Department of State Secretary Pedro Cortes discussed improvements in electronic ballots, county electronic reporting of election results, along with Lobbying Disclosure. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story.
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Posted by Rebecca | Tags: election results, electronic ballots, lobbying disclosure | Category: Administration, Budget Hearing, Senate Appropriations | Leave a comment | Share:
The administration has released a list of the 74 sales tax exemptions it proposes to lift as part of a tax reform package in the upcoming budget. The complete list is as follows: Accounting, auditing and bookkeeping services, Administrative services, Advertising, public relations & related services, Air transportation, Airline Catering, All other professional and technical services, Amusement & recreation industries, Architectural, engineering, & related services, Bad Debts, Basic television, Call Center Credit, Candy and Gum, Caskets and Burial Vaults, Catalogs and Direct Mail Advertising, Charges for Returnable Containers, Coal, Coin Operated Food and Beverage Vending Machines.. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: Budget, sales tax, tax exemptions | Category: Administration, Update | Leave a comment | Share:
The Governor met with members of the media to answer questions about his recently announced budget proposal. During the question and answer period, the Governor addressed the repeals of certain sales tax exemptions, his ideas on the Stimulus Transition Reserve Fund, and his overall budget expectations. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Jason Gottesman | Tags: Budget, governor | Category: Administration, Press Conference - Governor | Leave a comment | Share:
This morning, Budget Secretary Mary Soderberg offered an overview of the administration’s proposed 2010-11 budget. The budget includes an overall increase of $1.15 billion (4.1%) over last year, after accounting for federal ARRA funds. Spending increases are proposed in education, healthcare, aging and long term living, public welfare, corrections, probation and parole, and debt service. 42% of the overall proposed budget is devoted to education spending. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: ARRA, Budget, severance tax, tobacco, Transportation | Category: Administration, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
Governor Ed Rendell held a press conference today to discuss a successful mission that brought 53 Haitian orphans to the United States. The effort was coordinated with the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and the military and was paid for by an anonymous donor. The children were under the care of Jamie and Ali McMutrie, two sisters from Pittsburgh who operated an orphanage in Port-au-Prince. A team of medical personnel accompanied by Governor Rendell and U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire took part in the mission and the governor noted that they delivered 2.5 tons of medical supplies to the quake-stricken country and left three doctors and one nurse in the area. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. Governor Rendell announced this afternoon that the sale of $900 million in Build America bonds earlier in the week resulted in a record low interest rate of 3.13 percent being offered by the winning bank, Barclays Capital Inc. The rate is the lowest of any of the commonwealth’s non-refinancing deals since 1968. Build America Bonds, enacted as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, are federally taxable bonds, unlike Pennsylvania’s traditional tax-exempt bonds. According to the administration, they are particularly are attractive to investors because they produce higher yields. The governor reported that as part of the sale, the commonwealth’s double-A credit rating was reaffirmed by Wall Street rating agencies. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: ARRA, bonds | Category: Administration, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
Governor asks legislature to consider Marcellus severance tax, stronger alternative energy standardsAt a press conference this afternoon, Governor Rendell reported he has sent letters to the legislature requesting passage of a severance tax on the drilling of natural gas in the Marcellus Shale, and also the strengthening of the state’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards, which according to the governor have been surpassed in toughness by a number of other states since their enactment. The governor spoke on the success of Pennsylvania’s latest land lease sale, in which five companies bid on nearly 32,000 acres of state forest land for the purpose of natural gas drilling. The state will make approximately $128.4 million from the bids alone. Of that total, Governor Rendell said, $60 million will be available for use in the 2009-10 fiscal year budget. Check the Capitol Toolbox later the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: AEPS, alternative energy, marcellus shale, severance tax | Category: Administration, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
Instead of the usual public signing ceremony before the media this morning, Governor Rendell signed table games legislation SB 711 into law in private, due to a number of “misgivings” he has with the bill. At a press conference afterwards, the governor cited worries over the amount of WAMs and pork in the legislation, which were inserted to secure the necessary votes among members. Nevertheless he reported that with the bill now signed, tables games will be up and running in as many casinos as possible by July, with license fees going a long way to meeting the additional $250 million in revenue needed by the state this fiscal year. He characterized votes in support of table games as “courageous,” and challenged those who voted against it to explain where they would make cuts to bridge the same revenue gap. The governor also spoke on a variety of other issues, including the same-sex marriage, the 2010-11 budget, and the state of the Democratic Party. Check the Capitol Toolbox later for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: bleeding disorders, Budget, resentencing guidelines, same-sex marriage, table games, world trade | Category: Administration, PLS Interview, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
Speaking at a press conference this morning, Governor Rendell announced that due to cost savings efforts, cash grant payments for eligible families in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will be increased by $100, and the program itself will be extended through April 2nd this year. In addition, the administration reported that if federal contingency funds are released, as has been the case in previous years, even more money could become available for certain LIHEAP participants, including seniors and those with children or disabilities. The governor also commented on recent table games developments, and said that at this point he is “guardedly optimistic” about having a table games bill on his desk as early as tomorrow. Check the Capitol Toolbox for the full story. Posted by Mike Howells | Tags: hunting, LIHEAP, resentencing guidelines, table games | Category: Administration, PLS Interview, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
Governor Ed Rendell held his annual year end press conference today. The governor said it was a “difficult year for Pennsylvanians” and noted that 500,000 citizens are unemployed and 1.3 million are receiving food stamps. Despite the glum figures, Governor Rendell stated that “Pennsylvania’s economy  is doing better than most states” and highlighted several achievements from the 101 budget stalemate including a “substantial increase in education.” Governor Rendell touched on several issues such as infrastructure spending, transportation funding, health care, and property tax relief. “We’ve made remarkable progress in difficult times,” he stated. Check the PLS Capitol Toolbox later today for the full story. Posted by Matt Hess | Category: Administration, PLS Interview, Press Conference | Leave a comment | Share:
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