Huh? PA House Declared April 30 ‘Day of Fasting’
Proving there’s still a little ‘Year of the Bible’ in all of us, last month the Pennsylvania House of Representatives declared the fast-approaching April 30 as “National Fast Day.” And at least one church-state watchdog isn’t too happy about it. The legislation, introduced as a “noncontroversial resolution” by Rep. Saccone (R-Allegheny)...
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Brian Sims Calls State Rep. Mike Fleck’s Coming-Out A ‘Huge Opportunity’ for PA’s LGBT Population
State Rep. Mike Fleck, a Republican in Central Pennyslvania, told the Huntingdon Daily News this weekend that he is gay. The news makes him not just Pennsylvania’s first openly gay lawmaker (with Philadelphia state Rep.-elect Brian Sims set to become the second), but also the only openly gay elected Republican state Legislator in the entire United States. This...
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Voter ID Mess Passes House with ‘What’s the Big Deal?’ Closing Argument
If there’s a lasting legacy of the debate surrounding Pennsylvania’s Voter ID Bill—which passed the House today, 104-88, and Gov. Tom Corbett has promised to sign as soon as possible—it’s this: In partisan legislation put forth for likely nefarious purposes in Pennsylvania, facts don’t matter. That is, unless the state’s constitution is set to be...
Continue ReadingPennsylvania May Pass Most Extreme Ultrasound Bill in Country
Throughout the country, lawmakers are on a mission to put a dent in women’s rights. They want to stop the Birth Control Epidemic, close abortion clinics, and penetratingly shame women into reconsidering potential abortions. As we reported on PhillyNow back in October 2011, Pennsylvania is following suit with State Rep. Kathy Rapp’s bill that’d put a...
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Can Pennsylvania Recall Gov. Tom Corbett?
"Dance, puppets, dance!" In light of Gov. Corbett’s budget address yesterday, in which he most prominently stripped more money away from higher education—30 percent cut for Temple University and a 28 percent reduction for Penn State, among others—a Facebook page titled, “Recall Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett,” began getting hit on and “talked...
Continue Reading‘Sharia Law’ Bill Declared Unconstitutional in OK—What does that mean for PA Legislation?
On Tuesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals declared an Oklahoma ban on Sharia Law—overwhelmingly made part of the state Constitution through a 2010 ballot measure—unconstitutional. In their 37-page decision, the Denver-based three-judge panel called the measure discriminatory and agreed it violated the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. This is...
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Sunday Beer Hours Extended
The Pennsylvania Legislature voted yesterday to extend Sunday beer hours, in spite of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s “You’re gonna get raped” ad campaign. The way it was, you were only allowed to shop from noon until 5 p.m. Now, assuming Gov. Corbett spills some ink, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The PLCB doesn’t sell beer, though it does license beer distributors....
Continue ReadingDAILY GRINDER: Pennsylvania Legislature’s Random Acts of Terror
The Pennsylvania Legislature has been keeping busy, coming up with brand new ways to make you feel lousy, generally speaking. Observe: The State House Republicans have finally – finally! – come up with a plan to restore almost $600 million to Pennsylvania state universities and public schools. The catch: They’re getting the money from the Department of...
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