Pennsylvania in Focus

(The Center Square) - Tuesday’s Democratic primaries proved to be a referendum on Ed Gainey’s leadership in his first term as mayor of Pittsburgh. The incumbent failed to convince voters that more time would help him usher a vision of a revitalized Pittsburgh into reality, and he was unseated by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor. The victory means O’Connor is on track to win the general election, with Democrats holding the position for most of the last century. Tony Moreno, a former police detective, took the Republican nomination. 

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(The Center Square) – Lawmakers made another attempt to reform elections in Pennsylvania, though it’s unclear how much appetite exists to deliver the plan to the governor’s desk. In many ways, it’s familiar. Like House Democratic-backed proposals that came before it, the bill establishes early in-person voting, ballot boxes and faster voter registration timelines. House Speaker Joanna McClinton, of Philadelphia, again sponsored it. And again, it passed along party lines – 102-101 in favor, to be exact. This time, however, there’s a historic difference: a bill to enact voter identification, historically a non-starter for the Democratic party, is only one step behind.

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(The Center Square) - Central to the debate around bailouts for the Philadelphia area’s mass transit system, SEPTA, has been the long-term sustainability of the agency’s finances. It’s currently set to face a $213 million deficit in July. Republicans in the legislature have resisted bailouts and solutions that would allocate more state dollars toward mass transit, favoring funding road and bridge construction throughout the state and demanding belt-tightening measures. Today, SEPTA announced that it has identified $91.4 million in accruing annual recurring revenue and savings through its Efficiency and Accountability, or E&A, program.

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(The Center Square) – A skeptical high court grilled state officials this week about whether the money it wants to collect from a regional anti-pollution pact constitutes a fee or a tax. Only the latter needs legislative approval, which will not happen with a split General Assembly, where the risk of rising utility bills 30% during economic uncertainty weighs heavily. That means it’s up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to decide if the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s effort to limit harmful emissions from power plants across the mid-Atlantic rises above the financial impact residents may feel. 

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(The Center Square) - When used judiciously, some Democrats speculate that tariffs can be a good thing. In Pennsylvania, where steel has been a central component of the state’s economy, they’re arguing for different tactics. “I think it should be easy for us to criticize Donald Trump's tariffs and his trade approach right now, which is hurting a lot of people. A lot of businesses and workers in Pennsylvania,” said Congressman Chris Deluzio, who represents the 17th district northwest of Pittsburgh. He spoke at the Harrisburg stop of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’s Fighting Oligarchy tour just hours after Cleveland Cliffs announced it would be at least temporarily closing a plant in neighboring Steelton. The move will impact 500 workers. The company will also be idling a Conshohocken plant, costing 115 jobs.

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(The Center Square) – Students across 18 public schools in Pennsylvania failed proficiency tests for math and reading. That is, not even 1% of children hit the benchmark. This reality is widening support for school choices beyond assigned districts, as has happened in some form across 34 states. Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, and Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, say the commonwealth’s resistance must end. It’s a rare bipartisan alliance, though for Williams, it's deeply personal: the shocking statistics come from his district, which stretches north from the airport to the city's west side.

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(The Center Square) – A 173-page bill that regulates adult-use cannabis in the commonwealth went from introduction to committee approval in less than 24 hours. While Democrats laud the proposal as long overdue and the best amalgamation of many state models, Republicans argue the process was fast-tracked, secretive and potentially dangerous. Critics argued that’s not true. Without comment from law enforcement advocacy groups or those representing children’s health and well-being, they worry the bill will only cause harm. 

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(The Center Square) - Recruitment and retention were primary challenges for Berkeley Hills Fire Company in Allegheny County. It’s one of the thousands of volunteer fire departments that make up the majority of the state’s network of first responders. It’s not an easy job, and finding those with the time, flexibility, and interest to do it has become increasingly difficult. Some say it’s a shift in values, while others point to the financial strain and life stressors faced by men and women in the potential recruitment pool. The company’s website advertises professional training and certification, gear and uniforms to fight fires, scholarships to learn more about fighting fires, health and wellness perks to keep recruits fit for fighting fires, life insurance and discounts on property tax, and even modest stipends. The company’s live-in program offers extensive training and experience in exchange for 40-hours of shifts per week. That is to say, volunteering is a full-time job.

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(The Center Square) – A recent poll suggests that support for school choice doesn’t hinge on any political affiliation, age, ethnicity, region or 2024 presidential vote. Rather, across all demographics, as many as two-thirds of respondents support the concept of educational scholarships that offer state funding directly to families to fund private school tuition. Support for the policy reached as high as 56% among Democrats and Kamala Harris voters – a significant figure given the party’s historical opposition to it. 

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(The Center Square) - Dozens of organizations across Pennsylvania have taken advantage of tax credits and rebates provided by the federal infrastructure bill to fund projects that support renewable energy and climate resiliency. PennEnvironment and Evergreen Collaborative, both environmental organizations who operate in the commonwealth, have created an interactive map to see which companies have benefited from the tax dollars and the fiscal and environmental impact they’re expected to make. The map illustrates a range of projects in every region of the state, including rural areas whose representatives are known for backing the coal industry and eschewing climate concerns. They include various types of clean and renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable agriculture, environmental cleanup, and tree planting efforts. Solar projects appear most prominently. 

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