PA Headlines 2/10/22
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — AP is reporting… The period for candidates and their supporters to circulate petitions to qualify for Pennsylvania’s May 17 primary election was put on temporary hold Wednesday by the state Supreme Court. The justices issued an order that applies to all races — congressional and legislative contests, as well as U.S. Senate, governor and lieutenant governor. The three-week petition gathering period was set to kick off Tuesday and last for three weeks. Instead, the high court noted it was hearing oral argument on Feb. 18 in a case that will determine the lines of congressional districts. Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts spokeswoman Stacey Witalec said the order pertains to all races and keeps the primary date intact. The order did not say when the court will produce a new petition gathering period. A spokeswoman for Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf said the court’s order was under review. Candidates for office must collect a certain number of valid signatures from registered voters of their same party to get on the primary ballot. The number of signatures needed depends on the office for which they’re running.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — AP is reporting.. Gov. Tom Wolf hit the road Wednesday to begin selling his proposal for what would be the largest-ever increase in aid for Pennsylvania’s public schools, several times over, as school officials digested the news and Republicans who control the Legislature warned that it will never happen. The money — just over $1.5 billion in new dollars for instruction and operations — is almost a quarter of what the state sends now under a public school funding system that critics say has left the poorest public schools, including ones with large minority student bodies, underfunded for decades. Wolf took his case to teachers and district officials in a news conference at Erie’s Pfeiffer-Burleigh Elementary School, while education groups said they hoped that lawmakers would at least approve close to what the Democrat requested in his budget proposal Tuesday. That said, school boards and superintendents know Wolf has made big requests before that the Republican-controlled Legislature has turned down, in favor of a smaller sum.
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — WHTM is reporting,… A bill to assist Emergency Medical Services throughout Pennsylvania passed without opposition on Monday. The bill provides $25 million in grants to EMS to help offset the impacts of COVID-19. “Our EMS teams, especially in rural Pennsylvania, have been crucial in responding to this pandemic and remain a necessary part of the arsenal needed to provide emergency services to Pennsylvania communities,” House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff (R-Centre/Mifflin) said. “Making this significant amount of funding available is essential to ensuring these critical organizations can survive during these extremely trying times and be positioned to remain sustainable into the future.” The bill passed through the House unanimously and now heads to the Senate where if it passes there, would head to the Governor’s desk.
