First Read PA – Oct. 19, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: increasing clouds, high of 68; Harrisburg: increasing clouds, high of 68; Pittsburgh: mostly cloudy, high of 68.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* The race for Pennsylvania attorney general is ramping up, with more candidacy and endorsement announcements dropping each week. Jared Solomon announced his most recent endorsement this week, but you can find our full list of candidates running for attorney general – and their endorsements – here.

* From our partners at Route Fifty: A new report says with the resumption of student loan loan payments, borrowers will have less money to spend on everything from groceries to beer and cigarettes. That will mean states will likely see a drop in how much they collect in sales taxes. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* The state House of Representatives yesterday passed another bill to give an earlier date for its 2024 presidential primary, an effort that has become drawn out and politically charged in a battleground state still weathering former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims about a stolen 2020 election, The Associated Press reports.

* Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign budget-related legislation passed yesterday to boost Medicaid subsidies for the state’s hospitals and ambulance services, provisions that have been stuck in a wider monthslong stalemate, the AP reports.  

* Two more suspects have been arrested in the killing of Officer Richard Mendez, 50, following an arrest made earlier this week. All remaining suspects are now in custody, police say, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. 

* An oil and gas company recently withdrew its application to inject liquids deep underground in rural Clara Township, a win for officials and residents who feared groundwater pollution and health risks. The experience with the state agency responsible for approving or rejecting such applications has left locals pushing for changes to the process, Spotlight PA reports. 

* Jim Kenney will no longer be the mayor of Philadelphia after 11:59 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. The next mayor, however, won’t be publicly sworn in until about 36 hours later because City Council, which hosts the inauguration ceremony, has scheduled the event for Jan. 2 to avoid conflicting with the annual Mummers Parade, the Inquirer reports. 

* The Philadelphia Board of Ethics is appealing a recent court ruling that dismissed its high-profile lawsuit against the super PAC that backed Jeff Brown’s unsuccessful campaign for mayor, the Inquirer reports.

* Parents would have to opt in if they want to allow their children to access sexually explicit content in school curriculum material and books under legislation advancing in the state Senate, PennLive reports.

* As Republicans in the House continue to quarrel over who should replace ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly yesterday was the only remaining GOP member of the commonwealth’s congressional delegation to vote against Ohio Republican Jim Jordan’s bid for the role, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports. 

* It’s been one month since the state implemented automatic voter registration, and early results show three times as many Republicans have used the system to register compared to Democrats, WITF reports.

* The Builders Association of Metropolitan Pittsburgh has widened a court challenge to city laws that require some new developments to include affordable housing for lower-income residents, WESA reports.    

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer writes that in the November election, Philadelphia voters can deny their approval to Judges David C. Shuter and Anne Marie Coyle, whose actions have shown they do not belong on the bench.

* The Sharon Herald writes that hydrogen fuel has great potential to power vehicles and generate with clean energy.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* President Joe Biden will deliver a prime-time speech today about the war in Ukraine and the terror attacks in Israel as his administration prepares to call on Congress to approve tens of billions of dollars in military aid for the two embattled nations, The New York Times reports.

* Rep. Jim Jordan failed again yesterday to win enough Republican support to become the next speaker of the House – prompting increasing calls from both parties to expand the powers of the interim speaker to overcome the GOP’s intraparty morass and move on with legislative matters, The Washington Post reports. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To former U.S. Rep. and U.S. Under Secretary of the Army Patrick Murphy … to Superior Court Judge Judith Ference Olson … to Heather Heidelbaugh, partner at Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, LLC … and to Michelle Kim, professional training specialist with the School District of Philadelphia… Want to wish someone a happy birthday in our newsletter? Email their name, job title and upcoming birthday to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

TODAY’S SKED:

10 a.m. – The House Education meets for an informational meeting on dual enrollment and college affordability, Multipurpose Room A, Ceddia Union Building, 408 Lancaster Drive, Shippensburg. Watch here.

10 a.m. – Philadelphia City Council meets, Room 400, City Hall. 

11 a.m. – Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt will hold a press conference to educate voters on what they need to know to vote in the Nov. 7 municipal election, Capitol Media Center. Watch here. 

11:30 a.m. – Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney will speak at the 20th annual Pennsylvania Conference for Women, Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., Philadelphia. 

1 p.m. – Auditor General Tim DeFoor will join PRT CEO Katharine Kellerman to release the latest performance audit of the transit authority, 11 Stanwix St., First Floor Conference Room, Pittsburgh. Watch here. 

5:30 p.m. – The House Republican Policy Committee holds a public hearing on repairing infrastructure, Chanceford Township Building, 33 Muddy Creek Forks Road, Brogue. 

KICKER: 

“And they have now left the rest of us with no other option other than to immediately fill the Speaker vacancy with the first Member of the Majority who can garner 217 votes.” – U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, via the Penn Capital-Star