PA Environment Digest Blog: PA Capitol Report: Top 10 Stories From Harrisburg Last Week

Pennsylvania collected $6.6 billion in General Fund revenue in November, which was $217.9 million, or 3.4 percent, more than anticipated, Revenue Secretary Dan Hassell reported today. Fiscal year-to-date General Fund collections total $18.7 billion, which is $1.0 billion, or 5.7 percent, above estimate.

November collections include $3.841 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act - State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund dollars transferred to the General Fund. These funds, accounted for under non-tax revenue, were appropriated as revenue replacement dollars in Act 1-A of 2021.

-- Independent Fiscal Office Reports November Revenues $284.2 Million Above Its Estimates; $1.2 Billion Over Estimates For Fiscal Year

-- PennLive - John Baer: PA’s History Of Phony Budgets Brings Us Infrastructure Woes, Bridge-Tolling Plan

-- EPA Awards PA $240.4 Million In Bipartisan Infrastructure Funding For Water Infrastructure That Prioritizes Underserved Communities

-- TribLive: PA Wine & Liquor Sales Set Another Record

-- MCall - Ford Turner: Alcohol Sales Spike In PA After Shutdown Eased, 2 Lehigh Valley Counties Are Among Top 3 In State
-- MCall - Ford Turner: PA Alcohol Sales Boom: See Which Counties Had The Biggest Increases

-- MCall: How Northampton, Lehigh Counties Helping Small Businesses With Their Pandemic ‘Rescue Plans’

-- ReadingE: Berks County IU Show Lawmakers How They Spent COVID Relief Funds

-- Liquor Control Board: Releases FY 2020-21 Annual Report

-- PA Cap-Star: Report - PA Ranks 39th For Condition, Cost-Effectiveness Of Its Highways

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: Why I Support A Plan To Restore Toll Takers On The PA Turnpike

-- MCall - Paul Muschick: ‘The Most Expensive Road In The World” PA Turnpike

-- WBTimes: New Gambling-Funded Program Pays For Major Luzerne County Infrastructure Needs

-- State School Funding Trial

-- Inquirer: Fmr Top PA Education Official Testifies School Funding Is A ‘Root Cause’ Of Achievement Gaps

-- WHYY: As PA School Funding Trial Resumes, Here’s A Cheat Sheet On What’s Happened So Far

-- WESA: Witnesses Testify In PA School Funding Lawsuit, Decision Still Weeks Away

-- LancasterOnline: Lancaster School Officials Likely To Testify In Education Funding Trial Next Week

-- Gov. Wolf Vetoes Legislation To Allow Concealed Carry Of Guns Without Permits

“This legislation, which eliminates the requirement for individuals to obtain a license before carrying a concealed firearm, will only exacerbate gun violence and jeopardize the safety of all Pennsylvanians.”

-- PennLive Guest Essay: Don’t Fear A Law Not Requiring Permits Or Background Checks To Conceal Carry Handguns, It Gets More Guns In The Hands Of People Quickly - Sen. Kim Ward, Senate Republican Leader

-- Inquirer: Rutgers Study Finds New Gun Owners Have Less Control Over Their Emotions And Impulses

-- AP: Wolf Adds To Mounting Veto Tally, Kills Permitless Gun Bill

-- PA Cap-Star: Legislators React To Wolf Veto Of Bill To Allow Concealed Carry Of Guns Without Permits

-- TribLive: Wolf Draws Fire, Praise For Veto Of Bill To Allow Gun Use Without Permits

-- Gov. Wolf Announces $15.7 Million In Gun And Group Violence Intervention And Prevention Grants

-- Gov. Wolf: Highlights Grassroots Efforts To Combat Gun Violence Amid Republican Efforts To Pass Bills Endangering Communities

-- WHYY: Rep. [And U.S. Senate Candidate] Kenyatta Calls For State Of Emergency On Gun Violence In Philadelphia

-- Inquirer: Temple’s Campus On Edge After A Student Was Shot To Death

-- AP: 14-Year-Old Teen Shot 18 Times While Waiting For Bus In Philadelphia

-- YorkDR Guest Essay: PA Gun Debate Obscures The Fraught Racial History Of 2nd Amendment - Rep. Bullock (D-Philadelphia)

-- Inquirer Editorial: Are Any Of Philly’s Anti-Violence Tactics Working? Without Better Tracking We’ll Never Know