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COUNTIES TO SEE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION CHANGES
Counties will see changes to their state legislative delegations for the 2017-2018 session as a result of the Nov. 8 election. As of press time and based on unofficial results, 21 new House members and six new Senate members will be sworn in Jan. 3, 2017. In the House, 15 members were elected to fill seats of legislators who chose not to run again, while six defeated incumbents, four in the primary and two in the general election. In the Senate (for which only half of the 50 seats were up for election) four vacant seats were filled and two incumbents were defeated. Altogether, this means that when the 2017-2018 session convenes, 28 counties will see at least one new member of their legislative delegation.
Republicans widened their majorities in both the House and the Senate. In the House, Republicans gained three seats for a 122-81 majority, while on the Senate side, three districts changed from Democratic to Republican representation, giving the Senate GOP a 34-16 veto-proof majority. The House and Senate will convene the week of Nov. 14 to elect their caucus leadership teams for the coming year. Both chambers will shortly be looking to name their committee chairs for the new session as well.
Also of note, Pennsylvania elected three new members to the U.S. House, current state Representative Dwight Evans in the 2nd Congressional district, Brian Fitzpatrick in the 8th Congressional district, and current state Senator Lloyd Smucker in the 16th Congressional district, and also re-elected Pat Toomey to his seat in the U.S. Senate.
A list of new and returning state legislators in the House and Senate for the 2017-2018 session is available on CCAP's Legislative Action Center.
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COMMISSIONERS AT THE POLLS
COMMISSIONERS AT THE POLLS - A number of current and former CCAP members appeared on the November 2016 general election ballot, seeking state or federal office. Complete election results are on the Department of State web page, www.dos.state.pa.us.
Attorney General
Montgomery County commissioner Josh Shapiro (D) won his bid for the state's open Attorney General seat.
Auditor General
Northampton County Executive John Brown (R) was unsuccessful in his race for Auditor General against incumbent Eugene DePasquale.
Congress
Former Chester County commissioner Ryan Costello (R) won re-election to the 6th district Congressional seat.
Michael Fitzpatrick (R), 8th district congressman and former Bucks County commissioner, did not run for re-election.
PA Senate
Former Lancaster County commissioner Scott Martin (R) won election to the vacant 13th district seat. Tom Killion (R), former Delaware County council member, won re-election in the 9th district, as did former Chester County commissioner Andrew Dinniman (D) in the 19th district and former Westmoreland County commissioner Kim Ward (R) in the 39th district. Former Lycoming County solicitor Gene Yaw (R) was unopposed in the general election for his re-election bid in the 23rd district.
PA House
Several House incumbents who are former CCAP members were unopposed on the November ballot, including former Mercer County solicitor Mark Longietti (D-7th), former Centre County commissioner Scott Conklin (D-77th), former Lycoming County commissioner Jeff Wheeland (R-83rd), former Perry County commissioner and CCAP president Mark Keller (R-86th), former Bradford County commissioner Tina Pickett (R-110th), former Schuylkill County commissioner and CCAP officer Jerry Knowles (R-124th), and former clerk to Lehigh County council Steve Samuelson (D-135th).
Former Erie clerk to council Flo Fabrizio (D) won re-election to his 2nd district seat, while former Greene County commissioner and CCAP second vice president Pam Snyder (D) also returns in the 50th district. Donna Oberlander, former Clarion County commissioner (R-63rd) and former Northumberland Commissioner Kurt Masser (R-107th) were also successful in their re-election bids.
Wayne County commissioner Jonathan Fritz (R) successfully won the vacated seat in the 111th district, running unopposed in the general election. Former Dauphin County commissioner John Payne (R) chose not to stand for reelection in the 106th district.
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BLOCK GRANT EXPANSION PRIORITY SIGNED INTO LAW
Legislation expanding the Human Services Block Grant to any willing and capable county was signed into law as Act 153 of 2016 by Gov. Wolf on Nov. 4. Formerly SB 613, sponsored by Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland), the measure was overwhelmingly approved by both the House and Senate chambers in the final days of the 2015-2016 legislative session, with just one negative vote.
Counties have sought as a priority the expansion of the Human Services Block Grant to all counties on a voluntary basis, permitting utilization of human services funding in seven key line items in a flexible manner. The Block Grant was originally authorized in 2012 for 20 counties as a pilot program and further expanded to a total of 30 counties the subsequent year, but has been closed to the remaining 37 counties since then. The act will allow all 67 counties the opportunity to benefit from this important tool in order to respond in a flexible manner to critical issues unique to each county.
An amendment to SB 613 adopted in the House, reflecting the collaborative efforts between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and CCAP, adds further accountability for both DHS and counties, provides specific criteria for participation, and creates a more streamlined process. Further, the amended legislation requires collaboration between DHS and CCAP on developing outcomes measures and data elements to show the effectiveness of the Block Grant, as well as developing a method to informally resolve any disputes. A more detailed analysis is posted on CCAP's Legislative Action Center.
Details about several other bills with impact for counties that have recently been signed into law will also be posted on CCAP's Legislative Action Center.
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SENATE COMMITTEE DISCUSSES ELECTION REFORMS
In the week approaching the November general election, the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing in Pittsburgh on early voting and other election reforms.
CCAP Executive Director Doug Hill discussed several early voting methods that have been proposed for Pennsylvania, including no-fault absentee voting, all-mail ballots, voting centers and internet voting. He noted that the Association supports a mail-in early ballot system comparable to no-fault absentee voting. That option and others, however, while still providing a level of convenience for voters, come with a certain set of logistical challenges, such as cost of equipment, certification of the ballot, security and timing of delivery by the U.S. Postal Service. Hill further referenced the 2014 report of the Association's Election Reform Committee, which includes recommendations on a number of changes in statute and practice that reflect counties' interest in providing fair, efficient and open elections.
Allegheny County executive Rich Fitzgerald also provided testimony to the committee, noting while he wants to make voting as easy and accessible as possible, early voting does come with a cost to the counties. For example, he estimated the County's cost for early voting centers at $300,000 per election. Additional testifiers included representatives of the NAACP, the League of Women Voters, and Common Cause of PA.
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DEPT. OF REVENUE RELEASES MONTHLY REVENUE REPORT
Monthly revenue collections for October released by the state Department of Revenue (DOR) are showing a slight improvement in state finances. The October collections were $36.1 million, or 1.6 percent, above estimate, following September’s poor performance, which was $121.2 million below estimate for the first quarter of the FY 2016-2017. Despite the better-than-expected revenue collections, however, the report also indicates that General Fund revenues are $182.4 million, or about two percent, lower than expected for FY 2016-2017.
The above-estimate numbers are largely a result of higher than expected collections of corporation taxes, totaling $191.3 million, or about 20 percent above estimate. Sales and use tax collections were also $2.2 million above estimate for the month, although fiscal year-to-date sales tax revenues remain below projection by two percent. In addition, personal income tax revenue remains below estimate for the fiscal year by 1.7 percent, and were similarly less than anticipated for October by $6.1 million. Other revenue sources, including the realty transfer tax, were below estimate for the month; meanwhile cigarette, other tobacco products, malt beverage, liquor and table games revenues collectively were $24.9 million above estimate and continue strong returns for the fiscal year.
Separately, the Independent Fiscal Office has scheduled its annual five-year outlook report on Pennsylvania's revenues, expenditures and fiscal trends for Nov. 15 release.
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CCAP FALL CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES
CCAP policy committee members will meet Nov. 20 in conjunction with the CCAP Fall Conference, Nov. 20 to 22 at the Hotel Hershey, to develop their 2017 work plans and set legislative priorities for 2017. A date for the formal announcement of the priorities at the state Capitol will also be finalized during the conference. The Conference also includes a membership voting session on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The agenda includes votes on the Association's 2017 action plan and 2017 dues schedule. The voting information will be emailed to the membership in advance of the Conference.
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