PA House cuts off access to roll call voting lists

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 19 October 2006) – Three weeks before a critical election, it just became even harder to find out how individual lawmakers voted on a given bill.

The Pennsylvania House is already behind other states in that it does not make roll call voting outcomes available online.

Now, in a reversal of long-standing policy, the chamber is no longer immediately distributing hard copies of the roll calls to reporters, lobbyists or anyone else who is at the Capitol when the votes are cast.

A memo from House Chief Clerk Roger Nick says, “members of the public requesting copies of roll calls can get them after session at the Chief Clerk’s office.”

that office is not always open. So the next morning, in the news, you can read or hear about the bills, but not how your lawmaker voted.

Barry Kauffman with the watchdog group Common Cause is disappointed.

“There was no problem before,” Kauffman says. “And I’m not understanding what the problem is that’s needed to be fixed. At least, nobody has described to me any problem of continuing to provide this to the public and the press immediately, as they have done for years and years and years.”

A House Republicans spokesman notes the votes will be distributed via fax and e-mail as soon as possible.

A spokesman for House Democrats says that party’s leadership believes access to the roll call lists should be restored.

PA housing advocates rally against regional shift

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 18 October 2006) – Housing advocates from all corners of Pennsylvania rallied in Harrisburg (at the Capitol) Wednesday.

They said Congress is getting ready to take public housing money away from the Northeast and give it to the South and the West.

The head of the Philadelphia Housing Authority proposed funding formula changes would mean an immediate 22-percent cut and would eventually cost Pennsylvania $40 million.

Jim Carnahan of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, lives in public housing. He said the system can’t absorb these reductions.

“It comes to a point where services are no longer, maintenance is being cut down, and these cuts are a dominant affect on the residents. And it’s really going to affect the residents. So whatever we can do – whatever our legislators can do – let’s get going,” Carnahan said.

Seventeen of Pennsylvania’s 19 members of Congress signed a letter of protest sent to the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The two who did not are Republicans Joe Pitts and Don Sherwood.

Mercury vote pleases environmentalists

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 18 October 2006) -- Environmental groups are applauding this week’s decision by an independent board to approve stricter mercury emissions standards.

A new development could slow down the process – but probably not stop it, according to proponents of the tougher regulations.

The Environmental Quality Board – a regulatory panel – approved proposed rules that would restrict emissions more than federal guidelines would.

Jan Jarrett with the advocacy group PennFuture says a Senate committee responded to the EQB vote with a motion that could enable the legislature to intercept these regulations on their way to the governor.

“It’s one step closer now to being enacted. It’s got one more regulatory hurdle to clear, and that will be at the Independent Regulatory Review Commission on November 16,” Jarrett says.

Lawmakers could delay a bit and then vote the rules down, but Governor Rendell, who supports the stricter guidelines, would probably veto any attempts to kill them.

House returns much-revised gaming bill to Senate

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 17 October 2006) – The state House is kicking a wide-ranging gaming reform bill back to the Senate with lots of changes – and it’s unclear whether it will be finalized and sent to the governor soon.

The House version of the "Gambling Integrity Act" retains at least 39 modifications the Senate had made to the House’s last try but makes at least 20 of its own changes.

Disagreements prevail over such issues as revenue sharing, drinking and smoking in casinos, local zoning and riverside rights.

And House Majority Leader Sam Smith told reporters there has not been collaboration between the chambers.

"Have you talked about any of this stuff with Senate leaders?" Smith was asked.

"Uh, not much. I talked with them as much as they talked with me about Senate Bill 862 that they sent over," Smith said.

The House will be here next week, but the Senate won’t.

Session days are scheduled for after the election, but the legislative landscape could look so different after November 7 that it’s hard to predict what will happen then.

Final Santorum-Casey debate covers lots of topics

by Brad Linder
Correspondent

Philadelphia, Penna. (PRCN, 17 October 2006) -- Pennsylvania Republican Senator Rick Santorum and his Democratic challenger, State Treasurer Bob Casey Jr., are back on the campaign trail today.

Last night, the two met at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia for their fourth and final debate before the November 7 election.

Santorum and Casey clashed over issues ranging from the war in Iraq to which candidate has put more negative campaign ads on the air.

Given a chance to address Casey directly, Santorum argued that putting caps on jury awards in medical malpractice cases would bring down the cost of malpractice insurance for doctors.

Santorum asked Casey why he opposes caps: "Why are you against liability reform, and why are you for destroying our pharmaceutical industry?"

"I believe if someone is grievously injured by someone or an entity's negligence or intentional conduct, they should be fully compensated. You and I will never agree on that," Casey said.

Casey also took issue with Santorum's estimate that 200,000 pharmaceutical industry workers in Pennsylvania would be affected if the U.S. allowed importation of prescription drugs from Canada.

Santorum has asked Casey to participate in more debates, but Casey says he'd rather spend the last weeks of the campaign talking with voters.

Casey said he plans to release five years' worth of his own tax returns this afternoon. He challenged Santorum to do the same, and Santorum said it might take a while to gather all that information, but he would do so as well.

State plans education 'costing-out' study

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 16 October 2006) – State officials and educators are about a year from knowing exactly how much an adequate primary and secondary education ought to cost in Pennsylvania.

The state Board of Education has just released a request for proposals for a "costing-out" study.
It’s with the blessing of the state legislature, which authorized the research in the school code it passed in July after years of lobbying by education advocacy groups.

Janis Risch with Good Schools Pennsylvania says more than 30 other states have already undertaken studies like this.

Why did Pennsylvania wait so long?

"Part of the reluctance goes to ambiguity in the minds of some people as to the role of the state legislature versus local school districts in funding and supporting public education," Risch said. "Even though our state constitution says providing a through and efficient education is the responsibility of state government, the General Assembly has chosen to delegate a lot of that responsibility to the local school districts."

Risch says it used to be just poor districts that were interested in hard numbers – but cost is now a concern among more affluent districts, too – especially in fast-growing suburbs where property taxes have increased.

Breakfast debate is more subdued

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 16 October 2006) – The latest U.S. Senate debate between incumbent Rick Santorum and Bob Casey junior was dialed back a few notches from their contentious encounter last week.

The Republican Santorum and the Democrat Casey were subdued this morning in a "Breakfast with the Candidates" forum on Philadelphia’s KYW Newsradio.

On the environment, Santorum said alternative energy is key. "We passed an energy bill last year that about 40-percent of the tax incentives were to help renewables and alternatives. I voted for them. I’ve been the leader on the coal-to-liquid fuels plant in Schuylkill County, which is the first of its kind in the world," Santorum said.

But Casey said the incumbent is overstating his commitment to clean air and water. "The League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club have endorsed me because they know my record on the environment. They know the difference. Rick Santorum’s voting record with the League of Conservation Voters is ten percent," Casey said.

They sparred over hours on the job.

"He showed up to his office less than half the time last year," Santorum said, citing a Philadelphia Inquirer story.

"The same article said that you were out campaigning and raising money more days than I was," Casey replied.

"I have a 98-percent voting record," countered Santorum.


Each criticized the other for too-frequent use of talking points.

Control of PA House at stake in election

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 16 October 2006) – Three weeks and a day from the election, many observers believe the state House could change hands as a result of the 2006 vote.

Political scientist Terry Madonna at Franklin and Marshall College thinks Democrats can regain control of the state House for the first time since 1994. “I still don’t think it’s an even bet that they will, but it’s certainly a 40-percent chance,” he says.

Madonna says the key is suburban Philadelphia, where Republicans enjoy a registration advantage but where Democratic candidates have done well recently.

In fact, a Public Radio Capitol News analysis finds 11 southeastern Pennsylvania seats – 15 if one counts Berks and Lehigh counties – among 22 vulnerable Republican seats.

Those 22 GOP seats in play compare to 8 vulnerable Democratic seats.

Of the 30 total seats in play, 11 appear to be pure toss-ups, where neither candidate can be described as favored.

Democrats must experience a net gain of 8 seats in order to win the speaker’s gavel.

Our detailed analysis follows.


CONTROL OF THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE, 2006
Analysis by Public Radio Capitol News

Currently: 93+1 (vacant seat) = 94 Democrats 109 Republicans
Needed for majority: 102 seats

"Unopposed" in this analysis means not opposed by a major party candidate

Unopposed D: 36
Solid D: 28
Likely D: 23 (1 held by GOP)
Total Democratic Base Seats: 87

Leans D: 4 (1 held by GOP)
Toss-Up: 11 (5 held by Democrats, 6 held by Republicans)
Leans R: 15
Total Seats In Play: 30

Likely R: 34
Solid R: 17
Unopposed R: 35
Total Republican Base Seats: 86

The Likely D seat currently held by a Republican belongs to Michael Diven (House 22).

Assuming the Democrats win that seat, there are 4 + 11 + 15 = 30 seats in play.

The Democrats hold 8 of these and the Republicans hold 22.

If the Democrats retain all of their “safe” seats, pick up House 22 as expected and defend all 8 of their vulnerable seats, they would have 86 + 1 + 8 = 95 seats and would need to win 7 of the remaining 22 seats “in play” to gain control of the House. We list 1 of these as Leans D, 6 as Toss-Up and 15 as Leans R. The Democrats would, for example, need to win the 1 Leans D and all 6 remaining Toss-Up seats to secure the House.


Likely D seat held by a Republican

House 22
Michael Diven's seat; Pittsburgh's West End. Diven, the incumbent Republican, earned his ballot position in a write-in campaign after his re-election petitions were revealed to have included the names of dead voters. This mistake overshadowed Diven's other recent difficulty: losing to Wayne Fontana in a special Senate election after switching parties and joining the GOP in a Democratic district. Democrat Chelsa Wagner should win.


Vulnerable R seats (seats R's must protect)

The following are listed from most likely to flip to least likely to flip.

House 170: Leans D
George Kenney's seat; Montgomery County and Philadelphia. Kenney, the incumbent Republican, is in a world of trouble. This district carries a Democratic registration edge. And Democrat Brendan Boyle is working as hard as any candidate in the state; he had knocked on more than 18,000 doors by early September. He's on pace to hit every door in the district, some more than once.

House 131: Toss-Up
Karen Beyer's seat; Lehigh County. The Republican Beyer narrowly won a special election over long-time township official and Democrat Linda Minger. This is a rematch. Since voters just got to know these candidates, this race could be a good way to gauge the relative strength of Democratic momentum at the national and state levels.

House 130: Toss-Up
Dennis Leh's seat; Berks County. Like the 128th (see below), the 130th is changing a little -- becoming more suburban -- and, bordering Montgomery County, is subject to some influence from the Philadelphia political universe. The Republican incumbent Leh narrowly lost his primary to Billy Reed. Democrat Dave Kessler has been a township supervisor for more than a decade. A vulnerable Republican seat.

House 142: Toss-Up
Matthew Wright's seat; Bucks County. Part of the cluster of districts northeast of downtown Philadelphia that could see Republican-to-Democrat turnover. Democratic challenger Chris King is a budget and policy analyst. Wright, the GOP incumbent, has represented the area since 1990 and his father held the seat before that. The county paper is treating this as a toss-up, which is a bad sign for Wright.

House 134: Toss-Up
Doug Reichley's seat; Lehigh and Berks counties. This suburban Allentown seat is vulnerable for Republicans in the same way as many suburban Philadelphia seats are. Reichley, the GOP incumbent, is running for a third term. Democrat Chris Casey might benefit from his coincidental surname. Reichley was not opposed by a Democrat in 2004, so it's hard to use those numbers to gauge his strength; registration appears to be equalizing here. Perhaps of interest: Reichley voted for the pay raise, although it was less of an issue in the Lehigh Valley.

House 161: Toss-Up
Tom Gannon's seat; Delaware County. Gannon, the incumbent Republican, took fire from several media sources in connection with a particularly negative ad attacking Democrat Bryan Lentz. Lentz, a former Army paratrooper, had already been enjoying a little momentum. And Gannon voted for the pay raise. Registration is decidedly GOP here, but this is the kind of district that flipped in 2004.

House 176: Toss-Up
Mario Scavello's seat; Monroe County. Scavello, the incumbent Republican, has been very engaged in the property tax debate since his arrival in Harrisburg, but Democrat Bernard Kennedy -- a former Stroudsburg councilman -- says Scavello has not fulfilled promises. Registration is increasingly Democratic here, and this part of northeast Pennsylvania is expected to support Democratic congressional candidate Chris Carney.

House 77: Toss-Up
Lynn Herman's seat; Centre County. Herman, a Republican, is retiring. The bigger name in this race is the Democrat's; he is two-term commissioner Scott Conklin. Conklin is seen favorably in Harrisburg and seems to have attracted all of the token rural support from the House caucus. The Republican, Barbara Spencer, had to make it through a tough four-way primary and spent most of the money Herman had given her. She's dealing with an internal party split created by Herman's support of the pay raise. The Dems all but need this one to take back the House.

House 151: Leans R Hold
Eugene McGill's seat; Montgomery County. McGill is the Republican incumbent and -- although it seemed to matter less initially in greater Philadelphia -- he voted for the pay raise. Democrat Rick Taylor has picked up some late momentum after the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that McGill had once asked a court for leniency for a friend who assaulted a 14-year-old girl. Taylor said that by late September, he had knocked on more than 10,000 doors.

House 128: Leans R Hold
Sam Rohrer's seat; Berks County. Democrats would likely be ecstatic over even the prospect of being able to unseat one of the most conservative and intellectually consistent members of the General Assembly (Rohrer is the incumbent Republican). For that reason, this race could see disproportionate resources. The registration advantage Rohrer has actually isn't insurmountable -- this district is more suburban now than ever -- and Democrat Russ Hummell seems to be running a professional campaign.

House 177: Leans R Hold
John Taylor's seat; Philadelphia. This district features a wide registration edge for challenger Harry Enggasser, a city ward leader. The outcome of this race will probably be affected by national and state trends as well as block-by-block Philly politics. A Republican probably should not have been able to hold this seat for as long as Taylor has (since 1984), so the Democrats want this one.

House 18: Leans R Hold
Gene DiGirolamo's seat; Bensalem/Bucks County. DiGirolamo, the incumbent Republican, has been in office for more than a decade. The Democrat, Harris Martin, is actually a local party chair, but there are a lot of suburban Philadelphia seats in play, and the open-seat races may be more attractive targets. Still, this seat is in the right physical location for growing anti-GOP sentiment.

House 91: Leans R Hold
Steve Maitland's seat; Adams County. Maitland lost his primary to Republican Dan Moul. The Democrat in the race is Pat Naugle, an economics professor. This race is all about local dynamics. Maitland lost because he voted for the pay raise, but Moul has been under fire for supporting a Gettysburg casino. Adams County probably shouldn't send a Democrat to Harrisburg, but then, local conditions have allowed for two Democrat county commissioners, and that doesn't make sense either.

House 152: Leans R Hold
Sue Cornell's seat; Upper Moreland/Montgomery County. Cornell lost the Republican primary to Tom Murt, who now faces Democrat Michael Paston. Murt inherits a substantial registration edge and momentum. Paston is running a professional campaign, but this is not the most vulnerable GOP seat in Montgomery County.

House 17: Leans R Hold
Rod Wilt's seat; rural Mercer and Crawford counties. Wilt announced his retirement after the primary, so Republican fill-in Michele Brooks got a late start. But she's a county commissioner and Democrat Frank Weaver is a newcomer. Hard to imagine the Dems can support financially a run at this isolated western PA seat in the Youngstown market.

House 156: Leans R Hold
E.Z. Taylor's seat; West Chester/Chester County. Taylor, the incumbent Republican, is retiring. Democrat Barbara McIlvaine Smith and Republican Shannon Royer square off. The district features a GOP registration edge, but with West Chester University, there's a lot of energy for political change. Mr. Royer, a former Perzel staffer and one of Taylor's past campaign managers, should win but may not.

House 117: Leans R Hold
George Hasay's seat; Luzerne and Wyoming counties. This seat would ordinarily be far from competitive, but embattled Congressman Don Sherwood's slumping campaign is making things harder than expected for Republicans, and the GOP newcomer in this race, Karen Boback, teaches in Sherwood's hometown of Tunkhannock. Democrat Fred Nichols would be pulling off an upset and would need very long Chris Carney/Democratic congressional coattails to do it.

House 143: Leans R Hold
Charles McIlhinny's seat; upper Bucks County. McIlhinny, a Republican, is running for Joe Conti's Senate seat. That leaves Republican real estate agent Marguerite Quinn facing Democrat Larry Glick, a law enforcement officer. Glick is dealing with revelations he declared bankruptcy and is having to explain why an 11-year employer dismissed him.

House 124: Leans R Hold
Dave Argall's seat; Schuylkill and Berks counties. This race is a sort of inverse of the 123rd (see below). Bill Mackey is the Democratic challenger. Argall, the incumbent Republican, voted for the pay raise. But this district is a little more Republican, in terms of registration, than the 123rd. But there's a Casey-for-Senate coattail factor. An upset here would come as a surprise to insiders, but Schuylkill County voters have been known to do their own thing.

House 62: Leans R Hold
Dave Reed's seat; Indiana County. Reed, the incumbent Republican, is a young guy viewed quite favorably in Harrisburg circles. Sometimes that matters to the district, sometimes it doesn't. The Democratic opponent is Cynthia Spielman, who's on the faculty at IUP, and IUP students would have to vote in large numbers for an upset. Also, this race is getting next to no press. This district could be won by the right conservative Democrat, but that may not be Spielman.

House 109: Leans R Hold
David Millard's seat; Columbia County. In a "Democratic landslide" scenario, this is a seat that could go, but it probably won't happen. Millard is a freshman Republican. His challenger is 27-year-old David Slavick, who's using the internet to his advantage but is an outspoken progressive. Columbia County used to vote for Democrats, though, and if Slavick can attract some BU student support -- stranger things have happened. Millard was worried enough to avoid debating.

House 172: Leans R Hold
Speaker John Perzel's seat; Northeast Philadelphia. A victory by Democrat Tim Kearney over the Republican speaker is unlikely for a variety of reasons. It's the very last race to mention among potential Democratic takeovers. If November 7 has folks working this far down the list, it will have been a total victory for the current minority party.


Vulnerable D seats (seats D's must protect)

The following are listed from most likely to flip to least likely to flip.

House 33: Toss-Up
Frank Dermody's seat; Allegheny County. If Dermody, the incumbent Democrat, loses, it will be because he supported the pay raise. Republican Eileen Watt has been hitting this point heavily. She's not unknown; Watt was on Allegheny County Council for a while (having won from a Democratic district) and was the county GOP's political director. Also, she's raised a lot of money. Dermody should be nervous.

House 30: Toss-Up
Shawn Flaherty's seat; Pittsburgh's northern suburbs. Flaherty, a Democrat, just won this seat a few months ago in a special election. This is close to a 50-50 district. The Republican, Randy Vulakovich, out-muscled two GOP primary opponents and said in mid-October that he had already knocked on more than 15,000 doors. Big regional political name versus extremely hard worker. Could be the closest race in the state.

House 46: Toss-Up
Vic Lescovitz' seat; Washington County. Lescovitz, a Democrat, is retiring. The Republican in this race, Paul Snatchko, came within five points of him in 2004. But the new Democratic contender, Jesse White, came within 11 points of Lescovitz himself in the '04 primary. This district has been turning Republican. The 2006 wildcards are national anti-GOP sentiment (playing into the Santorum-Casey U.S. Senate race) and general western PA pay raise discontent. The question will be whether both, one or neither factor affects this race.

House 189: Toss-Up
John Siptroth's seat; Monroe County. Siptroth, a Democrat, won a special election for this seat and hasn't had much time to establish himself. He has a strong challenger: Republican county commissioner Donna Asure. This area is trending Democratic; the Sherwood-Casey congressional race may also play into voters' outlooks.

House 149: Toss-Up
Daylin Leach's seat; Upper Marion/Montgomery County. This outcome of this race may have little to do with trends. Leach, the incumbent Democrat, caught heat for a blog he maintained; some considered its content inappropriate. Republican Monica Treichel would stand to take advantage. The district is close to 50-50 in terms of registration.

House 10: Leans D Hold
Frank LaGrotta's seat; Ellwood City/Lawrence County. LaGrotta, the incumbent Democrat, was once popular but was a pay raise casualty. Jaret Gibbons defeated him in the primary, but Gibbons is only 25 and just graduated from law school. He faces Republican Chuck Morse, who was unopposed in the primary. This race may depend on support Gibbons gets from LaGrotta -- they live in the same town and attend the same church.

House 25: Leans D Hold
Joe Markosek's seat; Monroeville/Allegheny County. If moderates want to express pay raise outrage, this would be as good a place as any to do it. Markosek survived a primary, but only because 47% was good enough in a three-way race. The Republican, Ed Nicholson, is in his second run. This would be Markosek's 13th victory.

House 123: Leans D Hold
Neal Goodman's seat; Schuylkill County. This race has a lot of components. Goodman, the incumbent Democrat, voted for the pay raise. But this part of the state may see a turnout bump and extra Democratic voting because of Bob Casey's Senate run. But then there's the issue of illegal immigration; now nationally known Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta came down to campaign for the Republican in this race, Mike Cadau. Schuylkill County often marches to its own beat. This race could reflect that, either way.

Casey, Santorum get testy in first in-state debate

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Penna. (PRCN, 13 October 2006) – The feistiest general election debate in years in Pennsylvania saw Rick Santorum and Bob Casey challenge each other’s integrity last night.

The Republican incumbent Rick Santorum and the Democrat Casey repeatedly broke the rules they agreed on, interrupting and demanding that they answer each other’s questions. Despite that, they covered a lot of ground.

Santorum said he has a plan for Iran. “What I’ve done in the United States Senate is actually try to deliver on a policy that’s going to change the security of this country. I authored the Iran Freedom and Support Act, which the administration opposed,” Santorum said.

But Casey said Santorum has always supported a Bush administration strategy he called flawed.

“They identified the three members of the Axis of Evil – North Korea, Iran and Iraq – and they started with the weakest of the three, allowing the other two to advance in terms of nuclear capability,” Casey said.

Casey said Santorum should be more straightforward about whether he lives in Pennsylvania or northern Virginia.

Santorum said Casey is always running for office and has not shown up to work enough as state treasurer.

The debate aired live on KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh.

Study counts lawmakers-turned-lobbyists

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 12 October 2006) – Hundreds of lobbyists who influence policy in the nation’s state capitals are former state lawmakers themselves.

That's according to the first comprehensive study of so-called “statehouse revolvers.”

The Washington-based Center for Public Integrity counted nearly 16-hundred of them – former state lawmakers who registered to lobby at some point between 2003 and 2005.

Texas had 70, the most. Pennsylvania ranked in the middle with 25 former legislators who are now paid to influence their one-time colleagues.

Project coordinator Leah Rush notes it was tough to gather data on the Keystone State. “Pennsylvania is the only state that doesn’t have a lobbying disclosure law, and it made this project a bit of a challenge, because we’re only able to compare to those lobbyists who register with the Senate,” she says.

Rush says the result is that researchers could have under-counted lobbyists here. The Senate and the governor’s office have internal rules for lobbyist disclosure, and the Senate has passed universal reforms, but they’ve never gotten through the state House.

A spokesman for the majority leader’s office says the House will take up the issue Tuesday.

National campaign seeks education commitments

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Hershey, Penna. (PRCN, 11 October 2006) – The nation’s school boards chose Hershey as the backdrop in launching a national campaign to secure education-related commitments from lawmakers.

The National School Boards Association joined with its Pennsylvania affiliate to roll out the "Pledge to America’s Schoolchildren."

They want members of Congress to create more useful performance measures; help schools meet disabled students’ needs; fund early childhood education; support teacher recruitment and retention; and spend on skill training.

NSBA President Jane Gallucci says these issues are presently before lawmakers in Washington.

"The reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind act was supposed to take place about now," Gallucci says. "Now we understand that it will take place after the elections. So that, in itself, is a priority – to make sure that changes occur to that bill."

Only current congressmen and women are being allowed to sign this pledge. An N-S-B-A spokeswoman said the group’s nonprofit status prevents it from getting involved in political races.

Asked whether staging an event 27 days before an election and inviting only incumbents to participate could be construed as political, she said it was an interesting question.

Another infrastructure report endorses regionalism

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 11 October 2006) – A non-profit coalition’s report on Pennsylvania’s infrastructure recommends a more regional approach to spending on roads, bridges and public transportation.

A transportation commission established by lawmakers released preliminary findings at the end of August and has a final report due after the election.

In between comes this study from the Pennsylvania Economy League commissioned by a collection of conservative, progressive and middle-of-the-road interest groups.

The League’s LeeAnne Rogers says the commonwealth can learn from peer states.

"Other states have much more ability for regions to act regionally and make decisions regionally – and to raise taxes regionally, which could support projects within the area," Rogers says.

All of these reports set the stage for a transportation debate in the coming months that is likely to be contentious.

This study’s background information includes indisputable reminders that a crisis is looming – like the fact that about one in five bridges in Pennsylvania is at least 75 years old.

Swann, Rendell debate in Philadelphia

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Penna. (PRCN, 11 October 2006) – Republican challenger Lynn Swann and Democratic incumbent Ed Rendell discussed education, crime and the legislative pay raise at last night’s second and final gubernatorial debate.

The candidates covered a lot of the same material as they did last week in Pittsburgh. They broke very little new ground.

They did outline differences. On crime, Rendell wants the city of Philadelphia to have the authority to pass tougher local gun laws. Swann opposes that.

Both men turned to statistics on education.

“There are 2200 African-American juniors and seniors in the Pittsburgh school district. Only 29 took an Advanced Placement test," Swann said. "Only three passed. If you call that closing the educational gap in our urban schools and our minority students – that should be an embarrassment.”

“In Philadelphia, 500 more high school graduates are going to college this year than the year before I became governor. We are making progress,” Rendell said in response.

Swann blamed Rendell for the pay raise. Rendell said it was a mistake but noted that Swann backed some of its architects.

Both expressed support for the arts. WPVI-TV hosted the debate, which aired live in Philadelphia and on tape delay across the rest of the state.

Two immigration proposals now floating in Allentown

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 10 October 2006) – There are now two competing proposals for how Pennsylvania’s third-largest city can address illegal immigration.

They suggest pulling Allentown in two very different directions.

In August, a city councilman named Louis Hershman proposed forbidding Allentown employers and landlords from doing business with illegal aliens.

Now the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of the Lehigh Valley has an idea of its own: putting Allentown on-record in support of creating opportunities for the area’s undocumented immigrants to get legal.

“It’s important to us, in a debate of this sort that all voices be heard," says chamber chairman Lazaro Fuentes. "People that are being grouped together (should be) able to really bring their opinions to the foreground and not have those opinions be buried because of persecution.”

Fuentes’ concepts have the support of one councilman, who says he will turn them into a proposed ordinance, but both these ideas and Hershman’s could die for lack of a second supporter.

About a third of Allentown’s population is Hispanic or Latino, according to the Census Bureau. More than 6000 residents are self-identified non-U.S. citizens.

'Wall Street West' pitched to NYC businesses

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Allentown, Penna. (PRCN, 10 October 2006) – Pennsylvania officials today are welcoming business leaders from New York City in an effort to establish part of the Keystone State as “Wall Street West.”

Wall Street West would be a nine-county area in northeastern Pennsylvania that’s more than an hour from Manhattan, but less than 125 miles by fiber optic cable, allowing for instant data transmission.

The area is also on a different power grid and in a different watershed from New York’s. Jim Ryan with the Wall Street West project says this is in line with federal regulators’ recommendations for establishing back-up operations.

“Be on a separate power grid, be on a separate watershed, and in order to support synchronous data replication, which is the most stringent requirement for trading houses such as Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch and Shearson Lehman, it has to be within 125 fiber miles,” Ryan says.

The state has put up $30 million for this, but the federal government has also chipped in $15 million, and Ryan says Washington does not want to hurt New York but wants to keep the country running during a disaster.

A half-hour helicopter trip will bring executives from Manhattan to the Poconos today for a sales pitch.

Altoona's Catholic bishop will disregard law

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Altoona, Penna. (PRCN, 9 October 2006) – The bishop of the Roman Catholic diocese headquartered in Altoona says his church will not obey part of that city’s tough new laws relating to illegal immigrants.

Altoona-Johnstown Bishop Joseph Adamec says in a letter published in the diocesan newspaper that the church will not comply with aspects of the laws, which took effect over the weekend.

Specifically, Adamec objects to a rule that requires charities to stop providing emergency aid to illegal immigrants after 30 days.

A spokesman for the diocese, Rob Egan, says that’s neither practical nor in line with the Judeo-Christian ethic.

“Our Catholic Charities office is in downtown Altoona. So if we are asked to help someone out in need, we don’t ask them the question if you’re documented or undocumented. We don’t ask them what faith they are. If they need help and we’re able to provide them with help, we do it,” Egan says.

Altoona is the latest and largest Pennsylvania city to follow the lead of Hazleton, Luzerne County, which made national news when it enacted anti-illegal immigration ordinances this summer.

The bishop’s letter is also posted on the website for the diocese.

Voter registration deadline nears

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 6 October 2006) – Tuesday is the last day Pennsylvanians can register to vote in November’s general election.

Getting one’s registration in before the deadline does not necessarily require a trip to the county courthouse.

Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro Cortes says a computer, a printer and a mailbox will do just fine.

“(People) can visit the Department of State’s website – votespa.com – and download an application. And so long as they complete that application and have it postmarked by October the Tenth, that will meet the deadline for registration,” Cortes says.

Cortes notes that anyone who’s applying for a driver’s license Tuesday and provides “motor voter” registration information will also make the deadline.

And he says the state has pushed this year for college students to register to vote, either by absentee in their home precinct or in person by signing up where they attend school.

Pennsylvanians vote this year for governor, U.S. Senator, Congress, all of the state House and half of the state Senate.

The website with forms is votespa(dot)com.

Pensions can survive, one think tank argues

by Damon Boughamer
Public Radio Capitol News, serving Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, Penna. (PRCN, 6 October 2006) – A progressive think tank’s recent report argues that it’s premature to announce the death of pensions in Pennsylvania.

Everyone agrees that many pension plans, including the state workers’ and teachers’ systems, are on shaky fiscal ground.

Conservative groups, including Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Foundation, say the long-term answer is a shift from defined-benefit to defined-contribution retirement security.

But the Keystone Research Center makes the case in its report, called “Rewarding Hard Work,” that pensions can and should survive.

Executive director Steve Herzenberg says observers have to face reality: “We have the need more than ever because people’s earnings during their working life aren’t going up fast and they’re not saving much,” he says.

And he says if there’s not an investment now, there will be later -- “both in terms of eroded quality of life for those folks, but also in terms of increased social costs in different ways when people are very low income during retirement.”

The report is online at keystoneresearch.org.