February 26, 2016

Friday PA Capitol Digest NewsClips

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February 25, 2016

New F&M Poll: Clinton, Trump, Sestak Lead; Kane Should Resign; Wolf Drops 5 Percent

A new Franklin & Marshall poll released Thursday has Clinton leading Sanders 48 to 27 percent.  Trump is leading over his opponents in close results-- 22 percent, Rubio 16 percents, Kasich 15 percent and Cruz 12 percent.  
In the Democratic U.S. Senate race: Sestak 21 percent, McGinty 12 percent Fetterman 8 percent and others 4 percent.  Last month Sestak lead McGinty by 4 percentage points and Betterman by 11 points.
58 percent of voters think indicted Attorney General Kane should resign and the same percentages thinks the General Assembly should remove her if she doesn’t resign.
Two in three (67 percent) registered voters believe the state is “on the wrong track,” up from 62 percent in October, and nearly half (47 percent) say that government and politicians are the biggest problems facing the state; concerns primarily related to the state budget impasse.
Gov. Wolf’s approval rating dropped another 5 percent to 31 from 36 percent in October and 39 percent in August.
Gov. Wolf’s job performance ratings are lower than either Governors Rendell and Corbett and significantly lower than Gov. Ridge at this point in their first terms.
NewsClip:
Poll: Clinton Dominates, Trump Leads Among PA Voters
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Thursday PA Capitol Digest NewsClips

A new Franklin & Marshall poll released Thursday has Clinton leading Sanders 48 to 27 percent.  Trump is leading over his opponents in close results-- 22 percent, Rubio 16 percents, Kasich 15 percent and Cruz 12 percent.  
In the Democratic U.S. Senate race: Sestak 21 percent, McGinty 12 percent Fetterman 8 percent and others 4 percent.  Last month Sestak lead McGinty by 4 percentage points and Betterman by 11 points.
58 percent of voters think indicted Attorney General Kane should resign and the same percentages thinks the General Assembly should remove her if she doesn’t resign.
Two in three (67 percent) registered voters believe the state is “on the wrong track,” up from 62 percent in October, and nearly half (47 percent) say that government and politicians are the biggest problems facing the state; concerns primarily related to the state budget impasse.
Gov. Wolf’s approval rating dropped another 5 percent to 31 from 36 percent in October and 39 percent in August.
Gov. Wolf’s job performance ratings are lower than either Governors Rendell and Corbett and significantly lower than Gov. Ridge at this point in their first terms.
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February 24, 2016

Wednesday PA Capitol Digest NewsClips

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February 23, 2016

Wolf Signs Bill To Modernize, Strengthen Equine Racing

Gov. Tom Wolf Tuesday signed House Bill 941 (Regan-R-Cumberland), which, among other things, includes much-needed reforms of Pennsylvania’s equine racing industry.
The governor was joined by state Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, members of each of the legislative caucuses, leadership from the House Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee, and various representatives of the racing industry.
“Racing today is drastically different today than what it was 35 years ago when the last reform effort was put into law,” Gov. Wolf said right after signing the bill, which is now referred to as Act 6. “It was clear that the status quo was no longer sufficient to maintain the integrity of the industry, to protect the wagering public, and to ensure proper oversight of racing in the Commonwealth. Simply put, the system was broken. We were operating under a structural deficit that undermined our ability to regulate the industry properly and maximize the economic opportunities of this industry.”
In October 2015, the Department of Agriculture announced it no longer had the financial resources necessary to maintain operations at the state’s two racing commissions – the Horse Racing Commission and the Harness Racing Commission – or to operate the Pennsylvania Equine Toxicology Research Laboratory at West Chester University where samples from Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses are tested for performance-enhancing substances.
As a result, the state faced the difficult prospect of suspending racing in Pennsylvania.
The structural deficit in the State Racing Fund was the result of a 71 percent decline in wagers on live horse racing in the state since 2001. Pari-mutuel taxes on those wagers fund the oversight of racing in the state.
That persistent imbalance had been noted by the Wolf administration, the administrations of previous governors, as well as the state auditor general and the Gaming Control Board.
In response to this challenge, the Wolf administration convened a working group of state officials, members of the General Assembly, and stakeholders from the equine industry and the state’s six licensed racetrack operators to develop a solution. The results of those negotiations are reflected in Act 6.
Among other things, the new law combines the two racing commissions into one unified commission that strengthens the governance of the industry, yet retains the ability to render decisions on breed-specific issues.
The new nine-member commission will be composed of five members appointed by the governor (one veterinarian, one representative of a Thoroughbred horsemen’s organization, one representative of a Thoroughbred breeder organization, one representative of a Standardbred horsemen’s association and one representative of a Standardbred breeder organization) and four members appointed by each of the four legislative caucuses.
The Secretary of Agriculture, or a designee, will be a non-voting, ex-officio member.
The new law also makes the industry, rather than taxpayers, responsible for bearing the cost of drug-testing horses, and it institutes new license fees for racetrack operators and for businesses that offer electronic wagering.
Act 6 repeals the 10 percent advanced deposit wagering tax on horse races that had been challenged in the courts, and the law calls for a comprehensive industry study to assess the financial, regulatory and market factors of the horse racing industry.
The Joint State Government Commission, with assistance from the Independent Fiscal Office, is responsible for conducting the study.
“Getting to this point was not easy,” Agriculture Secretary Redding, “but thanks to the involvement of the stakeholders, we were able to arrive at a sound compromise that accomplishes our objectives: strengthening the integrity of horse and harness racing in the commonwealth, and putting in place a financial model that will allow for the long-term viability of the State Racing Fund. I want to thank all of the stakeholders, particularly the members of the General Assembly, including the four chairs of the Senate and House Agriculture and Rural Affairs committees, for their leadership and continued engagement on this issue.”
A House Fiscal Note and summary is available.
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House Subcommittee Hears Concerns On Whether Enough Time Remains To Impeach Kane

The House Judiciary Committee Subcommittee on Courts held its first hearing Tuesday pursuant to House Resolution 659 (Everett-R-Lycoming) investigating the potential impeachment of indicted Attorney General Kathleen Kane.  
Rep. Todd Stephens (R-Montgomery) serves the Majority Chair of the Subcommittee and Rep. Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery) is the Minority Chair.
Rep. Stephens said the purpose of the first hearing was to educate members and public about the impeachment process, to review of the last impeachment done by the House involving PA Supreme Court Justice Larson and to better understand the authority of the Subcommittee on impeachment.
Rep. Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny) and former Senator Jeffrey E. Piccola (R-Dauphin), now with Boswell, Tintner, Piccola, who were both involved in the impeachment of Justice Larson and Prof. Stephen Ross, a constitutional law professor at Penn State University, were the initial witnesses before the Subcommittee.
In his opening comments, Rep. Joseph Petrarca (D-Westmoreland), Minority Chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said he was concerned about the timing of a long-drawn out impeachment proceeding given the fact that Kane announced she is not running for reelection.
He noted the Larson impeachment process lasted 18 months in 1993-94.
Rep. Petrarca also said he was concerned about how much an impeachment proceeding would cost taxpayers given Kane has a finite time period in office and whether impeachment would interfere with the criminal proceedings against Kane.
Sen. Piccola said it was important to enter the impeachment process with a bipartisan approach because it takes a two-thirds vote in the Senate to convict.  He noted there are two potential punishments in the Constitution-- removal from office, and a second one-- a prohibition from holding any elected or appointed office of public trust in the Commonwealth.
Both Sen. Piccola  and Rep. Dermody recommended the Subcommittee hire outside counsel to do the considerable work needed to prepare and manage the impeachment process, interview witnesses and later prepare for a trial, if it comes to that.
Rep. Dermody, echoing Rep. Petrarca’s comments, said the House should consider the timing of impeachment, given Kane’s limited time in office.  He noted Larson had 8 years left on his term when he was impeached and the House went ahead with the process because he would not resign his position.
Rep. Dermody said he has doubts whether impeachment process is necessary in the instance of Kane because it would be difficult to get the process done, given Kane has only 8 months left in office.
Rep. Dermody said the Larson investigation cost $1.5 million, about $2.4 million today.
Sen. Piccola noted the issues involving Kane seem to be less complex than those against Larson.  He too said it would be difficult to go through the entire impeachment process within 8 months, although he thought it was possible, but “you have to get to it.”
In response to another question, Prof. Ross said he did not know the answer to the question of whether impeachment was still possible if Kane is no longer in office.
Both Rep. Stephens and Rep. Briggs said they intended to follow the due process and other procedures used in the Larson impeachment.  “There is no need to reinvent the wheel,” said Rep. Stephens.
Rep. Stephens said there will be announcements later on future hearings and meetings of the Subcommittee.
Rep. Stephens can be contacted by sending email to: tstephen@pahousegop.com.  Rep. Briggs can be contacted by sending email to: repbriggs@pahouse.net.
NewsClips:
Is Kane Safe From Impeachment?
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Tuesday PA Capitol Digest NewsClips

House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts meets for the first time today at 10:30 a.m. on the impeachment of indicted Attorney General Kathleen Kane.  Watch live: http://www.pahousegop.com/
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