Tag: Josh Shapiro

Gov. Josh Shapiro Says Pennsylvania Fracking Flip Flop ‘On the Vice President to Explain’ During Appearance as Harris Surrogate

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro

Governor Josh Shapiro on Sunday that Vice President Kamala Harris must be the one to explain why she no longer seeks a ban on fracking in Pennsylvania, but claimed he believes she is genuine in her policy reversal.

While Harris promised to ban fracking during her abortive presidential campaign in 2019, her campaign has insisted the Democrat will not attack fracking during her 2024 candidacy as she seeks to repeat President Joe Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania, and Shapiro told “Firing Line” host Margaret Hoover he is convinced by the vice president’s change of heart.

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Gov. Josh Shapiro Confirms Elon Musk Considering Investment in Pennsylvania After Billionaire Spoke at Trump Rally in Butler

Tom Pappert
Shapiro and Musk

Governor Josh Shapiro confirmed on Thursday that he spoke with Elon Musk about potential investments in Pennsylvania after the billionaire executive spoke at the rally held by former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Shapiro explained to NBC News that Musk was attending a Pittsburgh Steelers game with entrepreneur Thomas Tull, who called the governor to connect him with the world’s richest man.

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Experts Say Pennsylvania Is Once Again ‘Pivotal’ to Trump’s Chances of Retaking White House

Daily Caller News Foundation
Donald Trump Supporters

Former President Donald Trump’s path to electoral victory against Vice President Kamala Harris is increasingly narrow, but it may be determined by which candidate is able to win Pennsylvania, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Pennsylvania carries the most weight across all seven battleground states with 19 electoral votes and with 12 of the 15 past presidents securing their victories with help from the state. Trump and Harris are now neck and neck in Pennsylvania, and which candidate voters feel will best handle the economy could be the deciding factor for who wins the state, experts told the DCNF.

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Poll Shows Jewish Voters in Pennsylvania Breaking for Trump After October 7 Attacks, Campus Protests

Tom Pappert
Trump Supporters

Greater numbers of Jewish voters living in Pennsylvania are reportedly planning to vote Republican in November, with  former President Donald Trump seeing a double-digit increase in his support since 2020, according to a poll conducted by the Teach Coalition and Honan Strategy group and released by the New York Post on Wednesday.

Pollsters reported that Vice President Kamala Harris ahead with Jewish voters in Pennsylvania, with 49 percent of their vote. However, they found the former president was within single digits of the Democratic nominee, with Trump receiving the support of 42 percent of Pennsylvania’s Jewish voters.

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Reporter Tom Pappert: Pollsters ‘Unwilling’ to Release New Pennsylvania Polls to ‘Preserve’ Kamala Harris’ Honeymoon Phase

Kaitlin Housler
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

Tom Pappert, reporter at The Pennsylvania Daily Star, said he believes pollsters are “unwilling” to release the results of new polls taken in the battleground state of Pennsylvania since the end of the Democratic National Convention and the suspension of Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign in an effort to “preserve” Vice President Kamala Harris’ “honeymoon” phase in the 2024 presidential race.

Only one poll conducted by Emerson College Polling/The Hill has been released since the end of the DNC last week and Kennedy suspended his presidential campaign and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump in the race moving forward.

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Said Bucks County Will Determine House, Senate Control; It Now Has More Registered Republicans than Democrats

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro

During a Monday campaign event, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said the fate of the control of the U.S. Congress will fall to Bucks County, where Republicans have gained a lead among registered voters for the first time in over a decade.

Shapiro delivered the remarks at a Bucks County campaign event in support of Senator Bob Casey, who will face former Trump administration official Dave McCormick in November, according to by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Gov. Josh Shapiro Denies Antisemitism Played Role After Being Skipped by Harris Campaign in VP Search

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro

Governor Josh Shapiro on Thursday denied that antisemitism played a role in the decision by Vice President Kamala Harris to skip over him in favor of Governor Tim Walz in her bid to find a running mate for the 2024 presidential election.

Shapiro made the remarks to German-owned Politico from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, where he delivered a speech on Wednesday.

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Joe Biden to Campaign for Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania Despite Disapproval from Majority of Voters

Tom Pappert
Kamala Harris

President Joe Biden confirmed in an interview broadcast Sunday that he will campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania, even as nearly 60 percent of voters in the commonwealth disapprove of his performance in the White House.

The 81-year-old president confirmed on CBS Sunday Morning Americans will see him campaigning for Harris, beginning with a tour of Pennsylvania with Governor Josh Shapiro, who was controversially skipped over by the Harris campaign in favor of Governor Tim Walz.

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Dave McCormick Suggests Harris Campaign Sidelined Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro over ‘Strong Stand on Israel,’ ‘Jewish Background’

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick argued on Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris decided against selecting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to complete the Democratic presidential ticket due to the governor’s “strong stand on Israel” and “Jewish background.”

In a post to the social media platform X, the McCormick campaign revealed the candidate made the remarks during a Jewish community round table in Philadelphia after Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to complete her ticket.

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Fetterman Reportedly Warns Harris Campaign Against Picking Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro as VP over ‘Excessive’ Ambitions

Tom Pappert
Senator John Fetterman

U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) on Saturday reportedly warned the presidential campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris that Governor Josh Shapiro holds “excessive” political ambitions.

Fetterman contacted the Harris campaign to provide information about Shapiro as the vice president interviewed the short list of contestants to become complete the Democratic presidential ticket ahead, which reportedly includes the first-term governor, according to German-owned Politico, which reported, “the senator believes that Shapiro is excessively focused on his own personal ambitions.”

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Nearly 50 Progressive Democrats Label Gov. Josh Shapiro an ‘Unnecessary Obstacle’ for Kamala Harris Presidential Campaign

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro

Nearly 50 progressive Democrats signed a letter urging Vice President Kamala Harris not to select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro to complete her presidential ticket, claiming he will be an “unnecessary obstacle” in her effort to hold the White House against former President Donald Trump in November.

Led by the chair and former chair of the California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, the letter includes a total of 47 names from progressive groups affiliated with the Democrats across the country.

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Faith and Freedom Coalition Executive Director Tim Head Details Pros and Cons of Democratic Presumptive Nominee Kamala Harris’ Reported Top VP Picks

Kaitlin Housler
Josh Shapiro and Mark Kelly

Tim Head, the national executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, detailed the potential advantages and disadvantages that the two frontrunner candidates reportedly being eyed by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate in the 2024 presidential election would bring to the table in regards to voter turnout.

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Kamala Harris Reportedly to Announce VP in Philadelphia Speech amid Speculation over Gov. Josh Shapiro

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro and Kamala Harris

Campaign spokesmen for Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly confirmed to media outlets Wednesday that the candidate intends to share a Philadelphia stage with her vice presidential nominee on Tuesday.

The Harris campaign’s reported plan for Harris to announce her vice presidential nominee on Tuesday comes as Governor Josh Shapiro, who is serving his first term as Pennsylvania’s governor, is reportedly among the top names considered by Harris to complete her ticket ahead of the Democratic Party’s convention in August.

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Pennsylvania 2024 Election Results Could be Delayed by Mail-in Ballots After Democrats Refused to Allow Voter ID

Tom Pappert
Mail In Ballot

Experts claimed in an article published Saturday by The Washington Post that the results of the 2024 elections in Pennsylvania could be delayed because state lawmakers did not pass bills that would allow election workers to begin processing mail-in ballots prior to Election Day.

Because Pennsylvania does not allow its election workers to pre-canvass mail-in votes, which is the process of counting and validating the authenticity of the ballots, experts claim workers could need significant time after Election Day to determine which presidential candidate will carry the Keystone state’s Electoral College votes.

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Commentary: Don’t Be Surprised If It’s Buttigieg

Admin

It started on Thursday. Ever so softly the chorus seemed to build:

The odds on Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg being the Democratic Party‘s 2024 vice presidential candidate have improved with one leading bookmaker over the past 24 hours, following media reports that the campaign team of Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, is considering him for the role.

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Pennsylvania Teachers Union Illegally Sent Nearly $1.5 Million to Possible Democrat VP Josh Shapiro, Complaints Claim

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro

Three complaints filed on Wednesday by the Freedom Foundation allege almost $1.5 million in Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) money, raised from teachers’ union dues, was given to the 2022 political campaign of Governor Josh Shapiro.

The Freedom Foundation revealed on Thursday it filed complaints which allege PSEA made two contributions, totaling about $1.475 million, that were then transferred through an outside organization before reaching the Shapiro for Pennsylvania campaign committee.

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Kamala Harris Reportedly Considers Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona U.S. Senator Mark Kelly for Vice President

Tom Pappert
Josh Shapiro and Mark Kelly

Vice President Kamala Harris is reportedly considering either Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro or U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) of Arizona to serve as the Democratic Party’s nominee for vice president, a Monday report revealed.

After Harris claimed to obtain the support of the required the number of delegates to be declared the party’s nominee, ABC News reported on Tuesday that Kelly and Shapiro are already the “leading VP candidates” under consideration.

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Republicans Fight Federal Funding for College Voter Mobilization That Biden Gave Democrat States

Just the News
Voter Registration

Republicans are pushing back against federal funds being used to promote get-out-the-vote (GOTV) activities among college students as Democrat-led states are taking advantage of the new Federal Work-Study (FWS) program focused on voter registration efforts.

Secretaries of state from Democratic-run states pushed the Biden administration for federal funds to be used in college GOTV activities, and Republicans are now fighting back against the funding in Congress and across GOP-led states.

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New Plan Offers College Aid in Exchange for Pennsylvania Residency

The Center Square
Scott Martin

As the public awaits more details of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s higher education reform plans, Republican legislators offer some ideas of their own.

During a Wednesday press conference, a gaggle of House and Senate leaders pushed for the creation of a grant program that offers scholarships to students who commit to stay in Pennsylvania. They also want to launch a similar deal for out-of-state students to get in-state tuition if they put down roots in the commonwealth.

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National Park Service Backtracks on Removing Beloved Pennsylvania Statue After Widespread Ridicule

Admin
William Penn

The National Park Service reversed its decision to remove a famous statue from Welcome Park in Philadelphia, according to a Monday statement from the agency.

A statue of William Penn, who founded the then-colony of Pennsylvania in 1681 and played a significant role in American politics, will not be removed from Welcome Park after deliberation from the National Park Service, accordingto The Associated Press. The agency first planned to remove the statue as part of “rehabilitation” efforts for the park, but backpedaled on that commitment after public backlash.

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Pennsylvania Appeals Carbon ‘Tax’ Decision

The Center Square

The Shapiro administration will appeal a Pennsylvania court’s decision to strike down a proposed carbon “tax” as unconstitutional in a bid to “protect” the authority of future governors.

The news comes just one day after Gov. Josh Shapiro teased the appeal during a press club luncheon in Harrisburg. He said it was important to “listen” to all sides involved, most of whom agree that “cap and trade” is a good idea to reduce harmful emissions.

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Pennsylvania Launches ‘Automatic Voter Registration’ Plan Ahead of 2024

Admin

Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Tuesday that he will implement “automatic voter registration” ahead of the 2024 election.

The governor rolled out his plan on National Voter Registration Day to “streamline” the voter registration process, which he argues will “save taxpayers time and money,” according to an announcement video. Shapiro’s plan will automatically enroll Pennsylvanians in the voting system, unless the individual opts out, when receiving an identification card or driver’s license at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

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Pennsylvania College Credits No More for State Trooper Cadets

The Center Square

Broadening opportunities for aspiring law enforcement officers, Gov. Josh Shapiro this week removed the 60-credit minimum requirement for state trooper applicants.

“This is the finest law enforcement agency in the nation,” he said during a news conference. “We need to show those who want to serve that this door of opportunity is open – and we want you on our team.”

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Pennsylvania Moves to Shift Primary Date Up

Admin

A Pennsylvania state Senate committee unanimously voted Wednesday to move its presidential primary election up in 2024.

The State Government Committee approved the bill, proposed by Vice Chair Republican Sen. David Argall, which would change Pennsylvania’s presidential primary from late April to March 19, according to the state legislature’s website. The proposed new primary date for the third Tuesday in March comes just two weeks after Super Tuesday, when over a dozen states hold their nominating contests.

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Pennsylvania Budget Deal Unlikely Before September

The Center Square
Gov. Josh Shapiro

Both chambers of the General Assembly officially left Harrisburg for the summer — an ominous sign that the bipartisan wound won’t heal anytime soon.

The development comes nearly two weeks after the Senate recessed until mid-September, furious over Gov. Josh Shapiro’s default on a $45.5 billion budget deal — complete with a new $100 million school choice program he helped draft — amid resistance from Democratic leadership in the House.

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Pennsylvania Governor Drops School Voucher Push over Opposition from Teachers Unions

Just the News

Pennsylvania Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro says he plans on dropping his push for private school vouchers from the state budget amid opposition from teachers unions and members of his own party.

The budget passed the state House and Senate on Wednesday after discussions had been deadlocked on the $100 million voucher program, local outlet Spotlight PA reported. 

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Republicans Lament Failure to Include Lifeline Scholarships in Pennsylvania Budget So Far

Bradley Vasoli

Just four days remain until June 30, Pennsylvania’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget deadline and much still divides Republicans who control the state Senate from Governor Josh Shapiro and his fellow Democrats who control the House of Representatives. 

The school-choice debate is among the most concerning facets of budget negotiations so far for the GOP. Shapiro indicated last year that he wanted the commonwealth to create “lifeline scholarships,” i.e. a private-school choice program for economically disadvantaged students in poorly performing schools. Republicans hoped they could coalesce with him around the policy’s enactment.

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Senate Panel Recommends Schmidt as Pennsylvania Secretary of State, Votes for Anti-ERIC Bill

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s Senate State Government Committee on Monday recommended confirming secretary of the commonwealth nominee Al Schmidt.

The panel voted 10-1 to back the Republican acting secretary and former Philadelphia city commissioner. In a subsequent, off-the-floor meeting, the committee approved a bill to facilitate removal of Pennsylvania from the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a controversial multi-state data-sharing program supporters say helps states maintain accurate voter rolls. The bill would permit the state to use the Social Security death database and change-of-address records to identify voter-registry errors.

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Pennsylvania House Democrats Pass Minimum Wage Hike, Republicans Fear Job Loss

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives this week passed legislation raising the state minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026 and permanently indexing it to inflation going forward. 

Currently, the Keystone State mandates $7.25 in minimum hourly pay for most workers. If the bill passes the state Senate it will receive the supportive Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s signature and become law. The measure, sponsored by Representative Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia) will move the low-end wage to $11 per hour next January and $13 per hour the following January before bringing it to $15 the year after that. 

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Republican Lawmaker Want Pennsylvania Corporate Tax Reduced Further

Bradley Vasoli

State representative Dallas Kephart (R-PA-Clearfield) wants to reduce Pennsylvania’s corporate net income tax (CNIT) to four percent by 2025. 

Last year, lawmakers budgeted a gradual decrease in the CNIT from 9.99 percent to 4.99 percent over the coming decade. Before the change, the Keystone State charged corporations the highest state business tax in the U.S., behind New Jersey’s 11.5 percent rate. Now at 8.99 percent, Pennsylvania’s levy is 8.99 percent — the fifth highest. Assuming other states’ rates stay constant, Pennsylvania’s CNIT will end up roughly in the middle in terms of corporate taxes in 2031. 

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Two Pennsylvania State Senators Take Up Rail Safety Bill

Bradley Vasoli

Two Pennsylvania state senators announced this week they are introducing a companion bill to a house-passed measure designed to improve rail safety.

Senate action on the bill sponsored by State Senators Katie Muth (D-Royersford) and Lindsey Williams (D-Pittsburgh) would advance the legislation toward Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D) desk. The house version passed that chamber 141-62 earlier this month with the support of all Democratic representatives and a sizable minority of Republicans. 

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Pennsylvania GOP Senate to Tackle Budget That Overspends Shapiro Proposal by $1.1 Billion

Bradley Vasoli

At first, Keystone State Republicans viewed Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s Fiscal Year 2023-24 budget proposal with mere skepticism. This week, state House Democrats larded it with an extra $1.1 billion and passed it, making a fray between their chamber and the Republican-run Senate even more probable. 

The nearly $47 billion spending plan, approved by representatives along party lines, hikes spending by $5.7 billion over the current fiscal year, a more than a 13-percent increase. Members of the Republican minority excoriated their Democratic colleagues for rushing the plan to passage within six hours of its completion, a move they said reflected poor transparency. Representative Doyle Heffley (R-Weissport) spoke for many in his party when he called the House-passed plan a “poison pill” for Pennsylvania’s economy. 

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Committee Passes Pennsylvania Measure to Facilitate Ex-Prisoner Voting

Bradley Vasoli

Incarcerated Pennsylvanias regain their right to vote after release, but Democratic state representatives worry they don’t vote enough, so they advanced legislation on Monday addressing the issue.

Voting 12-9 along party lines, Pennsylvania’s House State Government Committee approved Representative Carol Kazeem’s (D-Chester) resolution to study ex-prisoner election participation. After the Joint State Government Commission completes its research, officials would use the the information gathered to develop policies to aid former inmates’ resumption of voting. 

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Pennsylvania GOP Officials Want Shapiro to Shore Up Rainy Day Fund

Bradley Vasoli

High-ranking Republican Pennsylvania officials sounded off on Wednesday in the state Capitol Building against Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget legislation which would deplete state reserve funds in five years.

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) and House Appropriations Minority Chair Seth Grove (R-York) observed that the scenario is rather sunny insofar as the Democratic governor’s projections don’t account for a potential recession. Shapiro’s calculations also assume government spending won’t surpass 2.36 percent in the next five years, a supposition so rosy it provoked Grove to snicker slightly. 

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McCormick Prospects Advance as Mastriano Declines Pennsylvania Senate Run

Bradley Vasoli

Pennsylvania state Senator Doug Mastriano’s Thursday announcement he won’t seek the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Bob Casey next year vastly boosts potential GOP hopeful Dave McCormick’s prospects. 

“I know this will be disappointing for some,” Mastriano said of his decision in a Facebook Live broadcast. “At this moment, the way things are, I am not running for the U.S. Senate seat that is going to be vacated by Casey. We need to beat him.”

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Voter Data-Sharing System Issues Dominate Schmidt’s Pennsylvania Senate Confirmation Hearing

Bradley Vasoli

At Acting Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt’s initial confirmation hearing on Wednesday, many senators inquired about the commonwealth’s participation in a controversial voter data-sharing program. 

Schmidt, a moderate Republican former Philadelphia city commissioner who subsequently was president of the left-leaning nonprofit Committee of Seventy, will sit for a second hearing covering non-electoral issues his department oversees (e.g., professional licensure). But Senate State Government Committee Chair Cris Dush (R-Bellefonte) suggested discussion of Pennsylvania’s participation in the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC) will come up then as well. 

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Pennsylvania Supreme Court Hears Tax-Versus-Fee Arguments About Whether RGGI Can Stand

Bradley Vasoli

Arguing before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Wednesday, one state agency alleged another improperly refused to publish an executive action implementing a de facto carbon tax, effectively halting the polcy. 

At issue is a decision made by the Pennsylvania Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) not to publicize a regulation decreed by then-Governor Tom Wolf (D) entering the state into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The LRB, which drafts all state legislation upon lawmakers’ requests and provides other policy reference services, declined to promulgate the rule enrolling the commonwealth in the multistate compact, citing a state House of Representatives resolution opposing it.

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