Month: May 2017

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Episode 8: It’s protest season!

After a few quiet weeks, the last three session days brought with them some notable legislative action.

The Senate passed a long-awaited bill to expand gambling and provide the commonwealth with needed revenue; the governor signed a measure to bring PA’s IDs into federal compliance; and there are whispers that it might soon be possible to restructure state pensions.

Plus, the week saw an influx of protests, chiefly from the group March on Harrisburg. Its members are urging lawmakers to strengthen historically lax gift laws, among other things.

The AP’s Marc Levy stops by the coffee shop to help explain the lay of the land.

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Episode 7: DNC bonuses raise eyebrows, ire

Remember the Democratic National Convention? The event that saw Hillary Clinton accept the Democratic nomination happened nearly a year ago, but controversy related to how the DNC host committee spent state dollars is just now hitting the state Capitol.

Charlie Thompson of PennLive helps break down the dispute on this week’s podcast.

Plus, we discuss local primary elections, the latest person to declare candidacy for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, and what in the world the legislature might do when they return to session next week.

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Episode 6: Not compact, and definitely not contiguous: how PA draws districts

Have you suddenly started hearing the word “gerrymandering” a whole lot?

Well, there’s a good reason.

With redistricting-related bills now sitting in both the state House and Senate, activists pushing for a constitutional amendment to change Pennsylvania’s legislative redistricting process have been out in force to raise awareness.

PennLive’s Wallace McKelvey and the Philly Inquirer’s Angela Coloumbus join us on the podcast this week to explain how Pennsylvania’s exquisitely gerrymandered districts came to be, and to discuss the many, many ways this political tactic impacts every level of state politics.

Tune in for that, as well as updates on some other legislation currently crawling through the chambers.

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Episode 5: The revenue shortfall grows, again

The legislature may not have been in session this week, but Harrisburg still saw some budget-related action. A new revenue report came out, and brought with it the unwelcome news that this fiscal year’s budget shortfall is even bigger than previously predicted.

On a rainy Friday, we head down the street from the Capitol to Little Amps coffee shop to talk about what it all means. This episode features John Baer, longtime Harrisburg reporter and regular columnist for Philly.com, the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.

We also discuss Pennsylvania’s shifting population and demographics, as well as some gubernatorial campaign trail controversy featuring York County Senator Scott Wagner.

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