Sunday, February 10, 2013
Gov. Tom Corbett's 2013-14 budget ties sale of state liquor system to a $1 billion grant for school safety, early education programs, individualized learning and science/math programs.
Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2013-14 budget, which he presented Feb. 5, contains an interesting cocktail that mixes the sale of the state's liquor system with funding of a public schools grant. Under his proposal, $1 billion obtained by the proposed privatization of the state's liquor sales would be used to create the Passport for Learning Block Grant that would focus on school safety; enhanced early education programs; individualized learning; and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs. The $1 billion in revenue to fund that grant will come from the three- to four-year process of selling the Liquor Control Board: $575 million from the wholesale license process, $224 million from the Wine and Spirits retail …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Democrats voice concerns while Republicans lend support for Gov. Tom Corbett's 2013-14 budget.
Western Pennsylvania Democrats had some harsh words for Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2013-14 state budget, which he presented Tuesday, while state Republican Party Chairman Rob Gleason called the governor's plan a "balanced and responsible budget that reinvests in Pennsylvania." “The plan presented by the governor is disappointing,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills. “It was long on politics but short on solutions.” State Rep. Erin Molchany, a newly elected Democrat serving South Hills communities said the governor’s "Band-Aid budget does little to make up for the hurt this state has felt from his deep cuts." State Rep. Robert Matzie, a Democrat representing the Sewickley area, said: “New Jersey has Chris Christie as …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
The impact the governor's spending plan will have on Seneca Valley is still be analyzed, according to district officials.
Seneca Valley officials are giving their thoughts on Gov. Tom Corbett’s proposed $28.4 billion budget for 2013-14, which includes plans to privatize liquor sales and make sweeping changes to the pension system for state and school district employees. The budget also commits a $90 million increase to basic education funding, Corbett said while unveiling the spending plan Tuesday. “This is the first increase in two years and brings the total basic education funding to the highest in Pennsylvania history,” he said. “Additionally, the commonwealth will implement the new four-year Passport for Learning Block Grant for school districts with $1 billion in revenues realized from the privatization of Pennsylvania’s state stores system for …
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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 …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Rep. Mike Turzai is a longtime proponent of selling off state Wine & Spirits stores.
House Majority Leader Mike Turzai, R-Bradford Woods, appeared alongside Gov. Tom Corbett this week to push for the privatization of state liquor stores. Corbett on Wednesday announced his plan to privatize the liquor system in Pennsylvania and committed $1 billion in proceeds from the process to education funding. Turzai proposed legislation in 2011 to privatize wholesale and retail liquor distribution and sell off Pennsylvania's state stores. He has repeatedly said government should not be in the business of selling wine and liquor or promoting alcohol use. “Privatizing wine and liquor will eliminate the 75-year-old state monopoly on liquor sales by auctioning retail licenses to the private sector and investing $1 billion of the proceeds…
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Lois Siess, an 84-year-old great-grandmother who lives at The Arbors at St. Barnabas, received Hawaiian-themed gift.
With a blue lei around his neck, Gov. Tom Corbett presented the final gift of the Presents for Patients 2012 season Thursday at a Hawaiian-themed Christmas celebration at St. Barnabas' Valencia campus. Lois Siess, an 84-year-old great-grandmother who lives at The Arbors at St. Barnabas, received a picture book about Hawaii, suntan lotion, a beach towel and hat. The gift honored her fond memories of a trip to Hawaii with her late husband, Richard. "Oh how nice," Siess exclaimed as she opened her present. "I'll have a lot of enjoyment going through this. ... I'll remember this forever." In addition to presenting the final gift for the 2012 season, the governor and his wife, Susan, were named honorary chairs for the 2013 Presents for …
Friday, December 28, 2012
While visiting St. Barnabas' Crystal Conservatories during a Presents for Patients event, the governor also spoke about the fiscal cliff and Pennsylvania's budget.
Gov. Tom Corbett—who called for more attention to mental illness in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings—would not commit Thursday to increased funding for mental health treatment. The governor said it is too early in the budget process to commit to increasing or decreasing funding for anything. His remarks came during a press conference at St. Barnabas' Crystal Conservatories in Valencia after a Presents for Patients presentation. Last week, the governor stressed the need to look at mental illness as reporters at a press conference pressed him on whether he would support an assault weapons ban. "It doesn’t matter whether it is an assault weapon or a handgun, it’s the mental illness issue that we have to work as much as we …
Monday, December 3, 2012
Rep. Mike Turzai, township officials from Pine and McCandless, PennDOT officials and more join governor for ceremony.
With busy Route 19 as the backdrop, Gov. Tom Corbett joined with a host of officials Monday to cut a ribbon to celebrate the expansion and improvements to the Wexford Flats section of the road in Pine and McCandless. At the ceremony in Wexford Plaza, Corbett used the opportunity to talk about transportation's role in the regrowth of southwestern Pennsylvania. "Southwestern Pennsylvania is at a critical juncture in its economic history," the governor said. "We are sitting in the middle of the largest economic boom in more than 150 years. We hope to become the location of the first ethane processing plant ever built in the northeast United States and this is all developing alongside a growing bio-medical and high technology sector that could…
Friday, November 9, 2012
State officials release terms for the potential agreement—which calls for a $150 million upfront payment to the state—in an announcement today.
The state Department of Revenue on Friday announced key terms of a potential private management agreement for the Pennsylvania Lottery. Such an agreement would turn over some unspecified duties of managing the lottery to a private company, which would pay the state up front but then would be compensated for its work. State officials earlier this year began looking at privatizing the lottery as a way of maximizing its revenue. According to a release, key terms of the agreement would include: Now that the scope and terms of a management contract have been determined, a multi-agency team is exploring private management and is reviewing the business plans of qualified bidders. Those business plans will include each qualified bidder’s proposal …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Corbett said he will reach out to governors in New York and New Jersey to offer help.
As Pennsylvania cleans up from the damage caused by Superstorm Sandy, Gov. Tom Corbett said 1.3 million customers are without power Tuesday morning, mostly in the southeastern part of the commonwealth. Although the storm was not as bad as it could have been for Pennsylvania, Corbett said neighboring New Jersey and New York were hit hard and he will reach out this morning to the governors of those states to offer resources such as medical personnel and shelter help. "If we have resources available, we will make it available" to those hard-hit states, Corbett said. At a 9 a.m. briefing about the storm that has been downgraded to cyclone status, Corbett noted that thousands have been mobilized to deal with the aftermath including 2,500 out-of…
Joseph
1:47 pm on Tuesday, February 12, 2013
I've been involved. I've seen the beast first hand. The only way to change it is to become a part of the special interest groups or run for office to diffuse the special interest groups (good luck winning an election without the support of special interest groups). more ›