J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau
Pennsylvania Senate Republican leaders called Gov. Tom Wolf’s nearly $38 billion budget proposal “dead on arrival” Wednesday, with Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward saying it was “absurd” to propose increasing the personal income tax in a pandemic-ravaged economy.
The reaction wasn’t much better in the GOP-led House, where Speaker Bryan Cutler took issue with Wolf’s proposing an income tax hike and legalizing marijuana.
Cutler, though, went a step further, insisting that the Wolf administration has mismanaged state government, ranging from COVID-19 shutdowns to an overwhelmed unemployment compensation system to a sputtering rollout of coronavirus vaccines.
J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau
Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar will leave her job Friday after “human error” led to her department failing to advertise a constitutional amendment that would retroactively give child sex abuse victims more time to file civil suits.
Gov. Tom Wolf announced Boockvar’s resignation Monday morning because of the error, which forces the constitutional amendment process to start over.
“This change at the Department of State has nothing to do with the administration of the 2020 election, which was fair and accurate,” said Wolf, preemptively knocking down any speculation that Republican criticism over her handling of the election was a factor in Boockvar’s resignation.
J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau
Following a sometimes heated debate on Wednesday, the Pennsylvania House passed a constitutional amendment to limit emergency declarations by the governor, after the state Senate approved a similar bill the previous night.
One of the bills needs to be passed by the other body before Feb. 18 so the constitutional amendment can go to a statewide referendum on the May primary ballot. Republicans control both the House and Senate and both bills passed mostly along party lines.
Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Philadelphia, mocked Republicans for claiming the legislation was not about politics, but returning power to the Legislature.
J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Thursday reiterated warnings from earlier this month that anyone who used a tax preparation service to file their taxes could have their federal stimulus check delayed.
“If you’re eligible for a stimulus check and haven’t received one, you can call the IRS or visit their website to file a complaint,” Shapiro said in a statement.
Shapiro said tax preparation companies, such as H&R Block and Intuit, use temporary bank accounts, which are being used by the IRS to issue checks, causing the delays.
J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services on Thursday released a racial equity report on itself and various programs that Secretary Teresa Miller said should serve as a “roadmap for moving forward” and dismantling systemic racism.
“We must understand what we can and should do to address historic inequities,” Miller said in an online press conference to discuss the report. “We cannot undo the past, but we will be part of the solution.”
With her department serving more than 3 million low-income Pennsylvanians, Miller said the agency will play a vital role in countering systemic racism.