State and Local Issues

By: Carter Wyckoff, March 26th, 2019

Spring is finally here and it seems the Pennsylvania General Assembly is starting to find their rhythm for the 2019-2020 session, however the dust has yet to settle on the balance between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. Last week, Democrat Bridget Malloy Kosierowski declared victory in the Special Election to replace the…

By: Carter Wyckoff, January 8th, 2019

Well here we are folks, Santa has come and gone, the ball has dropped, and the 2019-2020 Pennsylvania General Assembly has officially been sworn into office. While swearing in day seemed cordial, this session will quickly turn interesting as the slimmer, yet still robust Republican majorities in the House and Senate will likely further their…

By: Carter Wyckoff, December 3rd, 2018

Now that the dust has settled following the 2018 record midterm election, legislators from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and everywhere in between will travel back to Harrisburg on January 1st to be sworn in and start fresh on what is sure to be an interesting legislative session. Governor Tom Wolf won his reelection handedly after defeating…

By: Administrator, October 8th, 2018

For the last two weeks, after a long and rainy summer break, the Pennsylvania General Assembly was back in Harrisburg to wrap up their two year session before heading back to their districts for re-election battles. The top issues on the docket were relief for sexual abuse victims in light of the Attorney General’s report…

By: Administrator, August 28th, 2018

The Pennsylvania General Assembly, after enjoying their first real summer in six years, is slated to come back to Harrisburg to continue their legislative session in September. With only nine days on the schedule, the House and Senate are expected to work on issues that have evaded passage the last year and a half, with…

By: Administrator, April 6th, 2018

With the House of Representatives gearing up for next week’s session, budget pontification will quickly become budget reality, as the impending June 30 deadline edges closer than the turn of the new year. Under the shadow of November elections, the chances of a protracted budget stalemate diminish, however as many have learned over the years,…

By: Administrator, February 14th, 2018

Governor Tom Wolf announced his budget proposal for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The Governor’s proposal includes a 3.7% spend increase of $1.1 billion dollars that would be funded through a severance tax and a $300 million special fund transfer. Currently, the $40 million revenue surplus stands in contrast to last year’s $1.5 billion shortfall, and…

By: Administrator, January 9th, 2018

As the new year rings in, the Pennsylvania General Assembly is gearing up for the second half of their legislative session. While few expect controversial legislation or broad-based taxes to get serious consideration in an election year, there are many hot button issues expected to take the spotlight in 2018. Domestic violence, opioid prescriptions and…

By: Administrator, December 21st, 2017

As of Wednesday, December 13th, the Pennsylvania legislature has gaveled out of town until the new year. Amid the flurry of activity that has surrounded the end of the year, the Pennsylvania Senate touts over twenty bills that have been sent to the Governor’s desk for signature or veto. Per their Constitutional requirement, the House…

By: Administrator, December 8th, 2017

Over the last two weeks of session, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives has held a spirited debate on HB 1401, legislation that would provide for a natural gas severance tax. The bill has yet to receive its second vote as the entire second consideration has been consumed with the debate of over 350 potential amendments…

By: Administrator, November 2nd, 2017

Pennsylvania’s State Treasurer authorized another line of credit to the Pennsylvania General Fund. Treasurer Joe Torsella enabled a $1.8 billion line of credit from the Treasury's Short Term Investment Pool (STIP) to help the Commonwealth's spending while the recently agreed to revenue comes into the General Fund. Last month, Torsella indicated he would not continue to loan…