Pennsylvania in Focus

 Pennsylvania sits at the heart of the 13-state electric grid called PJM. That means the state’s role in generating power to keep the lights on in neighboring states is crucial. But a report warns that recent government policy choices have weakened the grid, making it more vulnerable to disruptions. A potential power shortage could hit by 2030 if more problems mount.

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 A proposal for election transparency has one state legislator going against the Department of State. At the center of the split: changes made to Pennsylvania’s elections stemming from the passage of Act 77 of 2019. Rep. Brad Roae, R-Meadville, introduced House Bill 2542 to require the Department to again update precinct counts online, allowing voters to see how the count is progressing.

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A bipartisan task force investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump requested a trove of documents and interviews on Wednesday. Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, who chairs the panel, and Colorado Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Crow, who serves as ranking member, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Secret Service asking for interviews, communications and existing protocols that factored into the July 13 campaign rally shooting in Butler, Pa.

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In May, Gov. Josh Shapiro embarked on a weeklong family RV trip to promote the state’s new tourism brand, “Pennsylvania: The Great American Getaway.” Speaking at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball stadium, the governor wanted to show off “the opportunity we have when it comes to tourism and when it comes to economic development.” With stops in Philadelphia to promote urban tourism and lake visits to boost outdoor recreation, Shapiro emphasized tourism as a central part of his administration’s economic development strategy. As emails from the governor’s office obtained in a public records request show, though, there was one appearance the governor didn’t make, but did consider: on camera with retired Philadelphia Eagles Center Jason Kelce.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Wednesday that Democrats support the “kind of freedom” that starts in the classroom. Specifically, the public school classroom. “You know what Democrats? We are the party of real freedom,” Shapiro said from the Democratic National Convention stage in Chicago. “The kind of real freedom that comes when that child attends a great public school with an awesome teacher because we believe in her future.” The first-term governor went on to describe the other “real freedoms” found in the party platform, from organized labor to reproductive rights to marriage equality.

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Less burdensome regulation has led to economic growth in some states, but Pennsylvania trails far behind. As the commonwealth slips in population and job growth, one report argues that its red-tape-laden system will create more problems in the future. Nationally, Pennsylvania is the 14th-most regulated state, according to an analysis by the Mercatus Center of George Mason University. 

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A federal report warns that SEPTA’s contract with a state-owned Chinese company lacked proper oversight and may not have met federal guidelines for Buy America requirements. However, much of the problem came from vague guidance from the federal government itself. The contract, a $138-million deal with the China Railway Rolling Stock MA Corporation, or CRRC, would have delivered 45 passenger railcars to the Philadelphia region’s transit agency by 2025. 

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A new report from the Pennsylvania State Police found no statistically significant racial or ethnic disparities during traffic stops in 2023. The data, analyzed by researchers from the University of Cincinnati, shows troopers pulled over white, Black and Hispanic drivers at the same rate. The odds of receiving a warning or citation or being arrested were “statistically insignificant,” said Dr. Robin Engel, professor of criminal justice at the University of Cincinnati. 

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Sufficient aid, including health care funding, to Pennsylvanians is being asked of Norfolk Southern in a settlement request of the U.S. Department of Justice, says state Attorney General Michelle Henry. Along with Gov. Josh Shapiro, the Justice Department was given the response when it requested input on a proposed settlement with the train company related to the February 2023 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. In a release, Henry said, "This catastrophic crash had wide-ranging impacts on many Pennsylvania residents and workers, and Norfolk Southern must remedy these impacts. As a result of this incident, many Pennsylvanians are in financial hardship and were physically harmed — the full extent of those negative health impacts still to be seen — and they deserve to be made whole, now and in the future."

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Twelve casinos filed a lawsuit last week demanding that unregulated skill game operators pay the same 54% tax rate applied to slot machines. While the industry claims this would make the levy constitutionally fair, critics argue it's another tactic meant to squash their competition. The turf war between Pennsylvania’s 17 casinos and roughly 67,000 unregulated skill game terminals in social clubs, convenience stores, gas stations, and bars has grown more heated in recent years as one of the latter’s major manufacturers – Pace O’ Matic – seeks legal distinction from “games of chance.”

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