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November 10, 2009, 6:39 pm
House Education Committee
9:00 a.m., 11/10/09, Room 205 Ryan Office Building
By Matt Hess
The committee held a public hearing on closing the adequacy gap.
Members in attendance included Chairman James Roebuck (D-Philadelphia), Minority Chairman Paul Clymer (R-Bucks), Rep. Scott Conklin (D-Centre), Rep. Lawrence Curry (D-Montgomery), Rep. Richard Grucela (D-Northampton), Rep. Mark Longietti (D-Mercer), Rep. Ken Smith (D-Lackawanna), Rep. Barbara McIlvaine Smith (D-Chester), Rep. Chelsa Wagner (D-Allegheny), Rep. Jake Wheatley (D-Allegheny), Rep. Bernie O’Neill (R-Bucks), Rep. Mike Fleck (R-Huntington), Rep. Duane Milne (R-Chester), Rep. Thomas Murt (R-Montgomery), and Rep. Todd Rock (R-Franklin).
November 10, 2009, 3:10 pm
State Senator Dave Argall is “99 percent†certain he won’t run for Congress against Democrat Tim Holden next year, he told PoliticsPA on Tuesday.
Many GOP insiders have speculated that Argall was considering a congressional campaign, at least in part because he’s a visible Republican well-positioned to campaign in a moderate district. The 17th Congressional District slightly favored John McCain during last year’s presidential race but has a Democratic representative, Holden, who easily cruised to victory last year by nearly 30 percentage points.
To read the full story, visit PoliticsPA.com.
November 10, 2009, 2:03 pm
PennFuture hosted their annual post election forum today at the Harrisburg Hilton where panels of State Senators and Representatives, Journalists, and a professor from Muhlenberg College spoke about the elections held Tuesday and what they could mean for upcoming elections in 2010. The group of legislators, which included Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery), Senator David Argall (R-Schuylkill), Representative Eugene DePasquale (D-York), and Representative William Adolph (R-Delaware) spoke about lessons learned, or not learned from the recent budget impasse, as well as what can be done to avoid a similar fiasco next session. The panel of journalists then offered their predictions for the upcoming primaries and the elections in 2010, and to close the event Dr. Christopher Borick displayed a PowerPoint presentation and gave his narrative on recent election cycles and how they pertain to Pennsylvania. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for more information.
November 10, 2009, 11:55 am
The Senate Education Committee held a hearing this morning to hear testimony from the Superintendent of Philadelphia School District, Arlene Ackerman. Ackerman briefed the committee on the goals and core beliefs of the district in pursuance of starting their 5 year plan to build a greater system of schools. The plan, called “Imagine 2014,” plans to make schools and principals more accountable, decrease class sizes, and improve struggling schools. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
November 10, 2009, 11:04 am
This morning the House Commerce Committee met to hear testimony on HB 1776, the Housing and Economic Revitalization Act. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. John Bear (R-Lancaster), would attempt to stimulate job growth in the housing industry by providing tax incentives for new and existing home purchases and home improvements. Representatives of the housing industry, PHFA, and the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania offered testimony on the subject. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
November 10, 2009, 11:01 am
Rep. Metcalfe, joined by many other legislators and advocates, today called for the passage of House Bills 50-53, which he argued would protect PA employees and allow economic development to flourish. The package, dubbed the Pennsylvania Open Workforce Initiative, would eliminate requirements for employees to participate in or pay due to unions.
Look for the complete story in the Capitol Toolbox this afternoon.
November 10, 2009, 10:53 am
The committee held a public hearing on eliminating the education achievement gap in Pennsylvania. Dr. Gerald Zahorchak, Secretary of the Department of Education, shared the results of a three year study by the Center of Education Policy. Secretary Zahorchak said the study found that Pennsylvania is outpacing the nation in achievement gains. “Nearly 80 percent of our public schools met the required academic goals of the federal No Child Left Behind Act,” he said, “The 50 districts where the state invested the most since 2002 showed an average 41 percent increase in the proportion of students performing on grade level in grades 5, 8, and 11.” Dr. Zahorchak emphasized that ”targeted investments” are still needed to closing the gap and affirmed that “the Department of Education’s vision is every child at core academic proficiency in core academic subjects.” Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
November 10, 2009, 10:42 am
The committee voted unanimously to report as committed HB 882 providing for pharmacy audit procedures and HB 894 establishing a task force on Lyme disease and related maladies. Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
November 10, 2009, 10:40 am
The committee voted unanimously voted to report as amended HB 1880 establishing the Pennsylvania Government Accountability Portal. Reported as committed was HB 1974 requiring county boards of election to publish sample ballots on the county’s public internet website. After a lengthy discussion, the committee also unanimously reported as committed HB 1805 which gives specific guidelines for the existing Legislative Reapportionment Commission to follow when drawing districts. Check the Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story.
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