), and I am in this category myself, he had summer jobs that involved manual labor that encouraged him to seek out higher education. He knew the financial burden the cost of his education put on his parents and he worked hard enough to graduate in three years (as did I). On he went to law school were he felt out of his depth and met a fellow law student, Elizabeth Anania that he felt was out of his league. The day after they took the bar exam he and Elizabeth married, six years to the day before Mr. J and I said our vows.

In one of the more poignant passages (p. 128), Edwards describes what happened when he and Elizabeth, just two days after their wedding, were scheduled to meet her parents who would help them move into their new home, a rented townhouse:

Elizabeth and I had no credit cards, and we discovered that between us we could not manager the $22 in cash for the motel room. We could only scrape up $20, and that included change we found on the floor of the car. The clerk at the hotel was sympathetic, but there was a strict policy and he couldn’t let us into the room without full payment in advance. So for several hours during the second evening of our marriage, we say on a burgundy Naugahyde sofa under the flickering fluorescent lights of the Lodge Motel and waited for Captain and Mrs. Anania to arrive and front us an extra $2. I have always wondered what they said, or even thought, about their new son-in-law on that night. I have never asked.

He goes on to discuss his involvement with his children and their family tradition of eating in the same restaurant the night before a trial started and how, when court was in weekend recess, he would make them pancakes shaped like animals.

In one paragraph (p. 131) he sums up what seems to be his worldview:

I am grateful that my home was one where decency was the daily bread. But of course that had been the only world I had known. I was caught flat-footed for a time in law school when, awed by the poise and polish of some of my more privileged friends, I feared in that world decency was an insufficient currency. I was wrong. What worked in the mills of Robbins worked in the halls of the law school, and in county courtrooms, as it does in Senate chambers. There are few things I know better than this: the right to dignity – and every level of society – is and must be one of the chief guarantees of a civilized society.

On the next to the last page (p. 158) of the section, after describing the case against the trucking company that he had won, he provides the impetus for his decision to run for the Senate:

Unfortunately the insurance company also did what many powerful businesses do, and when the Republican Party took control of the state legislature in 1995, its lobbyists seized the moment. Soon a bill was passed disallowing punitive damage awards against a company as a result of an employee’s actions, unless that particular action was specifically ratified by corporate officers. Meaning, among other things, that today Golda Howard would not be able to seek punitive damages from Collins & Aikman. Yes, our lawsuit had sent a message, and that message ultimately was: if you don’t like the law, change it. Which, regrettably, they did.

The message to me, on the other hand, was one I’d confronted over my legal career and I’d grown to appreciate: if you can’t help enough people being a lawyer, consider being a lawmaker.

One brief addendum to this section. The young man who lost his parents went on to West Point and, given the years he was there, may have run across a Professor Patrick Murphy, who currently represents Pennsylvania’s 8th congressional district.


Valerie

This section was the hardest to read as he writes of the death of his son Wade. Pages 161-177 discuss his family, especially Wade, incidents from his life, and the family’s learning of his death. It is well-written but not maudlin; nonetheless, have tissues ready. We learn more about Edwards’ law practice, including the furnishings. He writes of the trip he and Wade took to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, and of the friends who saw his family through the months just after Wade’s death. When he returned to his law office the case he wanted to work on was on behalf of a family whose young daughter was almost killed when the cover of a swimming pool drain shifted and she was partially sucked in and most of her intestines pulled out. Edwards writes quite a bit about the process his firm went through to prove their case against the defendants, some of whom settled. There are one or two Perry Mason moments when dramatic courtroom testimony, even if it was unintentional on the part of the person testifying, alters the course of the trial.

We also get a glimpse of Edwards’ courtroom philosophy here (p. 206):

I’ve always believed in the virtues of respectfulness. Jurors watch how you treat not just the witnesses and other attorneys, but the bailiff, the clerk, and everyone else in sight. If you’re ingratiating with the jury but rude to a paralegal, then you’ve given them reason to doubt your decency and then your credibility. A courtroom is not very much different from anyplace else: you never win points by being a bully. Now, I will admit that it is easy to get caught up in the rush of the moment in a trial – I have done it myself, I regret to say – but that is no excuse at all.

At the end of the section he writes that taking this trial allowed him to talk about the injustice of losing his son, as he spoke in court about the injustice done to his young client. It is a very moving passage but too lengthy to excerpt here. Read pages 229-230 for yourself.

Afterword

Edwards sums up his life in a few short pages. For me the most compelling passage is this from page 236.:

During my years in the United States Senate, I have learned a great deal about politics and programs, about procedures and politics, but I know that what was most important was learned somewhere else and often many years before. As I have worked to serve the people of my state and my country, I have come to understand that there could have been no better experience than that of having swept the floors in that mill, or seeing my father taking notes in front of the education classes on television, or watching my parents at the kitchen table as they tried to find a way to send me to college. And there could have been no substitute for the fear and joy I felt at the birth of each of our four children, for the way the world changes when my son died, or for the chance I had to work – for twenty fine years – beside remarkable men and women as they fought for justice and a better life for those they loved.

For my part, I enjoyed reading this book. Edwards may be one of those people who is not comfortable talking about his life, or he may wish to protect the privacy of those around him, but this is the closest he has come to an autobiography. It was interesting to learn more about the legal aspects of the cases he describes and to see the glimpses he allows into his upbringing and his family.

State of the Blog -- Year 3

Each November I write a “state of the blog” post to reflect on the previous year’s blogging; this year it’s just a little late. The blog is now (as of Nov. 19) 3 years old, which makes it a few weeks (and a couple of decades) older than Young Philly Politics.

My sophomore slump was delayed a year. Last year the congressional and state house and senate elections kept me pretty busy and were a lot of fun to work with. This year there was less action. I wrote some posts about judicial and county commissioner candidates. However, for much of the year I’ve had the blogger blahs. Reading around the blogosphere it doesn’t sound like I was the only one. Perhaps it was just the mood of an off year. Perhaps it is a general frustration with the process.

I kept with standard features, the weekly legislative update, list of articles on Pennsylvania published in the Wall Street Journal, synopses of House and Senate Journals, rough notes from live and televised debates, interviews, and other events. There were also some email interviews with candidates and other political figures but fewer than last year.

In late January I switched over to the new blogger which allowed me to attach subject headings to blog posts, though I will admit to not using that feature as consistently or accurately as I could have. Nor have I given the necessary thought to picking good headings.

Once again, I paid to attend all fundraising events, although someone did lift a tent flap to let me into something educational. From time to time people will write and offer me a free copy of a book or other product. All these offers have been declined.

In keeping with previous years, let me provide some information on usage. There are three ways to track blog usage. A number of users either come directly to the blog or find it via search engines, looking for information on candidates, bills, and related topics, as well as those who come across it while searching for something entirely different, and are probably disappointed when they get here. Then there are those who are referred here from other sites, aggregators like Phillyfuture.org, or other blogs like Capitol Ideas. I appreciate those people including this blog on their blogroll or in their blog roundups.


These users are represented in the chart below from sitemeter. I don’t know how to account for the blip in February. The blip in May was due to the primary and to the most popular post of the year, written about the Foodstamp Challenge, referenced by Rebecca’s Pocket and other bloggers. The blip in October due to people searching for information on candidates and races in the general election. As you can see the number of visitors last November is larger than for any month this year. I expected that as this year’s elections were primarily judicial and municipal or county and voter turnout, and interest, is lower.

The only income I receive from the blog comes from Newstex which markets a number of blogs to commercial databases like Lexis / Nexis. The permanence and national exposure that blog posts get in those venues have affected how I write. It makes me more cautious, less likely to post things that I cannot verify, or to include personal or short quip-y posts. They do send me a monthly email letting me know how much I earned and how many hits my blog posts received (with a 60 day lag time). However, various vendors report usage differently and at different times so any usage numbers I provide would be incomplete. Over the past year I have earned a little over $100.00 from Newstex, which, from what I hear, is about what other blogs this size earn through ad revenue; much like the numbers of hits earnings are not reported uniformly so it is possible that is not a true reflection of payment for the past year as more may come in later.

This past July I discovered how to hook the blog up to feedburner to see how much usage it received via RSS feeds. Yowza!! I never cease to be astounded by these numbers. However, I have comparatively little information on who these users are.

Date / Subscribers / Hits / Views / Clickthroughs
July 15-30 / 1449 / 8026 / 814 / 512
Aug / 2953 / 17287 / 2937 / 1106
Sept / 3395 / 26361 / 2477 / 1820
Oct / 4046 / 33633 / 2612 / 1241

So, on to year four, which will have another round of state house, state senate, and congressional elections. The presidential election will get a lot of coverage everywhere else so I plan to stay with my usual regional focus.

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.

It was either a light week or I missed things.

PA Politicians

Our folks managed to stay out of the papers this week.

PA Businesses

Bensalem-based Orleans Homebuilders is mentioned in “Firms step in to help cover relocation costs,” by Alex Frangos (11/27)

CoventryFirst LLC of Ft. Washington is the focus of “An insurance man builds a lively business in death,” by Liam Pleven and Rachel Emma Silverman (11/26)

StarCite, a Philly-based event-planning company, is featured in “HR in a box,” by Simona Covel (11/26)

VoiceVerified of New Hope is one of the examples of companies using word of mouth advertising in “Talk is cheap,” by Suzanne Barlyn (11/26)

Other PA

Mary Kaplowitz, a special education teaching in Kingston, Pa is quoted in “Parents of disabled students push for separate classes,” by Robert Tomsho (11/27)

Carnegie Mellon psychologist Michael Scheier is quoted in “The office pessimists may not be lovable, but are often right,” by Jared Sandberg (11/27)

It what seems to be a weekly occurrence, Mark Zandi of West Chester based Moody’s Economy.com is quoted in “Fed sees patchwork woes,” by Conor Dougherty (11/29). He is quoted again on “Home or the holidays?” by Ann Zimmerman (11/26)

The Army’s Army Advantage Fund was developed by Penn State MBA Lt. Col. Jeff Sterling, as noted in “Uncle Sam wants you, but ads target Mom, Dad,” by Yochi J. Dreazen (11/29).

Dallas, Pa. native Marine First Lt. Jack Isaac is mentioned in “In counterinsurgency class, soldiers think like Taliban,” by Michael M. Phillips (11/30)

Other Interesting Tidbits

Nothing caught my eye.

weekly legislative update

As it turns out the only bill that passed the Pennsylvania House or Senate this week was SB 1 in the Senate, the Open Records Law:

SB 1 By Senators PILEGGI, SCARNATI, MELLOW, ORIE, KASUNIC, MUSTO, RAFFERTY, O'PAKE, TOMLINSON, M. WHITE, ERICKSON, WAUGH, FOLMER, COSTA, EARLL, VANCE, BOSCOLA, CORMAN, WONDERLING, GORDNER, RHOADES, D. WHITE, PIPPY, MADIGAN, ARMSTRONG, BAKER, C. WILLIAMS, BRUBAKER, BROWNE, REGOLA, DINNIMAN and EICHELBERGER. Prior Printer's Nos. 772, 1509, 1553, 1562. Printer's No. 1583. An Act providing for access to public information, for a designated open-records officer in each Commonwealth agency, local agency, judicial agency and legislative agency, for procedure, for appeal of agency determination, for judicial review and for an Open Records Clearinghouse; imposing penalties; providing for reporting by State-related institutions; requiring the posting of certain State contract information on the Internet; and making related repeals.

PICPA, in their weekly update, reports that another bill, SB 390, passed the Senate on 11/27, but it didn't come through on the daily update.

Senate Dems have a new weekly update (with one item on it -- SB01)

House Republicans weigh in.

Philly's Inspector General

Today Michael Nutter named three women to important ethics-related posts. Heard in the Hall has the scoop. The Next Mayor has video. Amy Kurland will be the city's new inspector general. Nutter took a moment to mention his high opinion of current inspector general and friend of the blogosphere Seth Williams. Like some other area bloggers I cut my blog teeth on Williams' 2005 campaign for District Attorney and have followed his career with interest.

Young Philly Politics has some commentary on the IG's office. They have also posted Seth's press release, reprinted in it's entirety below:

Inspector General R. Seth Williams on Mayor-Elect Nutter’s appointment of Philadelphia’s new Inspector General

As Mayor-Elect, it is Michael Nutter’s prerogative to make mayoral appointments of his own choosing, and I applaud his selection of Amy Kurland to serve as Philadelphia’s next Inspector General.

I want to first thank Mayor John F. Street for allowing me the opportunity to serve the city I love as Inspector General for the past two years. It has been a position of great challenge and great rewards, and I will always cherish the time I spent here in the service of my fellow Philadelphians.

I also gratefully thank the hard working men and women of the Office of the Inspector General, whose tireless dedication and commitment to the citizens of Philadelphia too often goes ignored. I am honored to have worked with public servants of such outstanding caliber.

When I received this appointment in November 2005, I decided that my tenure would be short. I also knew that few Philadelphians had ever heard of the Inspector General’s Office. With the full support of the Mayor’s Office, we embarked on a citywide campaign to get residents involved in the administration’s anti-corruption endeavors. I deputized private citizens in every corner of our beloved City. Now, the public is a full partner in our efforts to investigate and prevent corruption, fraud and waste. Together, we have begun to reverse Philadelphia’s “corrupt and contented” image, restoring the public’s confidence in city government. The public now knows this office exists. Due to our visible, vocal and aggressive work many cases of misconduct have been prosecuted and hopefully countless more prevented.

I pledge my full support to Mayor-Elect Nutter and will do all that I can to ensure a smooth transition with Inspector General Kurland. I am confident the new Inspector General will continue the progress that our office has made in the past two years, and will expand our vision for a corruption-free city government, and achieve even greater success.

I have more challenges and opportunities to explore, and I look forward to serving my fellow Philadelphians again in the near future.

Shapiro on Reform

State Rep Josh Shapiro has entered the blogosphere. He has a statement on reform cross posted at the PADems site, as well as on Keystone Politics.

Tom Quinn Kicks Off Campaign

Tom Quinn, Democratic candidate for the 165th house district, held a fundraiser this week that brought out State Reps. Greg Vitali, Bryan Lentz, and Daylin Leach. That's a good way to start off.

A Few Legislative Notes

The Pennsylvania State Senate passed SB 1, the Open Records law today. I would explain it to you but it's best to read tomorrow's paper and see what people who actually understand it say.

Also, from the inbox:

In our commonwealth, a vote on The Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies Act, aka The CARE Act or House Bill 288, is on the PA House voting calendar for Monday, December 3. Unfortunately, 19 amendments have been introduced, the vast majority of which do not ensure complete or compassionate care to all victims. Some of the amendments would actually ensure a lesser standard of care than the regulations approved by Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) on October 17, which standardize emergency care of sexual assault victims in Pennsylvania hospitals.

If you have strong feelings about this, let your rep know before Monday.

Dave Steil to Retire

The Bucks County Courier Times is reporting that State Rep Dave Steil (R-31) is retiring. (See "Steil won't seek re-election," by Kori Walters. The Liberal Doomsayer also weighs in on this topic. Steil co-chaired the Speaker's Reform Commission with State Rep. Josh Shapiro.

PA Dems Delegate Selection

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party has announced the selection process to be used in picking the state delegates for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Training sessions and procedures are listed on the padems site. Note that only 103 delegates will be chosen from the entire state, apportioned by congressional district

CQPolitics House Race Ratings

CQPolitics has rated the congressional house races for 2008. Here is where the Pennsylvania races are in the charts:

by congressional district
01 - Bob Brady (D), safe
02 - Chaka Fattah (D), safe
03 - Phil English (R), leans Republican
04 - Jason Altmire (D), leans Democratic
05 - John Peterson (R), safe
06 - Jim Gerlach (R), leans Republican
07 - Joe Sestak (D), safe
08 - Patrick Murphy (D), Democrat favored
09 - Bill Shuster (R), safe
10 - Chris Carney (D), leans Democratic
11 - Paul Kanjorski (D), safe
12 - John Murtha (D), safe
13 - Allyson Schwartz (D), safe
14 - Mike Doyle (D), safe
15 - Charlie Dent (R), Republican favored
16 - Joe Pitts (R), safe
17 - Tim Holden (D), safe
18 - Tim Murphy (R), Republican favored
19 - Todd Platts (R), safe

Pennsylvania Society 2007 Schedule

Whoever is behind the curtain over at PoliticsPA has the schedule of events for this year's Pennsylvania Society meeting in New York. This year the bash is on December 7, 8, and 9. Once again, my invitations to the various receptions and parties were lost in the mail. In previous years PCN has broadcast some of the public events and may again this year, but the schedule hasn't been posted that far ahead yet.

Musical Notes

A few items for the musically inclined:

Could be mistaken but I think I saw Anthony Riley, noted area singer, humming a few notes in a train station this week.

While Anthony was away or otherwise occupied his spot at the crossroads was kept warm by the Audible Eye who also plays in assorted city venues. He can sing, play the guitar, and the cymbals of his drum set all at the same time. He can also entertain a variety of audiences. I've seen him keep adults of all ages interested and he is great with kids, keeping a few tambourines and maracas on hand to get the little ones involved (and their parents charmed at the same time).

According to a discarded flyer the Sixth Annual Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Extravaganza will be at the Keswick Theatre tomorrow, Nov. 29th, at 7:30. I've seen the orchestra on tv and remember The Stray Cats fondly. This is definitely a show worth seeing. Sorry not to provide more notice.

Josh Shapiro in Philly Mag AGAIN?!

The December issue of Philadelphia Magazine is devoted to Good. When I saw it on the newstand last week I gave it a quick glance, after all, who expects to find politics in a special issue on Good. However, I gave it a second glance today and there is a lengthy article on noted reformer State Rep Josh Shapiro (D-153). Check out "Politics: Cleaning House," by Benjamin Wallace, pp. 90-100.

Another Bryan Lentz Update

Two items relating to Rep. Bryan Lentz (D-161):

State Representative Bryan R. Lentz, D-Delaware, will be hosting a forum on family caregiving, with a focus on Alzheimer’s on November 29th at the Swarthmore Borough Community Room, 121 Park Avenue in Swarthmore. The event will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The event, which is being called “Family Caregivers: Focus on Alzheimer’s Forum,” will feature two guest speakers, Claire Day and Judith Neale. Claire Day, who is a staff member of the Alzheimer’s Association of Delaware Valley, will provide audience members with tips on how to care for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Judith Neale, the Executive Director of Senior Care Cooperative, will be discussing family caregiving. Representative Lentz will also be providing a legislative input on Alzheimer’s legislation and requesting suggestions for possible caregiving legislation in Harrisburg.

On another matter, Lentz wants to make sure any of his constituents are aware of the LIHEAP program, available statewide, to help those in need pay heating bills. For more info see www.staywarmpa.com and the Department of Public Welfare page on LIHEAP.

As a personal note, for several years Mr. J and I have participated in the MEAF program, adding $5.00 to our monthly PECO bill. Here is a description of the program:

PECO
Matching Energy Assistance Fund (MEAF)
MEAF is an energy assistance program that enables PECO Energy to assist low-income, residential customers in its service territory with bill payment. MEAF is a customer pledge program in which PECO matches customer contributions.

Five dollars may not sound like a lot. It only adds up to $60 a year, $120 with PECO's match, but that might pay somebody's bill for a month. If you are looking for painless ways to contribute to those with fewer material blessings, consider having a few bucks added to your PECO bill every month. You probably won't feel it and someone else might truly benefit.

weekly legislative update addendum

When the daily legislative updates come in I file them in a folder named legis and then review them Friday evenings to compile the weekly legislative update. Alas, in the excitement and planning for the Thanksgiving holiday Tuesday's daily update wasn't filed; it stayed in the inbox and therefore wasn't included in Friday's post.

Here is the list of bills that passed the Pennsylvania House or Senate on Tuesday.

Apologies for the earlier incomplete posting.

House
HB 895 Prior Printer's No. 1048.Printer's No. 2748. An Act amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for exception for adopted children; providing for sibling visitation; and making an editorial change.

HB 1961 Prior Printer's No. 2719.Printer's No. 2832. An Act amending Title 23 (Domestic Relations) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, further providing for information relating to prospective child-care personnel.

SB 117 By Senators COSTA, BOSCOLA, FONTANA, TARTAGLIONE, KITCHEN, STOUT, EARLL, RAFFERTY, ERICKSON, O'PAKE, C. WILLIAMS, BROWNE, FERLO, LOGAN and WASHINGTON. Prior Printer's Nos. 156, 1429, 1457.Printer's No. 1466. An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for the establishment and operation of the Juvenile Court Judges' Commission; prescribing its powers and duties; and repealing provisions relating to Juvenile Court Judges' Commission.

SB 915 Prior Printer's Nos. 1264, 1416, 1430.Printer's No. 1436. An Act amending Title 51 (Military Affairs) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for the establishment of a grant program for designated accredited veterans' service organizations, for defraying the costs for wages, benefits, training and equipment and for improving outreach and delivery of services to Pennsylvania's veterans.

Senate

HB 43 Prior Printer's No. 68.Printer's No. 2870. An Act amending Title 27 (Environmental Resources) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, providing for uniform environmental covenants.

SB 266 Prior Printer's Nos. 303, 1487.Printer's No. 1554. An Act providing for a report on potential climate change impacts and economic opportunities for this Commonwealth, for duties of the Department of Environmental Protection, for an inventory of greenhouse gases, for establishment of Climate Change Advisory Committee, for a voluntary registry of greenhouse gas emissions and for a climate change action plan.

SB 777 By Senators BROWNE, BOSCOLA, ERICKSON, COSTA, FERLO, LOGAN, O'PAKE and ORIE. Prior Printer's Nos. 874, 1456.Printer's No. 1560. An Act amending the act of May 16, 1923 (P.L.207, No.153), referred to as the Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law, changing the date from which, and the rate of which, interest is charged on certain delinquent taxes and other municipal claims; providing for the duties of third-party collectors and for adoption of ordinance for the exclusive collection of taxes; further providing for locality index; modernizing the law relating to collection of such taxes and claims; and providing for severability.

SB 1051 By Senator EARLL. Prior Printer's Nos. 1355, 1472.Printer's No. 1561. An Act amending Title 53 (Municipalities Generally) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in municipal authorities, further providing for governing board and for airport authorities.

Energy Bill News

The good people at Save Our Environment, a impressive coalition of national organizations, would like all of us to let our congressional representatives know that we support an energy bill with strong standards for fuel economy and renewable energy. They have collected a list of supporting documentation, including a not to be missed letter from the Car Guys. For the Facebook inclined there is a group to join.

Holiday Shopping Suggestion: Jane of Pemberley

From time to time between now and Christmas I'll be posting short items on holiday shopping suggestions. I don't have ties to any of these products, beyond thinking they are nifty.

One or twice I've thought about setting up a shop at Cafe Press for Jane related merchandise, vanity and all. It wouldn't be worth the effort and the idea passes quickly.

However, if you would want something with a Jane logo on it, please support the fine folks at the Republic of Pemberley who bring all things Austen to the web. I plan on getting a What Would Jane Blog mug. I might pick up a "Give me an occupation or I shall run mad" t-shirt while I'm there. ("I blame Jane" is another available slogan.)

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

Kanjo does the honors this week. Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-11) is quoted in “Mortgage giant fuels worries with steep loss,” by James R. Hagerty and Damian Paletta (11/21). Here is the relevant paragraph:

Rep. Paul Kanjorksi (D-Pa), who chairs the House subcommittee overseeing Fannie and Freddie, said the increased capital requirements imposed on Fannie and Freddie in recent years by Ofheo are necessary. “By relying on the regulator’s judgment, I hope to avert repeating the mistakes of the savings-and-loan crisis,” said Mr. Kanjorski.

Sen. Casey also makes a passing appearance this week. In “Democrats rework the rhetoric,” by John D. McKinnon (11/23) we find this:

Ms. Vanderslice and a partner started a consultancy, Common Good Strategies, in 2005. Candidates who employed them performed well in the 2006 cycle, including Bob Casey, who won an easy victory over Rick Santorum for Senate in Pennsylvania and involved the theme for a major speech.

Not a politician, but a government agency, the PA Turnpike makes an appearance in “Is family leave act too soft or too tough?” by Kris Maher (11/21):

At the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, FMLA requests around holidays and weekends are known as “get out of jail free” cards according to one comment sent to the Labor Department, because there is no recourse that “we have as an employer to enforce these types of abuses/misuses of leave.”

PA Businesses

H. J. Heinz Co. gets a brief mention in “Tainted ginger’s long trip from China to U.S. stores,” by Nicholas Zamiska and David Kesmodel (11/19)

Other PA

You may know that “The Office” is set in Scranton but you may not appreciate the efforts they show goes to include authentic detail. According to “Clinging to the rolodex,” by Katherine Rosman (11/24), property master Philip Shea flew to Scranton to collect, among other things, local business cards to be put into one character’s rolodex.

Other Interesting Tidbits

Nothing really caught my eye.