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Knowles: Transportation is Smartest Place to Invest Liquor Privatization Dollars

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With a public hearing on liquor privatization now scheduled in the state Senate, a group of state House members is calling for the upfront windfall from the sale of private wine and liquor licenses to be invested in transportation infrastructure. 

State Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Schuylkill)

State Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Schuylkill)

“It takes each and every dollar from privatization of the wine & spirits shops, and those dollars would be spent on roads and bridges,” state Rep. Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Schuylkill) said of the legislation he sponsored. 

The governor wants to see liquor privatization revenue used for education block grants, but the bill that passed the House never designated a specific use for the revenue; it simply created a restricted account to hold the money. 

“I would like to see it be a billion, but it doesn’t matter if it’s $750-million, it doesn’t matter if it’s half a billion,” Knowles said at a capitol news conference.  “That’s still big money where I come from.” 

Knowles and his supporters are wary of being blamed for school funding cuts when the four-year block grant program, envisioned by the governor, expires.  “I want to make it perfectly clear,” Knowles said, “the governor has a good idea, it’s just that I have a better idea.”

Rep. Knowles recognizes that his plan would not raise enough revenue to solve PA’s near $3-billion dollar annual transportation funding shortfall, but he suggests that any legislative solution should start with HB 220. 

Meanwhile Senate Transportation Chair John Rafferty is scheduled to unveil a new funding plan on Tuesday, and the as-of-yet unrelated liquor privatization bill faces an uncertain fate in the chamber.

Pennsylvania Liquor Store

Liquor Privatization Bill Introduced

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The legislation essentially puts the plan Governor Tom Corbett outlined in January into bill form, and House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny) is optimistic.  “People recognize Pennsylvania needs to change in a positive direction. We’re now talking about the details of how you structure that change.”  Turzai is the bill’s prime sponsor and perhaps the legislature’s biggest proponent of liquor privatization.    

While Turzai believes the concepts and objectives of liquor privatization will remain the same, he recognizes the details could change through the legislative process.  An amendment already being explored by Liquor Control Committee Chairman John Taylor (R-Philadelphia) would reportedly allow state-run liquor stores to compete with private sector licensees. 

State Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny)

House Republican Leader Mike Turzai

Turzai suggests that sort of plan merely takes a different route toward the same destination.  “In my mind, once the private sector gets the opportunity to sell wine & spirits, the state stores are – over time – they’re not going to be able to compete.”

The bill (HB 790) appears to be on the fast track.  Turzai tells reporters he’s eying a March 18th committee vote and final House passage in late March or early April. 

The timetable should raise red flags, according to House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody (D-Allegheny).  “Most legislators want to discuss ways to improve service and convenience for customers through the normal committee process, including hearings,” Dermody says in a statement.  “The more complicated his plan becomes, the faster he wants to vote on it with not committee hearings.”

Opinions Shift on Same-Sex Marriage

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Public opinion is changing when it comes to same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania.  Today’s Franklin & Marshall College Poll finds that 52% of Pennsylvania voters now favor legal marriage for gay and lesbian couples, compared to 41% who oppose it. 

Terry Madonna

Terry Madonna

Poll Director Terry Madonna believes this is the first poll to show majority support for the issue in PA.  “Some polls gave gotten up to 47, 49, even 50% support – depending on how the question was worded – but not a majority support for gay marriage,” Madonna tells Radio PA, “heavily driven by young voters whose attitudes on gay marriage are very different from seniors who oppose gay marriage.” 

Just seven years ago, in May 2006, Madonna’s poll found just 33% support for same-sex marriage in the Keystone State. 

Democratic state Senator Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) has long been pushing marriage equality legislation, and is already circulating a co-sponsorship memo this session, which would legalize same-sex marriage in Pennsylvania.  However, while public opinion may be changing, Madonna believes the Republican-controlled General Assembly is still many years away from changing state law. 

The F&M Poll provides a number of compelling results aside from the same-sex marriage issue.  Here’s a sampling:

– Governor Tom Corbett’s job performance rating has hit a new low, as just 26% indicate that he’s doing a “good” or “excellent” job. 

– 64% oppose plans to put Pennsylvania Lottery operations in the hands of a private manager. 

– 82% want more money being spent on transportation infrastructure, but only 47% support the main recommendations of the TFAC report. 

– 53% support privatizing state-run liquor stores.

RadioPA Roundtable

Radio PA Roundtable 1.18.13

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On this week’s Radio PA Roundtable, Brad Christman brings you Governor Tom Corbett’s remarks this week on transportation funding, guns, selling the state’s liquor stores and the new contract for Pennsylvania Lottery Management. U.S. Senator Bob Casey also weighs in on the gun proposals being debated in Washington and nationwide and we review the swearing in ceremonies for Pennsylvania’s row officers.

Radio PA Roundtable is a 30-minute program featuring in-depth reporting on the top news stories of the week.

Click the audio player below to hear the full broadcast:

[audio:https://s3.amazonaws.com/witfaudio/radiopa/Roundtable01-18-13.mp3]