Grotevant is the best of candidates. He’s not well known but has the pedigree of having worked for both Bob Casey, Sr and Jr. The state Dems will have to spend for his campaign, but a few joint appearances with Sen Casey will go a long way toward helping Grotevant get elected. Regardless of whether the Dem parties in Beaver, Lawrence and Allegheny counties agree on a candidate, expect the state senate Dems to have the last word on approval.  read more »

State Rep. Babette Josephs came to the Capitol in 1985 vowing to be a voice for “people who have no voice.” For years, the Center City liberal waged a lonely fight against the pervading conservatism in the General Assembly.

In 2007, after Democrats took control of the House, Josephs ascended to a powerful new role: chairwoman of the State Government Committee, the panel charged with considering legislation related to government operations.

But Josephs, 67, now finds herself the scourge of the newly energized reform movement.  read more »

The state House is moving to help nonprofit groups that raise funds by holding bingos, which have slipped in attendance as more casinos have opened around Pennsylvania and in neighboring states.

The House voted 180-18 yesterday for a bill introduced by Rep. Don Walko, D-North Side. It would permit nonprofits and charities like volunteer fire companies and church groups to conduct as many as four bingo events per week, instead of the current limit of two. The nightly limit on prizes would rise to $10,000 from the current $4,000.

The trend toward lower bingo attendance was first noticed in northeastern Pennsylvania, where the Mohegan Sun casino opened near Wilkes-Barre in November 2006, and where another casino opened in the Poconos last year, Mr. Walko said.  read more »

Democratic state House candidate John R. Ritter is undergoing treatment for leukemia but plans to stay in the race for the 187th District seat, his campaign said Wednesday.

Ritter began treatment at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia on Monday. He was diagnosed and received a treatment plan last week, his campaign said.

‘‘John’s doctor anticipates he will recover and be able to serve if elected in November,’‘ Ritter’s wife and campaign manager, Lynn Ritter, said in a written statement. She said Ritter will campaign as treatment allows. ‘‘Getting well will be my husband’s first priority, but John will keep in touch with supporters and constituents.’‘  read more »

An expansion of state-subsidized health insurance for uninsured adults is expected to be debated next week in the state House of Representatives, more than a year after Gov. Ed Rendell introduced a plan intended to accomplish that goal.

With a slim Democratic House majority, passage is far from certain. And the majority party’s lead legislator on health care issues acknowledges that an even tougher fight lies ahead in the Republican-controlled Senate for any measure that might win House approval.  read more »

In a change of pace from the last article, here’s a classic instance of bureaucracy over business.

The state House is taking a step toward trying to deal with a looming leap in electricity bills in the coming years.

The chamber voted Tuesday 152-45 to require utilities to develop plans to cut electricity use and install ‘‘smart meters’‘ in all homes and businesses within a decade.

After defeating a 28-year incumbent to win a seat in the state House of Representatives, Lisa Bennington is hanging it up with only a single term behind her.

The state representative for District 21 announced in January that she is returning to full-time practice as a divorce lawyer, and not seeking re-election.

For Bennington, who ran a reformist’s campaign in 2006, it’s been two years of frustration and one long, sobering look at Harrisburg.

“I think the legislature as it currently exists … the wheels have come off,” she says. “I don’t know that one person individually can make a difference.”

As state government moves into budget season next week, two Allegheny County lawmakers of opposing political parties are urging their colleagues to cut what the Legislature spends on itself by 20 percent.

“It will be very important for anyone who wants my vote on the budget,” said Rep. Matt Smith, a Mt. Lebanon Democrat who teamed with Republican Rep. Randy Vulakovich of Shaler in calling for a reduction in the Legislature’s $333 million budget.

Both are first-term lawmakers, and their chance of pushing through a 20 percent spending cut is slim, said Jack Treadway, chairman of the political science department at Kutztown State University.  read more »