Thursday, February 14, 2013
State Sen. Matt Smith and others laud the decision.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane has rejected the Corbett Administration’s plan to privatize the management of the Pennsylvania Lottery to a U.K.-based company Camelot Global Services—and Senate Democrats lauded the plan. "It has been clear from the beginning that the Corbett administration’s plan to privatize the management of the lottery was flawed and could potentially jeopardize vital senior programs, " State Sen. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, said in a statement. Smith, who represents Peters Township, said the plan lacked transparency, noting that the public has not been able to glean specific details about the plan and what it would mean for the many senior programs funded through lottery proceeds. “I was particularly …
Friday, February 8, 2013
The Pennsylvania Department of Education lists proposed funds by school district on its website and Patch checked out info for Peters.
Gov. Tom Corbett's budget is out and, of course, everyone wants to know how much their cut of the budget pie will be—especially school districts. Patch found that Peters Township School District is slated to receive a 6 percent increase from $10.1 million for the 2012-13 school year to $10.8 million for 2013-14 if the governor's proposed budget passes, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Education's website. Funding is broken down into six categories on the website. The Pennsylvania Department of Education numbers are in the screenshot above. Here's a little more analysis: Increases Basic Education Funding—from $4,989,325 to $5,150,679, up 3.2 percent School Employees' Social Security—$1,030,251 to $1,058,652, up 2.7 percent School…
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The governor has raised funding in some areas but at least some opponents don't feel the budget addresses important issues.
Gov. Tom Corbett delivered highlights of his proposed 2013-14 budget in a speech before the state Legislature on Tuesday morning. The $28.4 billion state budget plan, a 2.4 percent increase over this year, includes no general tax increases. In one of the most controversial areas, Corbett recommended against expanding Medicaid, as provided for under the Affordable Health Care Act. Corbett plans to ask the federal government for flexibililty to let Pennsylvania customize the health insurance program for its needs or have the state reject the Medicaid expansion. Under the act, also known as Obamacare, Medicaid could expand to cover people earning up to 133 percent of the poverty level and provide coverage for upwards of 600,000 uninsured …
The proposal includes plan to train 290 new cadets and 90 civilian police dispatchers.
Gov. Tom Corbett announced that his 2013-14 budget will provide funding for three new classes of cadets for the Pennsylvania State Police. Details will be released today. “One of the core obligations of state government is to provide for the safety of its citizens,’’ Corbett said. “If we cannot make our citizens safe on our streets or in their own homes, everything we do is futile. Without safety there can be no society.’’ The current budget provides for a new class of 90 cadets to begin training next month. Corbett’s proposed budget calls for three additional classes of state police cadets—a total of 290 new cadets—plus the hiring of 90 civilian police dispatchers. State police Commissioner Frank Noonan joined Corbett Tuesday in making …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
“Our plan gives consumers what they want by increasing choice and convenience, and helps to secure our future by adding $1 billion in funding toward the education of our
children, without raising any taxes,” the governor said Wednesday.
Gov. Tom Corbett, joined by Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, on Wednesday announced his plan to privatize the liquor system in the state and committed $1 billion in proceeds from the process to education funding. Corbett said the $1 billion will be used to create the Passport for Learning Block Grant, which will provide flexibility to schools, allowing our public schools, instead of Harrisburg, to decide what their students need. The grant will focus on four priority areas: school safety, enhanced early education programs, individualized learning and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs. “Our proposal is part of my commitment to changing Harrisburg, streamlining government and moving Pennsylvania …
Friday, December 28, 2012
The Pennsylvania governor speaks at the Moon Township-based air wing, urging military officials to scrap plans to shutter the base.
Standing beneath the wings of a C-130 aircraft at the 911th Airlift Wing, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett said he would work with Pennsylvania's federal lawmakers to fight renewed plans to close the Moon Township air base. Corbett, appearing alongside Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, and state Sen. Matt Smith, D-Mt. Lebanon, implored military officials and federal lawmakers to end efforts to close the 911th as a cost-saving measure. "I'm going to ask our (Pennsylvania) congressional delegation to do whatever they need to do to save this base," Corbett said. The U.S. Air Force has again taken initial steps toward closing the airlift wing after March 2013— after the expiration of a law put…
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
In the wake of recent mass shootings in Newtown, CT. and elsewhere, Patch examines the recent history of gun-control legislation in Pennsylvania.
On the books, Pennsylvania's gun laws are somewhat tougher than those found elsewhere in the United States, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The gun-control group gives Pennsylvania a 25 out of a possible 100-point rating on its state scorecard—the 10th-strictest rating in the country. "While Pennsylvania has some common-sense gun laws, including the requirement of Brady criminal background checks on all handgun purchasers, more needs to be done to stop illegal gun trafficking," according to the Brady Center website. Current Law In Pennsylvania, a person does not need a license to "open-carry" a gun by wearing it in a holster or in similar fashion anywhere but in Philadelphia, state police spokeswoman Diana Bates told…
Sunday, December 9, 2012
This week, some state House Democrats voiced their opposition to Gov. Corbett's plan to award a contract to privatize the lottery to Camelot Group—with no other bidders in the running.
The Pennsylvania Lottery is one of the most successful and well-managed state lotteries in the nation. Last year, the PA Lottery had annual sales in excess of $3.2 billion and, according to House Democrats, has held administrative costs to record lows of just over 2 percent. According to DailyFinance.com, Pennsylvania State Lottery has steered $20.6 billion to a variety of causes since it began, but its profits have primarily been funneled into an elderly benefits fund. This fund includes subsidies for transportation, tax rebates and Medicare. As of last year, about 61 percent of the annual ticket sales go to prizes, 30 percent goes to the state and the rest is for expenses. That's a higher percentage of prize return than most other states…
Monday, November 19, 2012
Both PennDOT programs are free and voluntary.
Gov. Tom Corbett recently announced that the state Department of Transportation is launching two voluntary programs aimed at saving the lives of Pennsylvanians in emergency situations—the Yellow Dot and Emergency Contact Information programs. “Both of these programs speak for people when they can’t speak for themselves, so medical concerns can be addressed and contacts can be reached as quickly as possible,” Corbett said in a release. "When someone is in a crash or they find themselves in an emergency situation, it’s critical that emergency responders quickly find out as much as they can about the victim.” Participants in the Yellow Dot program fill out a form with their emergency contact, medical contact and medical information, insert it…
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Pennsylvania voters elect their first woman and first Democrat to be the state's attorney general.
Kathleen Kane achieved two firsts in her Pennsylvania attorney general election victory: She defeated Republican David Freed 56 to 41 percent in unofficial results from Tuesday's voting. Kane won the support of Lehigh Valley voters on her way to statewide success: Lehigh County Northampton County Kane, 46, is a former Lackawanna County prosecutor who will now oversee an office with a staff of about 700 and subject to legislative battles over a budget that now stands at $81 million, according to a Philly.com report. Kane had a slight fundraising edge in the race. Both candidates pledged a review of the Jerry Sandusky child rape case and its handling by former Attorney General Tom Corbett, now the state's governor.
michael branchen
10:26 am on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Public service unions are an anachronism and an anathema. It seems like the creation of a money laundering organization with the union demanding more benefits in exchange for votes for those who vote them more benefits. All public employee unions should be banned. They aren't working in sweat shops and hold the taxpayers hostage until they get their wishes. Corruption of Government couldn't be … more ›