Corbett Addresses Obamacare, Education, Transportation in Proposed Budget

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 …

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Solobay Introduces Changes to Small Games Regulations

'The law that went into place last year made it impossible for some small organizations to comply, threatening their existence. We can’t underestimate the importance of local volunteer organizations to both the fabric and the economy of communities.'

State Sen. Tim Solobay has introduced a bill that will make needed changes to Pennsylvania’s cumbersome Small Games of Chance Law. “The law that went into place last year made it impossible for some small organizations to comply, threatening their existence,” Solobay said. “We can’t underestimate the importance of local volunteer organizations to both the fabric and the economy of communities.” Earlier this year, the Corbett administration agreed to suspend the reporting requirements of Act 2 of 2012 after community organizations across the state complained that the bill’s requirements could cause them to close their doors. Solobay’s new bill, Senate Bill 390, would allow organizations to keep a greater share of their revenues from small …

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News Website: Corbett's Son-in-Law Being Investigated

Gerald Gibson is a narcotics officer in Philadelphia.

A Philadelphia news website is reporting that Gov. Tom Corbett’s son-in-law is being investigated in a criminal matter. According to the website myfoxphilly.com, Gerald Gibson—who is married to Corbett’s daughter, Katie—is a narcotics officer and is being investigated in an undercover sting. Although Philadelphia police told the news organization that an officer has been placed on administrative duty until the investigation is complete, the name of that officer was not being released. The officer in question, the department indicated, had not yet been charged or arrested. A search of online court records shows no recent charges against Gibson. The news website further reports that while Corbett was scheduled to do an interview with the …

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Corbett Announces Liquor Privatization Plan; $1 Billion in Proceeds to Fund Education

“Our plan gives consumers what they want by increasing choice and convenience, and helps to secure our future by adding $1 billion in funding toward the education of our children, without raising any taxes,” the governor said Wednesday.

Gov. Tom Corbett, joined by Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, on Wednesday announced his plan to privatize the liquor system in Pennsylvania and committed $1 billion in proceeds from the process to education funding. Corbett said the $1 billion will be used to create the Passport for Learning Block Grant, which will provide flexibility to schools, allowing our public schools, instead of Harrisburg, to decide what their students need. The grant will focus on four priority areas: school safety, enhanced early education programs, individualized learning and science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses and programs. “Our proposal is part of my commitment to changing Harrisburg, streamlining government and moving Pennsylvania …

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Legislator: Ban Lottery Money From Politics

State Rep. Brandon Neuman said that no lottery money should be permitted to go toward political campaigns.

State Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, will introduce legislation to ban any company running the Pennsylvania Lottery from making campaign contributions to elected officials and political candidates in Pennsylvania. Neuman will introduce the legislation in response to Gov. Tom Corbett's recent decision to award a 20-year contract to British-based Camelot Global Services PA LLC to outsource the management of the Pennsylvania Lottery. "The state has prohibited the casino industry from making campaign contributions, but there’s nothing in the contract signed by the governor that stops Camelot or its executives from making donations to political candidates," Neuman said. "We don’t allow the gaming industry to influence elections for good…

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Representin'

Small Games of Chance Changes on Hold for 2013

'We need to hear from the real people and groups running small games of chance, not just their statewide organizations.'

One of the most controversial pieces of legislation passed in Harrisburg last year was Act 2 of 2012, which dealt with reporting requirements for organizations with a Small Games of Chance (SGOC) license. Although labeled as “reforms,” many of the new requirements sparked an outcry from local social clubs, veterans’ organizations and fire departments that depend on these small games to survive. Apparently these changes had been negotiated and approved by the statewide organizations without any real input from the local chapters; as a result, no one realized there was a problem until the bill had already been signed by Gov. Tom Corbett. The new requirements were set to take effect in February 2013, and after talking with many of the clubs …

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On Point with Sen. Tim Solobay

Organizations Get Reprieve from Small Games Reports

Sen. Tim Solobay talks about the small games of chance law and more in this week's column.

I have good news to report to the many volunteer organizations across the region that depend on small games of chance for vital operating funds. Weeks after I wrote to the Corbett Administration asking for a delay in the reporting requirements of Pennsylvania’s new Small Games of Chance law, the state Department of Revenue has announced a one-year reprieve. This is great news for hundreds of important organizations across Pennsylvania that are struggling with the complexity of the new law. I applaud the governor for recognizing the consequences that heavy handed enforcement could have had. In a Dec. 13 letter, I urged the administration to postpone a Feb. 1 deadline for organizations to file reports under Act 2 of 2012, a sweeping revision…

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Rep. Neuman Notes Contradiction in Corbett's PSU Defense

State Rep. Brandon Neuman said he supports the lawsuit over the NCAA’s sanctions of Penn State, but he questions why Corbett didn’t fight for the Penn State community months ago.

State Rep. Brandon Neuman, D-North Strabane, Wednesday questioned why Gov. Tom Corbett did not do enough and waited too long to start fighting for Penn State University against the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s excessive sanctions. “For more than five months the governor supported the NCAA sanctions,” Neuman said. “As attorney general he waited years to take Jerry Sandusky off the streets and now as governor and a Penn State trustee he’s wasted months before standing up for this world-class university. State Attorney General-elect Kathleen Kane should deal with this after she is sworn in on Jan. 15." On July 23, 2012, the NCAA announced sanctions against Penn State that include a $60 million fine, four-year bowl ban, reduction…

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