Over the last six weeks, Gov. Tom Wolf has cut a pair of ribbons, hosted nearly a dozen roundtables and discussions on everything from tech jobs to protecting senior citizens from fraud, toured businesses and signed a half-dozen bills, his public schedule shows.
None of the events dealt with balancing the state budget.
As the battle over how to pay for Pennsylvania’s nearly $32 billion spending plan drags into its fifth week, the Democratic governor is trying a new tactic: near invisibility.
Mr. Wolf has not issued any big, public warnings about the dangers of not having a timely budget, as he has in the past two years. Nor has he expressed even the slightest frustration over the breakdown in talks with the Republican-controlled Legislature. He hasn’t been spied walking into legislative offices or convening meetings with legislative leaders in the executive offices, either.
Both House Majority Leader Dave Reed, R-Indiana, and House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Marshall, have complained over the last few weeks that the governor has been disengaged.
Patriot News: Liquor board increases prices on 422 popular wine and spirit products
Prices on some popular bottles of wine and spirits sold in Pennsylvania are going to rise by a dollar or more, starting on Aug. 28.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, using authority to set its own retail prices that it was given last year from a liquor reform law known as Act 39, on Wednesday announced it will carry through with its decision to raise prices on 422 wine and spirit products.
This action comes after 10 months of negotiations with suppliers of those products to try to get them to lower the cost that the PLCB has to pay for them, according to board Chairman Tim Holden.
Initially, 496 products were eyed for a price hike but the agency was successful in getting concessions from some suppliers to avoid price hikes on 74 of those products.
ABC 27: Pennsylvania plan to track student performance released
Pennsylvania has unveiled a new plan to track the performance of its 1.7 million students that includes a broader measurement of academic success.
The state Department of Education released a draft of the proposal Wednesday that conforms to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the law was passed in 2015 to replace the No Child Left Behind law, which critics said focused too much on standardized testing.
The Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to submit plans on how to measure student performance.
The new Pennsylvania plan provides students with a holistic education, moving schools away from focusing primarily on English, math and science, said Matthew Stem, a deputy secretary at the department.
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