Welcome to Common Sense Weekly! This is the Commonwealth Foundation's weekly news roundup of policy issues being debated in Harrisburg and across Pennsylvania.
House GOP Pushes to Bring Voter ID Mandate to Floor
Pennsylvania House Republicans say it’s time for Pennsylvania to require voters to show ID before they cast their ballots, and on Monday they announced plans to file a discharge petition to get it done.
The GOP’s goal is to get an amendment to the state’s constitution on the ballot for this November’s election, over the objections of the House Democratic leadership.
Discharge resolutions give the minority party the chance to force a vote on a bill that’s been stuck in a committee. Under rules set up last year, 50 House members — 25 from each party — must sign a discharge petition to move legislation to the floor.
PA Voters Won't Be Happy with the Left's Green Agenda
Energy affordability remains a top priority for Pennsylvania voters leading up to the November elections, according to a new survey from the Commonwealth Foundation.
In a poll of 800 registered voters conducted between February 28 and March 6, more than four in five respondents (81 percent) were concerned about the future availability of affordable energy in the United States, while just shy of the same number (79 percent) shared the same concern in the Commonwealth.
While the Biden administration has touted its efforts in reducing inflation and creating jobs, the Keystone State respondents expressed their concerns about kitchen-table issues such as their families’ energy needs.
Shapiro's Reckless Energy Agenda
In 2004, Pennsylvania implemented one of the most aggressive mandates to adopt wind and solar energy. At the time, less than 1 percent of net energy generation came from these sources. In 2023, after nearly $1.5 billion in subsidies, wind and solar generated less than 2 percent.
So, what’s the point?
That’s the question Gov. Josh Shapiro must answer before any expansion to Pennsylvania’s Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards (AEPS). Instead, he is doubling down on uneconomical fuels and technologies, resulting in higher electricity bills and a less reliable infrastructure.
AEPS requires Pennsylvania suppliers to provide 18 percent of retail electricity sales from more than a dozen alternative energy sources.
The Secret PA Governor's Mansion Upgrade
Bel Air, Beverly Hills, and the Bahamas. New York, Greenwich, and London.
The de la Torre Design Studio in New York City has, as its website boasts, “been there, designed that,” beautifying the interiors of penthouses, estates, and even yachts in those and other tony locales.
Now, the design firm has been quietly hired for another interior makeover: Gov. Josh Shapiro’s official state residence in Harrisburg.
Dubbed the “residence reimagining project” by a staffer for the Democratic governor, the work will focus on bringing in new pieces of furniture, art, and other items to the public areas of the historic mansion along the Susquehanna River, according to information obtained by Spotlight PA through a public records request.
Beyond that, little is known about the scale, scope, or even the price tag for the redesign. Despite the involvement of Shapiro’s aides in the project, no one will say who is managing it, raising money for it, or exactly who is paying for it.
Stop Shapiro's Energy Tax
Governor Shapiro just introduced a new energy tax that will hurt Pennsylvanian businesses and working families. Send a message now: Tell Gov. Shapiro we don't need his energy tax.
