ADVOCACY MATTERS
Governor Wolf presented his Executive Budget last week as expected. Late Friday night, Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati and Speaker of the House Mike Turzai delivered a redrawn election map of Pennsylvania to the governor.
Governor Wolf rejected this proposal
on Tuesday. The deadline for having new districts drawn is February 20. This struggle over redistricting is likely to take a lot of air from the room until then in Harrisburg.
The Senate Appropriations Committee released its schedule for appropriation meetings that are part of the budget process, and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is not scheduled to testify. This is not unusual. The PHMC does not have a budget hearing every year as some of the Commonwealth's agencies do.
Both major political parties held meetings in the last week to select party endorsements for candidates in the upcoming elections. House Speaker Turzai announced he would leave the governor's race; Senator Scott Wagner won his party's support for his campaign for governor. The Democratic Party did not officially announce its backing for any candidates for Lieutenant Governor.
The American Alliance of Museums is organizing Museums Advocacy Day in Washington, DC to bring its members together with U.S. House and Senate offices. Museums Advocacy Day is a unique opportunity to join with other museum professionals and supporters to make the case for museums. PA Museums is a proud supporter of Museums Advocacy Day. The 2017 event brought together over 380 advocates in Washington, D.C. Museums Advocacy Day includes activities on February 26-27, 2018.