This week's biggest Winners & Losers

This week, the House State Government Committee advanced a slate of lobbying reform bills, as well as a measure that would ban lawmakers from accepting various types of gifts from lobbyists, which is currently permitted under state law. Not only did state Rep. Seth Grove shepherd these bills through committee, but he did so with widespread bipartisan support, showing that even in times of intense partisan division, lawmakers can come together to pass popular reforms – a true gift to the people of Pennsylvania. Savor it while it lasts, because soon gifts may be a thing of the past.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania notched a win this week when Commonwealth Court President Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt allowed a collective of good government groups – represented by the ACLU of Pennsylvania – to join a lawsuit looking to block a subpoena for voter records as part of a GOP-led investigation into the state’s election results. Reggie Shuford, executive director of the ACLU of Pennsylvania, said in a statement that Pennsylvanians have a “right to privacy” that includes the data Republicans are seeking. Apparently the ACLU made a strong enough case as to why the advocacy organizations should be able to join the suit, but it’s unclear whether they will find success in blocking the subpoena.

Cindy’s moving on up, but on the west side. Yesterday, President Joe Biden nominated Cindy Chung, a federal prosecutor, to become the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Chung, who has served as deputy chief of the major crimes section and acting deputy chief of the violent crimes section, is the first woman to be nominated to the post by a Democratic president and the first Asian-American to be nominated. Congratulations on setting a new precedent.

This wasn’t the best week for Gov. Tom Wolf and fans of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The state Senate passed a resolution disapproving of Wolf’s call to have the commonwealth join the cap-and-trade program, but that faces a certain veto. The next disapproval caught everyone by surprise. Attorney general and Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro broke away from Wolf on his plan to fight climate change, too. Shapiro said Wolf’s plan does not satisfy criticism that it will hurt the state’s energy industry, a similar message Republicans have been emphasizing.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration got some flack from City Controller Rebecca Rhynhart‘s office this week, with a new report finding that while Asian representation in his administration has increased since 2018, African American representation has declined and Latino representation has stagnated. Kenney’s office said the mayor remains committed to “building a workforce that reflects the diversity of Philadelphia’s residents,” according to Billy Penn, while Rhynhart called the hiring figures “disappointing.”

We knew the state was dealing with unemployment fraud cases, but this is ridiculous. Today, AG Josh Shapiro filed charges against Nelson Fornah, a caregiver from Darby, for stealing personal identifying information from several intellectually disabled people in his care to fraudulently apply for pandemic unemployment assistance. Fornah allegedly used stolen and false information from seven of his clients in order to receive nearly $90,000 in benefits. Those fraudulent moves will likely get him in double trouble.