Newsworks
The Pennsylvania Senate will reconvene Monday after its summer recess with a full plate of issues to address.
In outlining his legislative to-do list, Gov. Tom Corbett has said passing a school vouchers bill is his No. 1 priority.
His spokesman, Kevin Harley, said it’s not safe to assume that anything is No. 2.
“This isn’t a horse race, OK? Or a car race, or a sporting event,” said Harley. “It’s not that one thing’s more important than the other, they’re all important.”
The long-discussed impact fee on natural gas drillers — which had the very vocal backing of top Republican senators — now has the endorsement of an advosory panel appointed by the governor.
Corbett has said he will present his own plan for a fee and stricter environmental regulations on the drilling industry in the next few weeks.
He also supports a House proposal to privatize the state’s liquor stores and wants legislators to act to fill the multibillion-dollar gap in funding for transportation infrastructure.
That’s just the top of the legislative iceberg, however, during a year that requires lawmakers to also pass a bill redrawing congressional districts.