First Read PA – Oct. 5, 2023

WEATHER: Philadelphia: mostly sunny, high of 79; Harrisburg: sunny, high of 80; Pittsburgh: mostly sunny, high of 83.

FROM CITY & STATE:

* A wide-ranging tax code bill that would speed up the state’s corporate tax reduction and expand existing tax credits moved through the state House of Representatives on Tuesday night, drawing a mix of responses from members of the General Assembly. City & State takes a look at the contents of the omnibus tax code bill approved by House lawmakers and what the future holds for the 89-page bill. 

NEW THIS MORNING:

* An embattled City of DuBois official was slapped with additional charges yesterday in a sweeping political corruption case alleging he stole hundreds of thousands of public and nonprofit dollars, Spotlight PA reports.

* Spending in the campaign for an open state Supreme Court seat is picking up, with millions of dollars flowing into the race as the sides sharpen their attacks over questions about ethics and abortion rights, The Associated Press reports.

* Gov. Josh Shapiro met privately with all eight of the state’s Democratic female state senators yesterday, as questions continued to swirl about his silence on the sudden resignation last week of a top aide who had been accused of sexual harassment, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. 

* The Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council, one of the most politically potent and deep-pocketed organizations in the state, endorsed five candidates running for seven at-large seats on City Council: four Democrats, plus Republican Jim Hasher, the Inquirer reports. 

* Inmate populations in the U.S. have dropped in recent years, which means prison closures have increased. In other cities and towns, those complexes have sometimes been converted to things like distilleries, museums, and boutique hotels. Rob Pfaffman, an architect and preservationist, says he thinks something similar could happen to SCI Pittsburgh, WESA reports. 

* A group dedicated to electing Democrats at the state level is set to announce a six-figure investment in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race, The Messenger has exclusively learned.

* The state Senate unanimously approved legislation yesterday that would authorize the Department of Revenue to go after the lottery winnings and income tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws, the AP reports. 

* Sen. Cris Dush said he considers Shapiro’s move to implement automatic voter registration to be a misuse of power over the driving public by forcing people to opt out of registering to vote when they come to a PennDOT service center to apply for or renew their driver’s license, PennLive reports.

* A projected decline in rural Pennsylvania’s population over the coming decades has policymakers in Harrisburg eager to find long-term solutions to help sustain rural communities, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reports.

* Philadelphia City Councilmember Kenyatta Johnson led a “Peace-Not-Guns Public Safety Walk” yesterday after award-winning journalist and community activist Josh Kruger was killed in his Point Breeze home earlier this week, WHYY reports.   

EDITORIAL PAGES:

* The Inquirer writes that governing should be for serious people – but for MAGA Republicans in Congress, it’s all just political performance.

* PennLive has an op-ed from state Sen. Gene Yaw, who writes that the story of skill games and the casino and lottery industry is, quite literally, David vs. Goliath.

NATIONAL POLITICS:

* Tens of millions of Americans are struggling to cope with soaring temperatures – and OSHA is developing new workplace safety standards, but they are not yet complete, The New York Times reports.

* The jockeying to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker began moments after the ousted leader shocked his colleagues in a closed meeting Tuesday night by declaring that he would not run again for the speakership – or even name a preferred successor, The Washington Post reports. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: To former state Rep. Jim Cox … and to Naiymah Sanchez, trans rights organizer at the ACLU of Pennsylvania … 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 and Senate Democratic Policy Committees hold a joint public hearing regarding censorship in school libraries, House Majority Caucus Room, Harrisburg. 

10 a.m. – The Basic Education Funding Commission meets, Hazleton Area School District Administration Building, 1515 W. 23rd St., Hazle Township. 

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

1 p.m. – The House Appropriations and Education Committees hold a joint public hearing on the Pennsylvania Education Tour, Allegheny Traditional Elementary Academy, 810 Arch St., Pittsburgh. 

1:30 p.m. – Gov. Josh Shapiro, DCNR Sec. Cindy Adams Dunn and Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds to announce state investments in recreation and conservation projects throughout the commonwealth, South Bethlehem Greenway, Mechanic and Taylor Streets, Bethlehem. Watch here. 

1:30 p.m. – Pittsburgh City Council meets for a briefing on the deer management program, Council Chambers. 

To have your events included in Today’s sked, please email the information to editor@cityandstatepa.com.

KICKER: 

“Instead of acting in the best interests of the community he was supposed to serve, the defendant used his position to line his own pockets and abused his authority for personal gain.” – state Attorney General Michelle Henry, via Spotlight PA