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Blue Pennsylvania: When Good Bills Go Bad

Alongside the flowers and sentiments left on the 1800 of Spruce Street for Dr. Barbara Friedes - the CHOP resident murdered by a drunk driver earlier this month - were posters and admonitions stenciled on the street, laying blame for the accident on Cherelle Parker, mayor of Philadelphia, for cutting $6 million in funds from Vision Zero, a program that funded traffic calming practices, and protected bike lanes.  Parker has responded to such criticism by claiming that the money was not decreased, just transferred to the Streets Department to administer.  While this dispute continues, another piece of the traffic safety puzzle has not been addressed: Can the city implement parking separated bike lanes (i.e., bike lanes protected by cars parked several feet from the curb) without intervention from the state.  That’s because the PA House passed such a bill two years ago by a unanimous vote.  Seeing an opportunity, however, to score political points with their constituents, State Senate Republicans added amendments that would (a) tell local governments how to police traffic in their localities, and (b) appoint a special state prosecutor to handle SEPTA crimes.  While it passed the senate along party lines, Governor Wolf vetoed the bill.

 

Something similar is also happening with an amendment to Pennsylvania’s Constitution that would expand opportunities for victims of child sexual crimes to sue their abusers.  It is possible the amendment, once passed by both houses, could go to the voters as a ballot question either in November, or in the spring of 2025.  While both the Democratic-controlled State House and the Republican-controlled State Senate believe that such an amendment would be worthwhile, the Senate wants to complicate the process by adding language that would require voters to show proof of identity when they go to vote.  Such an addition would be a poison pill to the legislation, making it virtually unpassable.  If the bill is not passed out of the General Assembly by the end of November, the process will need to begin once again, and the earliest it would go to voters would be in 2027. 

 

Why anyone with an ounce of decency would refuse to authorize laws that would protect the lives of Pennsylvania’s citizens, or that would enhance the lives of victims of violent crimes is astonishing.  And yet, this is what we have come to expect from the Republicans in our state legislature.  We can do something about that.  Here is how:

 

Phone Banking 

 

Northampton County is also the home of Joe Emrick, MAGA Republican state rep for HD 137.  Emrick signed a letter supporting the Texas lawsuit against Pennsylvania’s 2020 election and another asking Pennsylvania’s Congressional delegation to reject the commonwealth’s electoral college vote.  His Conservation Voters lifetime score is 8%, while his Planned Parenthood score is 0%, and his NRA score is 92%.  His opponent, Democrat Anna Thomas, wants to protect abortion, promote smart growth, increase educational funding for K-12 schools, and enforce the safety net for Pennsylvania’s families.

 

Interested in helping out Susan and Anna from the comfort of your own home.  You can sign up for this virtual phone bank here.

 

Postcards

We are hoping to have postcards ready within the next week, targeting MAGA Republican Devlin Robinson, state senator from Allegheny County.  His opponent is Nicole Ruscitto, a teacher from the district who is interested in properly funding public education in Pennsylvania, raising the minimum wage, and protecting women’s health. 

 

Robinson, on the other hand, has signed letters in support of the Texas lawsuit against Pennsylvania’s 2020 election, and delaying certification of the electoral votes from the election.  He also has an NRA score of 92%

 

If you are interested in helping to elect Nicole by writing postcards, please reply to this email.

 

Thanks,

Coleman

 

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