Episode 31: How to kill a bill (and more)

For years, Democrats and moderate Republicans in Pennsylvania’s legislature have been trying to pass a severance tax on natural gas drillers. They’ve never been successful, and—particularly in the House—attempted legislation has rarely made it out of committee.

Right now, a measure is actually poised to make it to the House floor; it just needs leaders to call it to a vote. But the situation is more complicated than it sounds—in part because since it passed last month, over 300 amendments have been filed to the bill.

Capitolwire’s Carley Mossbrook has spent the last two weeks combing through all of them. She joins us to explain why many involve topics that aren’t remotely related to oil and gas taxation—including abortion, dredging bodies of water, and pensions.

Plus, Carley and Liz Navratil of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette discuss this week’s elections, and rehash Republican Senator Scott Wagner’s decision to name a running mate in his fledgling gubernatorial campaign.