In This Issue:
The Saga Continues | Opioid Crisis Front and Center | "Mini-Casinos" Exceed Expectations
The Saga Continues
It’s the first week of March, and petitions are being circulated by congressional hopefuls across the state, but there is still uncertainty in which congressional map these candidates are running under

Although the State Supreme Court has released and declared that their map will be used for the primary and the general election, the Supreme Court’s maps are still facing a legal challenge from Republican leaders, and other interested parties.  United States Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is calling for input from the voters who brought the case before the State Supreme Court, as well as Governor Wolf, before the high court will decide on granting a stay in the appeal of the Republican legislators. 

Pennsylvania Republicans contend that the state court overstepped its constitutional authority when they implemented maps that they drew, a power explicitly granted to the legislature in the State Constitution. There is also criticism against the State Supreme Court after it was revealed during a state budget hearing this week that some members of the court never met with the Stanford Professor who was hired to draw the maps.

Justice Alito requested all information from the parties involved to be submitted to the high court by Monday, March 5 th. It is expected that a decision will be made quickly, considering petitions will be due in two weeks, and any further changes could require a change in the state’s primary date. 

Opioid Crisis Front and Center
Pennsylvania’s opioid epidemic has reached a critical moment. It has been labeled the worst current public health crisis in Pennsylvania, and according to the Center for Disease Control , Pennsylvania has the 4 th highest rates of death due to drug overdoses, trailing only west Virginia, Ohio and New Hampshire. The PA Department of Health has said it is the cause of more deaths in the Commonwealth than fatal car accidents , and last year alone, deaths associated with this crisis had increased by nearly 50 percent.
 
So, there is no surprise that as both the Pennsylvania House and Senate entered the heart of its 2018 budget hearings, the question of how the Commonwealth should address the issue has dominated the budget discussions. From the Department of Health and the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, to the state Attorney General and the Department of Corrections , agency representatives have addressed the opioid crisis and have been asked specific questions during these hearings.

It is evident that the issue has garnered bipartisan attention. In January, the Governor declared the opioid and heroin epidemic a statewide disaster emergency . And in his budget proposal, he has dedicated resources to help fight the crisis, including $33 million in additional funding for opioid-addiction treatment and specialty drug courts. In both chambers, and on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats alike have announced that the issue is a top priority.
 
As the year progresses, there is no doubt that addressing the state’s opioid crisis will continue to be a focus of the budget debate. The Commonwealth is halfway through the Governor’s disaster declaration , and according to the administration, the state has already seen progress on the issue. But it is clear from the tone and direction of the budget hearings held so far that the State Legislature will be looking at additional ways to help address this epidemic.

"Mini-Casinos" Exceed Expectations
On October 26, 2017, after several months of negotiation and debate, the General Assembly passed a sweeping gambling reform bill that included the authorization of up to 10 new casinos, formally referred to as Category 4 facilities. These new brick and mortar facilities might be smaller in size (sometimes called “mini-casinos”) but their popularity has been larger than expected.

The General Assembly, along with the Governor’s Office, anticipated the state would receive around $100 million in fees from licensing all 10 of the new facilities. But the Commonwealth has already eclipsed that revenue mark with only four of the auctions complete. To date, the state has received close to $120 million, with six more auctions planned.

The popularity of these “mini-casinos” has exceeded expectations. And many municipalities who “opted-out,” or passed local ordinances prohibiting the location of a facility in their municipality, are reconsidering their actions. That’s because the local economic impact for communities that host a casino are impressive. So far, since gaming began in Pennsylvania, local communities that host a casino have shared in more than $1 billion in funding.

Even though the state has exceeded its revenue mark for these “mini-casinos,” there are still six more potential locations to go. Stay tuned!

Here is a map provided by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board that shows the four locations that have been awarded a facility, and the municipalities who have “opted-out.”
Session Schedule for 2018
2018 SENATE SESSION SCHEDULE

March               19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
April                  16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 30
May                   1, 2, 21, 22, 23
June                  4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18,
  111111111111 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29


2018 HOUSE SESSION SCHEDULE
       
March            12, 13, 14 
April                9, 10, 11, 16, 17, 18, 30
May              1 1, 2, 22, 23
June               4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19,
11111111111 20, 21, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29,
1111111111 1 30
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