College athletes will be able to use their school names and logos to earn cash under a new law, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The Democratic governor signed Public Act 22-11 into law this week that, beginning July 1, will give student-athletes the right to use their university or college’s name, trademarks, mascots, colors, copyrights, and other insignia to earn profits with the name, likeness, and images, known as NIL, for endorsement contracts.
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The national pro-life Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) and its affiliate Women Speak Out PAC announced Friday the launch of a digital ad campaign to support Kathy Barnette in the Pennsylvania Republican U.S. Senate primary race.
The campaign is part of an overall $2.3 million the pro-life groups will spend to defeat presumed Democrat nominee John Fetterman, who recently referred to abortion as a “sacred” right.
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Pennsylvania Sixth Congressional District Republican candidate Guy Ciarrocchi spoke with The Pennsylvania Daily Star and discussed his role was one of the ringleaders of the #VoteYes campaign, the successful effort resulting in the passage of a constitutional amendment in the Keystone State that limits the powers of emergency declarations.
The candidate explained the process that led to the passing of ballot measures that ended the Pennsylvania governor’s ability to issue emergency declarations lasting more than 21 days.
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Connecticut’s former Public Health Commissioner Renee Coleman-Mitchell filed a lawsuit this week against the state and the Department of Public Health, for Gov. Ned Lamont’s (D) decision to fire her in 2020.
Her lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Connecticut, alleges that Gov. Ned Lamont (D) dismissed her “simply on the basis that he did not prefer to have an older, African American female in the public eye as the individual leading the State in the fight against COVID-19.” The complaint argues that she is entitled to compensatory damages for violations of the anti-retaliation and anti-discrimination components of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as well as the state’s Fair Employment Practices Act.
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Lou Barletta picked up two high-profile endorsements in his campaign for Pennsylvania governor on Thursday: newly withdrawn gubernatorial candidate Jake Corman and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA).
Corman, who serves as state Senate President Pro Tempore and represents a district that includes State College, polled consistently in the single digits throughout the Republican gubernatorial primary. Despite his ending his bid, his name will remain on the ballot as the deadline has passed for removing it.
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Faith advocacy group CatholicVote is urging Pennsylvania Catholics to vote for Kathy Barnette in the Republican U.S. Senate primary race, specifically citing Barnette’s strong pro-life views as “crucial” to the state’s reported three million Catholics, of which 537,000 are of voting age, the group states.
The largest grassroots Catholic organization in the country, Madison, Wisconsin-based CatholicVote announced Tuesday its endorsement of Barnette, a pro-life advocate who has shared her own personal story about having been conceived in rape.
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Guy Ciarrocchi, a Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District race, blasted incumbent Democrat U.S. Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), saying “She let us down.”
Ciarrocchi explained how Houlahan’s actions in the U.S. House have disappointed the PA-6 community and how she’s been a rubber stamp for the Biden agenda, which is in direct contradiction to what she promised the voters in the previous election.
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The national pro-life organization the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) and faith-based group CatholicVote have endorsed Kathy Barnette for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania.
“We are excited to endorse Kathy Barnette for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA List, in a statement. “Kathy is a courageous advocate for life who exposes the human cost of abortion. Her deeply compelling personal story ought to stir consciences across our nation, as she is proof that every child has dignity and deserves a chance and every mother deserves our support to choose life.”
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The Club for Growth on Wednesday endorsed Kathy Barnette, who is running in the GOP primary to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate.
The organization, which weighed in on the race with only one week to go, subsequently launched a multi-million dollar ad campaign to boost the candidate.
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Pennsylvania Sixth Congressional District Republican candidate Guy Ciarrocchi spoke with The Pennsylvania Daily Star and explained why he is running against incumbent Democrat Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06) even though the board of directors of his previous employer, the Chester County Chamber, endorsed her for re-election in 2020.
Ciarrocchi served as Chester County Chamber CEO from January 2014 until September 18, 2021. In that role, he ran the day-to-day operations but did not have a vote in the endorsement process.
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Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, this week removed its entry for Kathy Barnette, a U.S. Senate candidate from Pennsylvania, on the basis that she hasn’t established sufficient “notability.”
A FOX News contributor, Barnette has over 140,500 Twitter followers as of Wednesday evening — a number that grew by about 2,000 throughout the day. She has over 40,000 Facebook followers and over 1,410 YouTube subscribers, numbers that are also both growing rapidly. She has been surging in the polls, coming within two percentage points of celebrity doctor and frontrunner Mehmet Oz in this week’s Trafalgar Group and Fox 29 surveys.
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A new law setting limitations on isolated confinement for incarcerated individuals will take effect in Connecticut on July 1, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor signed Public Act 22-18 into law on Tuesday. The new law sets criteria for the amount of time and the circumstances under which inmates at state prisons and jails can spend in isolation. The law also sets new requirements for when isolation can be used.
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Gov. Ned Lamont (D-CT) held a ceremony at the state Capitol Tuesday to celebrate his recent approval of a bill strengthening legal protections for abortionists as well as those seeking to end their pregnancies in Connecticut.
The legislation also expands the list of practitioners who the state enables to perform abortions.
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When Jason Killmeyer announced in late winter that he would run for Pennsylvania’s 17th congressional seat, which is currently held by Democrat Conor Lamb, he said he knew he couldn’t run a “paint-by-numbers” campaign.
That is, as a political newcomer, he couldn’t count on getting politicians’ and party organizations’ support across Beaver and Allegheny counties to build a reputation as an early favorite. Though he knows he will be outspent in the Republican primary race that will conclude on May 17, the counterterrorism analyst and nonprofit executive is dauntlessly pursuing an intensive ground campaign involving lots of door knocking and other grassroots activity.
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The Pittsburgh metro area’s economy has yet to recover from the pandemic, its effects still hurting job numbers.
The Pittsburgh area, which includes Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, and Westmoreland counties, is still missing 53,800 jobs that it had in March 2019, a 5.1% decline, according to an analysis from the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy.
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A new poll shows the GOP primary race for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania continues to be tight, but with Kathy Barnette now inching ahead of David McCormick to reach second place behind Mehmet Oz.
Barnette, an army veteran and political commentator, is polling at 23.2 percent. Oz, the celebrity surgeon, received 24.5 percent and former hedge-fund executive McCormick got 21.6 percent.
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Gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano and U.S. Senate contender Mehmet Oz are leading their respective GOP primary fields, according to a new poll.
The survey, conducted by the Trafalgar Group, spoke to 1,080 likely GOP voters in order to gauge each candidate’s support ahead of the May 17 primary election.
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Pennsylvania Rep. Seth Grove (R-York) castigated the state’s Democratic acting secretary of the commonwealth on Saturday for suggesting that stationing Lehigh County detectives at ballot drop boxes will amount to “voter intimidation.”
Acting Secretary of State Leigh Chapman last week said that tactics to intimidate voters have “a long history in this country” and that “the mere presence of police at a ballot drop box can deter voters from casting their ballot.” She also mentioned that she has been in conversation with her staff about attempting to dissuade Lehigh County from assigning law-enforcement professionals to watch drop boxes into which absentee voters may place their ballots.
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Themis Klarides received the endorsement of the Connecticut Republican Party last week for nomination to unseat Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal but fellow Republicans Leora Levy and Peter Lumaj got sufficient backing at the nominating convention to pursue primary campaigns.
Both Levy, a businesswoman, and Lumaj, a former secretary of state hopeful and former gubernatorial candidate, are running to the right of Klarides, a former minority leader of the state House of Representatives who has voted for gun-control legislation and favors abortion rights. Levy and Lumaj oppose both. Insofar as this year’s election will be decided amidst the expected overturning of the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion, Klarides could find her position on abortion a liability in the primary, though possibly an asset in a blue-state general election.
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With a year before the federal government enforces its REAL ID requirements, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is encouraging state residents to update their driver’s licenses and photo ID.
When federal enforcement starts on May 3, 2023, only REAL ID-compliant documents will be accepted at airports, federal buildings, and for other federal purposes. If someone doesn’t update their driver’s license, they would need to use a passport, for example, to take a domestic flight.
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Speaking at a rally in Greensburg, Pa., former President Donald Trump touted his endorsement of Republican Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.
“I just think he’s gonna win. He’s a great gentleman. I’ve known him so long,” Trump said of Oz.
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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) became the first governor Thursday to tout a bill affirming and expanding abortion rights following a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade and return decisions about abortion to the states.
But, leaders of the pro-life community in Connecticut say that, while “abortion will be legal for now” in the state, “the good news is that the debate over HB 5414, the Abortion Expansion Bill, has exposed cracks in the abortion industry’s political support in Connecticut.”
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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) on Thursday became the first state leader to sign legislation affirming abortion rights after a news leak revealed that the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision is likely to soon be overturned.
The bill provides legal protections to those performing or seeking abortions — including those coming in from other states to do so — and expands the list of practitioners who are permitted to perform abortion procedures.
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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) indicated Thursday he plans to sign the $24 billion Fiscal Year 2022-23 state budget passed by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly.
Democratic representatives and senators likewise hailed the fiscal plan, noting the nearly $600 million in tax reduction it contains.
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Some security and foreign-policy experts are raising questions about a 2018 photograph showing Pennsylvania Senate candidate Mehmet Oz voting in that year’s Turkish presidential election.
Oz holds dual citizenship in in the United States and Turkey; his parents moved from the latter to the former in the 1960s. The celebrity doctor, who is running for Pennsylvania Senate with the support of former President Donald Trump, has promised that he will renounce his Turkish citizenship if he wins retiring Republican Sen. Pat Toomey’s seat in November.
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Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance will speak at a rally hosted by former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, according to a release from Trump’s Save America PAC.
The rally, which will take place on Friday, is located in Western Pennsylvania and will include multiple candidates that Trump endorsed, like Dr. Mehmet Oz and Rep. Alex Mooney.
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A pair of tax law changes that would help residents account for the costs of raising children are under consideration by the Connecticut General Assembly.
Proposals include permanently increasing the Earned Income Tax Credit to 41.5% of the federal EITC and implementing a child tax credit that would allow households $600 per child for up to three children. This would help Connecticut families, as CT Voices for Children reported, where the average cost per year for raising a child in the state is $16,990.
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Since 2015, when Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf issued a moratorium on new oil and gas leases on state forest and state park lands, the administration argued it was “striking the right balance” between economic and environmental concerns.
However, Wolf’s executive order didn’t stop all new leases on publicly owned acreage.
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Bill McSwain, a Republican candidate for Pennsylvania governor, likes to emphasize his public-service experience — and his distinction as a relative political newcomer.
The 53-year old former federal prosecutor and Chester County native hasn’t held elected office, unlike other high-polling hopefuls state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg), former Congressman Lou Barletta (R-PA-11) and former County Commissioner Dave White (R-Delaware). That’s often among the first details McSwain and his supporters mention about him.
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Action in the General Assembly was not enough to stop the publication of regulations to enter Pennsylvania into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, but legal action could stop it in the future.
If legal action doesn’t halt Pennsylvania’s entry into RGGI, the outcome of the gubernatorial election could determine whether the Commonwealth stays in the multi-state compact or leaves it by executive order.
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Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont reaffirmed his commitment to signing pro-abortion legislation, once it arrives on his desk.
The measure, House Bill 5414, would help protect “medical providers and patients seeking abortion care in Connecticut who may be traveling from other states that have outlawed abortion.”
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Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), amidst his push for a larger state budget, is welcoming reports of high revenue intake, but Republicans are urging caution in response to the new economic downturn.
Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue indicate the commonwealth’s General Fund took in $6.5 billion in April, an amount exceeding the department’s prediction by 38.7 percent. It is the largest sum of taxpayer dollars that the state has collected in one month. In Fiscal Year 2021-22 so far, the General Fund has received $40.7 billion, or 12.4 percent more than forecasted.
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By a vote of 95-53 on Tuesday, Connecticut’s State House of Representatives approved a 43-percent salary increase for state lawmakers and statewide elected officials.
It is the first such pay raise enacted since 2000. Representatives conducted no public hearings on it, having only fleetingly discussed potential adjustments to politicians’ compensation during committee meetings.
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A federally funded program designed to assist Connecticut homeowners negatively impacted by COVID-19 is now available, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced MyHomeCT, a new state program, is funded with $123 million in American Rescue Plan Act dollars that were received by the state’s Department of Housing. The program is being administered by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority.
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SOMERS, Connecticut – Hillsdale College’s campus in Somers, Connecticut hosted its first major event over the weekend with a seminar titled “Religious Liberty and the American Founding.”
Dr. Matthew Spalding, Hillsdale’s vice president for Washington operations and dean of the college’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government, spoke Friday evening on the topic of civil and religious liberty.
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A newly proposed Pennsylvania law would require drunk drivers who cause deadly accidents to pay support to the children of those they killed.
State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Pittsburgh) is currently seeking cosponsors in the House of Representatives for the legislation.
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Officials in Connecticut have even more funds to use than originally expected, according to a new Consensus Revenue Forecast from the Office of Policy and Management.
The report projects more than $22 billion in General Fund revenue, a stark increase from estimated funds with the budget passed last year.
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Housing costs in Pennsylvania are rising, but the General Assembly has not prioritized the expansion of housing supply as an area of concern. As rents and housing prices rise across the Commonwealth, inaction now could cause pain in the near future.
Housing prices statewide rose by 14% from 2020 to 2021, as The Center Square previously reported, and in central Pennsylvania, apartment rents have increased 40% since 2017. Rents in Philadelphia increased almost 10% in 2021. The Lehigh Valley has had similar pressures, with one-third of households spending at least 30% of their income on rent or mortgages.
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Pennsylvania Republican lawmakers voiced optimism last week that the commonwealth’s onerous Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) might finally soon get reduced, given a recent overwhelming state House vote to do so.
At 9.99 percent, the Keystone State’s CNIT is the second highest in the U.S. A bill by Rep. Joshua Kail (R-Monaca) would reduce the rate to 8.99 percent. His legislation passed the House of Representatives 195-8.
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On Friday, Connecticut’s House of Representatives passed a bill prohibiting companies’ management from requiring workers to listen to discussions regarding labor organization, politics or religion.
The AFL-CIO, to which more than 200,000 Connecticut workers belong, lauded the move in favor of the policy — known as a “captive audience” restriction — which no other state except Oregon has enacted. Union leaders have denounced the kind of meetings banned by the legislation, complaining that such events are unfairly used to inveigh against union-organization efforts.
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A bill with some momentum in the General Assembly would expand school choice with public funding, but may struggle to become law despite public opinion that supports it.
The Pennsylvania House passed an education bill to give students in low-performing schools a scholarship to move districts. The bill, HB2169, was introduced by Rep. Clint Owlett, R-Wellsboro, to establish a Lifeline Scholarship for students to leave an underperforming local school and enroll elsewhere. It narrowly passed 104-98.
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Pennsylvania State Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-Philadelphia) this week announced to colleagues his proposal for public funding of some state-legislative campaigns.
The measure would require a candidate to have raised at least $10,000 from “small-dollar donors,” meaning those who have contributed between $1 and $200. State Rep. Boyle would allocate payments to hopefuls amounting to six times the total small-dollar contributions they’ve amassed.
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An agreement ratified by the General Assembly will keep a military company in Connecticut for years to come, Gov. Ned Lamont said.
The governor announced an agreement has been finalized with Lockheed Martin to keep its helicopter manufacturer in the state through 2042. Sikorsky will sustain more than 7,000 jobs in the state under the new deal which could expand helicopter lines being produced at its Straftord facility.
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Spot assessments can be used across Pennsylvania to reassess a property’s value, resulting in higher tax bills for homeowners. According to a new report, Allegheny County’s school districts have driven an increase in spot appeals, increasing assessed values by almost $462 million.
The result is that homeowners must pay more in taxes, incentivizing school districts to request a spot assessment.
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A plan to phase the Connecticut’s electric grid to zero-carbon status by 2024 is the focus of a bill that now awaits Gov. Ned Lamont’s signature.
The governor announced Senate Bill 10 focuses on a reduction on carbon emissions, which was established through an executive order in 2019, that allows state policymakers and companies in the electric sector to fully transition the grid away from natural gas and oil.
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Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Gettysburg) announced on Thursday he intends to draft legislation creating an Office of Election Crimes and Security.
The new division within the Pennsylvania Department of State would be charged with probing all alleged violations of voting laws. The proposed bill also targets “ballot harvesting,” the illegal practice of hand-delivering absentee ballots — usually by depositing them in election drop boxes — on behalf of voters other than oneself. Currently, state law treats ballot harvesting as a misdemeanor; Mastriano’s measure would make it a third-degree felony.
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Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) and leaders of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly are touting a $24-billion budget deal for the next fiscal year that contains almost $600 million in tax reduction.
Most of the tax relief, however, will only remain in effect through the end of the year.
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Gabriel Hernandez-Mendez, an ex-son-in-law of former Pennsylvania congressman and current Republican gubernatorial candidate Lou Barletta, received a 1-2 year sentence on Tuesday for a hit-and-run.
The incident, which occurred in June, left 15-year-old bicyclist Hector Padilla dead. Padilla’s father Pedro has said that he recognizes that what happened was an accident but that he also believes a much more severe sentence was warranted insofar as the 45-year-old Hernandez-Mendez drove away from the scene and kept quiet about it for 45 days.
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Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives voted 151-49 Wednesday for legislation allowing state prosecutors to handle some of Philadelphia’s gun-related cases.
The bill would renew the state attorney general’s “concurrent jurisdiction” with the Philadelphia district attorney, letting the commonwealth shoulder part of the effort to prosecute firearm-related offenses in a city where many feel the job isn’t getting done.
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Providing financial relief to state residents is the focus of a tax relief plan introduced in the state Senate, Republican officials said.
The Connecticut Senate and House Republicans announced a $1.2 billion tax relief plan that would cut income taxes, reduce sales taxes, and extend the gas tax holiday.
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