From voter ID to charter school reform, here’s what to watch this week

With another session week in Harrisburg comes another slate of hot-button issues that lawmakers will address. 

Last week, the spotlight was on subpoenas for voter records, as well as efforts from lawmakers to extend COVID-19 regulatory waivers and respond to damages from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. This week will have a different focus, with legislators eyeing updates to the state’s voting laws, charter school reforms and an oversight hearing to figure out why the heck the state is running low on alcohol.

Here’s what we’ll be watching this week.

The return of voter ID

The House State Government Committee will meet bright and early on Monday at 8 a.m. to consider multiple bills that would establish voter ID requirements for all voters in the state. This is the second time this year that House lawmakers have eyed bolstering voter ID requirements, but this time, they’re looking to cover their bases with two methods. The committee, chaired by state Rep. Seth Grove, will consider a sweeping election reform proposal that would require voter ID for all elections, establish early voting after 2025, and provide counties with five days to pre-canvass ballots before each election. Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed an earlier version of the bill, so Grove’s committee is also taking up legislation to put voter ID requirements in the state constitution, which would bypass the governor’s desk entirely. 

Running out of liquor

Pennsylvanians got some grim news this month: The state is running low on certain types of liquor. The development, which the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board attributed to supply shortages outside the board’s control, has led to a two-bottle limit on 43 different types of booze. Now, House and Senate lawmakers want to get to the bottom of it. Members of the Senate Law & Justice and House Liquor Control committees will meet Wednesday at 9 a.m. to learn more about the supply chain disruption. 

Charter school reforms

Reforms to the state’s charter school laws are once again on the agenda, with the House Education Committee set to consider two bills that would make significant changes to how charter schools operate. The first proposal, from House Education Chair Curt Sonney, would update how payments from school districts to charter schools are reconciled. A second bill from state Rep. Jesse Topper would strengthen ethical requirements for charter schools, reinstate a reimbursement line-item designed to offset the financial impacts that charter schools have had on school districts, and allow charter schools to administer their own standardized tests electronically. This meeting will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.