Pennsylvania State Capitol, Harrisburg. Photo: Waldteufel – Fotolia

Following is a listing of executive and legislative action for the week of Dec. 30. Both houses of the General Assembly were in recess at press time, with the Pennsylvania Senate and state House of Representatives each scheduled to return to session Tuesday.

Community Revitalization

Gov. Tom Wolf on Dec. 30 announced the approval of more than $5 million in new funding to support 42 community revitalization projects.

"These projects will better the lives of thousands of Pennsylvanians through infrastructure, beautification, and quality of life improvements in cities and towns across Pennsylvania," said Wolf said in a statement. "These projects complement the priorities set forth by the administration to improve infrastructure and communities across the commonwealth, but pales in comparison to the improvements that could be made through Restore Pennsylvania."

Administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), the Keystone Communities program is designed to support local initiatives that grow and stabilize neighborhoods and communities, foster effective public-private partnerships, and enhance the overall quality of life for residents.

Restore Pennsylvania, the $4.5 billion bipartisan proposal funded through a severance tax, is aimed at addressing vital infrastructure needs. The plan would further bolster community improvement efforts like those currently being invested in through the Keystone Communities program and would help replicate those projects across the state.

Senior Transit

State Rep. Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, speaker of the state House of Representatives, along with Reps. Natalie Mihalek, R-Washington, and Jason Ortitay, R-Washington, announced Jan. 2 that the Port Authority of Allegheny County will continue to accept blue or yellow Pennsylvania Senior Transit Cards indefinitely.

The announcement was made in the wake of confusion over a transition in public transit procedures in western Pennsylvania.

"We're aware of the confusion some people are experiencing as the Port Authority transitions its method of delivering free transportation to seniors. As always, our staff members are ready to help," a statement issued by the three lawmakers said. "We also want seniors using the blue or yellow paper cards to know that there's nothing they need to do if they wish to continue enjoying free transportation."

Seniors who currently use their Medicare ID card to ride public transportation for free were expected to have obtained a Senior ConnectCard by the end of 2019. The new Senior ConnectCard works just like a ConnectCard but does not need to be loaded with stored value or a pass. It only needs to be tapped at the fare box.

Leadership Training

Rep. Donna Oberlander, R-Clarion, was recently honored for graduating from a national leadership program through the Council of State Governments, according to a statement issued by the Republican House Caucus on Jan. 2.

The Henry Toll Fellowship is a highly selective leadership development program for state government officials that drew 48 participants from 33 states in 2019. The program includes a five-day leadership "boot camp," with sessions designed to stimulate personal assessment and growth, while providing valuable networking and relationship-building opportunities.

The program selected the participants from all three branches of government. Each year's curriculum is unique but encourages participants to evaluate and adapt the way they interact with each other and the world around them.

"I consider it a real honor to be selected as one of this year's fellows," Oberlander said. "As a lifelong learner, I believe that opportunities such as this allow us to learn more about the way we operate as leaders in government and how certain experiences can help us grow. My overall goal with this program is to be an even more effective voice for the people of the 63rd District."

Economic Report

Pennsylvania tax collections were $58.5 million, or 2%, below estimate for December and $213.9 million, or 1.4%, above estimate for the fiscal-year-to-date, according to the monthly report of the state's Independent Fiscal Office.

The monthly shortfall was a result of lower than anticipated corporate net income tax and personal income tax revenues. Corporate tax collections were $526.5 million for the month, which was 3.6% below estimate. But fiscal year to date collection is still running 4.3% ahead of projections.

Monthly personal income tax collections missed the estimate by $47.9 million, attributable largely to lower than projected quarterly payments, the report said. Taxpayers had an incentive, with the upcoming imposition of a cap on state and local tax deductions under the tax bill passed by Republicans in the U.S. Congress last year, to accelerate state tax payments. It is unclear whether the December shortfall is related to adjusted taxpayer behavior in response to federal tax policy changes or a true shortfall, the IFO said. Fiscal year to date collections still exceed the forecast by $69.9 million.

The Pennsylvania unemployment rate ticked upward again in November due to increased labor force participation, while the net job gains held steady, the IFO said. For the fourth consecutive month, Pennsylvania retail sales continued to display unusually strong growth. Growth in Pennsylvania personal income fell to 4.4% for 2019, the slowest growth since 2017. Growth in wages and salaries also declined to 4.3%, a difference of 0.3% compared to growth for 2019.