Rendell's plan for fee increases faces uphill fight
From The Towanda Daily Review
Gov. Ed Rendell's recently proposed schedule of fee increases for driver's license and vehicle registrations did not cause the Republican-dominated Senate to go screaming into the night.
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Rendell wants $1B for transportation
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HARRISBURG -- In the next few weeks, Gov. Ed Rendell wants state legislators to enact a new $1 billion-a-year plan to fix roads, bridges and transit, but a lot of lawmakers are hesitant to increase costs for their constituents so close to the Nov. 2 election.
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Pittsburgh weighs water privatization
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
As officials discuss whether leasing Pittsburgh's parking assets to a private company is the right option to save the city's pension system, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is considering whether to pursue a similar deal for the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority.
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Rendell's plans to spend big criticized
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HARRISBURG -- Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell today in Pittsburgh will sign legislation to raise the state's debt ceiling and give himself $298 million to spend on projects during his final six months in office.
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State budget passed -- and on time
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HARRISBURG -- State lawmakers Wednesday adopted a $28.05 billion budget and for the first time in eight years met the deadline for passing a complete general-fund spending plan.
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State budget sent to Rendell
From The Allentown Morning Call
HARRISBURG -- Hours before a midnight deadline, Pennsylvania lawmakers delivered their first on-time budget in eight years on Wednesday night, as they voted to send a $28.05 billion spending plan for the fiscal year that begins Thursday to Gov. Ed Rendell for his signature.
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Going private: Getting the state out of liquor may be a necessity
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
When the gubernatorial candidates talk about addressing the state's big financial challenges -- the transportation funding crisis, the skyrocketing cost of public employee pensions, the coming loss of $1.9 billion in federal stimulus -- they typically say "everything's on the table."
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Pa. pops the cork on wine kiosks
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
MECHANICSBURG, Pa. -- Grocery shoppers in the Pittsburgh area may soon be greeted with signs like the one hanging in a Harrisburg-area Wegmans grocery store that reads "Buy wine while you're here."
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Dems pull House vote on natural gas tax
From The Associated Press
HARRISBURG - Democrats abruptly yanked a bill to tax natural gas extraction and tobacco products from the Pennsylvania House floor Tuesday after a spirited debate that exposed internal divisions over what would constitute an integral piece of the state budget puzzle.
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Pa. liquor privatization plan would raise billions
From The Erie Times-News
The latest proposal to privatize the sale of wine and liquor in Pennsylvania is built on two main financial aims: to raise billions of dollars upfront and to keep tax revenue flowing.
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Medicaid funding loss to hurt Pennsylvania
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
HARRISBURG -- The loss of $848 million in anticipated Medicaid money would have a "ripple effect" throughout Pennsylvania and could result in layoffs of thousands of state, county, local government and school district employees, Gov. Ed Rendell said Friday.
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Private sector, city work on fiscal remedy
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The city of Pittsburgh and its private sector collaborators are preparing to go to Harrisburg with a fiscal proposal likely to include a local services tax hike, spending cuts, water system privatization, university donations and pension reforms, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl said Thursday.
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Rivers Casino wants to remove underperforming slot machines
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Rivers Casino wants to remove underperforming slot machines as it makes way for 86 table games, even though doing so would conflict with Pennsylvania's gambling law.
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New Effort in Pennsylvania to Privatize Liquor Sales
From KYW Newsradio
There’s a new effort to privatize Pennsylvania state liquor store system, an effort likely to end up like others before it.
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The Turzai plan
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
House Republican Whip Mike Turzai's comprehensive plan to get Pennsylvania out of the wine and spirits business -- and significantly reduce state budget woes -- deserves action, not just Harrisburg lip service.
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A need to privatize: Selling the LCB can solve a host of problems
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
State Rep. Mike Turzai may have found a sales pitch for privatizing Pennsylvania's wine and liquor monopoly that lawmakers will buy.
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Another Plan To Privatize State Stores
From The Philadelphia Evening Bulletin
State Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, is trying to finalize the failed goals of former Pennsylvania Governors Dick Thornburgh and Tom Ridge by privatizing the state controlled wine and spirits business.
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Lawmaker introduces legislation to privatize Pennsylvania liquor stores
From The Harrisburg Patriot
With Pennsylvania facing financial problems, Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, is reviving the idea of privatizing off the state’s liquor store system. “Government should not be in the business of selling alcohol,” Turzai said.
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New plan to sell Pennsylvania LCB
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
HARRISBURG -- Two Republican governors failed in their efforts to privatize the state liquor store system, but now a GOP legislator from Bradford Woods has decided to give it another try.
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Ravenstahl meets with legislative leaders in Harrisburg
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl made the rounds in Harrisburg on Monday, telling lawmakers the financially troubled city needs additional tax revenues to shore up its pension fund.
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Museums anticipate losing state funding
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Pittsburgh museums, losing admissions money because of this week's snow, are likely to intensify lobbying for state money that Gov. Ed Rendell would cancel for the attractions in his proposed 2010-11 budget.
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GOP lawmaker says mayor made good start on pension relief
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A key Republican state lawmaker today gave high marks to Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's kickoff, Monday, of an effort to solve the city's persistent pension problem.
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Leaders confer on city pension problem
From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A bid to fix Pittsburgh's pension problem got off to a congenial start Monday, as leaders who met in Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's office started exploring solutions to a $600 million shortfall.
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Lawmakers Call for Changes in Welfare Program
From WHTM 27 News
Harrisburg, Pa. - Republican lawmakers say Pennsylvania taxpayers are being ripped off by the state Department of Public Welfare.
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