👋 Second half of the week/year. Hello Wednesday, hello July.
Headlines. The PA budget is officially late. Senate GOP and Democrats are at loggerheads as the state budget deadline passes. With little data or oversight, $650 million in school tax breaks is drawing criticism. The science behind the Dinger River at PNC Park.
🎶 Your morning, pick me up. Heating is in progress. Glenn Frey
Weather in Pennsylvania
☀️ Uniontown | Sunny, heated, 94
🌤️ Jersey Coast | Sunny, heated, 98
☀️Telford | Sunny, heated, 96
Sports PA
⚾ Phillies (48-38) | Pittsburgh 8-0 | Wednesday vs. Pittsburgh
⚾ Pirates (43-43) | Philadelphia 0-8 | Wednesday in Philadelphia
⚽ USMNT (2-1) | Wednesday – Bosnia and Herzegovina
What’s happening today. The House meets at 9:30 a.m.
Meet. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Republicans will hold their first-ever midterm convention in Dallas in September.
Tips. PoliticsPA is Pennsylvania’s leading source of unbiased political news and analysis. Tips and press releases can be submitted [email protected].
PoliticsPA Guide was developed by Steve Ulrich. To read in your browser click here.
The most crucial story
1. AP budget officially delayed, although hope remains for an agreement next week
“With a budget agreement seemingly out of reach this week, state senators left Harrisburg on Tuesday, marking another year in which the budget plan will miss the end-of-June deadline set by state law.
Democrats were quick to say they preferred to finalize the deal before going to Independence Day weekend barbecues. At a news conference, Democratic leaders in the House and Senate gave Senate Republicans a missed deadline over their refusal to return on Wednesday.
But Senate Republican leader Joe Pittmanwho announced a break with no scheduled return date, said an agreement could be reached as early as next week.” | WESA
Elsewhere
Supreme Court ruling marks next fight in trans sports. “The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to impose a nationwide ban on transgender athletes while upholding state laws barring transgender girls from playing on girls’ sports teams, setting up another legal fight over inclusive policies. The ruling leaves transgender-inclusive policies in some states intact for now, shifting another legal battle to states and schools” | Axles
Could PA-09 be an indicator of other fall races? “While all the attention is on four congressional races this fall, why am I looking at one where Republicans have a +32 advantage in voter registration? Because that could say more about the fate of the GOP in November than the fate of Bucks County, the Lehigh Valley, NEPA or the Commonwealth Capital Region.” | PoliticsPA
Pennsylvania, 24 other states sue Trump administration over Medicaid work requirements rule. “The lawsuit, filed in federal district court in Massachusetts, alleges a new June 3 rule from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that forces “vulnerable Medicaid members” to “jump through unnecessary administrative hoops to obtain and maintain life-saving health care.” known
Thompson proposes a path to legal employment for undocumented farm workers. “House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson has proposed a dramatic expansion of the federal farm labor program that includes a path for some undocumented immigrants to apply for short-lived legal status if they work in the U.S. agricultural industry.” | PoliticsPA
Garrity agrees to pay vendors for disputed work at Shapiro Home. “Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity has agreed to foot a roughly $1 million bill to improve security at the private home of her political rival, Gov. Josh Shapiro, amid possible litigation.” | USA Today Network
Country
2. The Senate GOP and Democrats are arguing over the deadline for implementing the state budget
“Since July 4 falls on a Saturday, the federal holiday for government employees and many businesses will be observed on Friday, June 3 this year.
It appears that Republicans and Democrats in the Pennsylvania Senate have different ideas about when their summer break should start and what tasks remain.” | PoliticsPA
Elsewhere
What to know after Pennsylvania’s budget deadline. “The Pennsylvania House of Representatives added two session days to its calendar before canceling one this week, while the Senate took an early recess to ensure the state’s next budget isn’t finalized on time.” | USA Today Network
Senate Republicans vote to reject discharge resolution to raise state minimum wage. “In a straight party-line vote, the Pennsylvania State Senate voted 27-23 against a motion to consider a discharge resolution calling for a vote on Tuesday on raising the state minimum wage as part of a special agenda.” | PoliticsPA
State lawmakers want to lower electricity bills. The impact on your budget may be too much to swallow. “In response to public anger over rising energy costs, Pennsylvania lawmakers from both parties voted for a massive tax cut that would lower electricity bills for customers across the state, even as they said little publicly about how to cover the $1.7 billion hole such a measure would create in the budget.” | PA reflector
A Pennsylvania lawmaker claims he was kicked off the floor of the house for wearing a “patriotic” American flag jacket. “Rep. Eric Davanzo, a Republican serving Pennsylvania’s 58th District in parts of Westmoreland County, said he was removed from the House floor on Tuesday for wearing a jacket he called ‘patriotic’ ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.” | CBS Pittsburgh
Around the Republic of Poland
3. With little data or an oversight, the $650 million school tax break drew criticism
“In Pennsylvania, $680 million of the state’s annual budget goes to two tax credit scholarship programs that are the Commonwealth’s version of the school voucher program.
This is more than the annual state funding for the Department of Community and Economic Development and the Department of Agriculture combined.” | Key
Elsewhere
AP Voting Rights Advocates Support Judicial Reprimand Over Trump Voter Demands. “A federal judge has rejected efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to obtain voter-record information about Pennsylvania voters, the latest such setback in a series of losses across the country.” | WESA
Incumbent Emrick leads Warren in fundraising for the prestigious 137th District race. “Incumbent Republican Joe Emrick is leading Democratic challenger Jeff Warren in campaign fundraising for Pennsylvania’s 137th House District, a race where national Democrats have been looking to turn things around.” | Lehigh Valley Chair
State Democrats are stepping in to control the election process for Democratic Party officials in Lackawanna County. “The state Democratic Party has assumed temporary control of its Lackawanna County chapter and plans to schedule a meeting soon to elect new county party officers.” | WVIA
Mayor Parker changed everything for this year’s July 4th concert – and it’s costing Philadelphia taxpayers millions more. “The city is expected to pay ESM Productions approximately $15.5 million for the show, which will headline Christina Aguilera, Jill Scott, The Roots and guest star Meek Mill.” | Questioner from Philadelphia
Editorial
4. What do you think about it?
1 item
5. Why did only 7 home runs at PNC Park reach Allegheny on the fly
“In the 25 years of the stadium’s operation, seven home runs were hit into the river on the fly – without any bounce, straight from the barrel of the bat into the drink.
Aside from the sheer distance necessary – home plate to the Allegheny River is 443 feet, 4 inches – what makes achieving it so hard for the best hitters in the world?
To find out, The Post-Gazette spoke to a former nuclear physics professor who studies baseball physics, the chief architect of the PNC Park project, and a number of experts in statistics and data science, as well as members of the Pirates. | Pittsburgh Postal Newspaper
Thank you for starting the novel month with us.
Keep placid. See you tomorrow.
