Posted by Mark Koenig on Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Joseph N. DiStefano of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted unanimously Tuesday to make the state Treasury and pension funds dump stock worth more than $400 million in Royal Dutch Shell and dozens of other foreign companies.
“If they want to do business with Pennsylvania’s pension funds, they’ll have to cut their ties to Iran,” the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who represents Abington and Upper Dublin, told me.
State pension funds would be barred from buying into companies that make significant investments in Iran and Sudan under the law, which Gov. Rendell is likely to sign once state lawyers review it, his spokesman, Gary Tuma, told me.
(…)
“Foreign policy is clearly conducted on the banks of the Potomac,” by the State Department in Washington, Shapiro told me.
“But here on the banks of the Susquehanna, we can leverage $400 million worth of investments in a way that supports our allies, for example Israel, and isolates our enemies.”
(…)
Shapiro says the groups that backed the bill want to “choke off foreign capital” supporting Iran, in hopes of stopping Iran’s nuclear weapons development that threatens Israel and other countries in that region.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Evan Trowbridge of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes:
Companies doing business with the much-criticized regimes in Sudan and Iran should not expect any investments from state pension funds.
The state House unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that bans a state employee pension fund and a public teachers fund from investing in companies that do substantial business with the two countries. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, who said he’s worked on the issue for six years.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Bonnie Cook of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes:
Two Montgomery County legislators from opposite sides of the aisle have joined with the county’s district attorney to propose a state law that would make it a serious crime for a teacher, coach, or youth instructor to engage in sex with anyone under 18.Such legislation would tighten the criminal code on institutional sexual assault. Adult authority figures who engage in sexual contact with people under 18 could be charged with a third-degree felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 31/2 to seven years in prison.
Current state law charges those who engage in sex with 16- and 17-year-olds with a misdemeanor of corruption of a minor. That law carries a maximum sentence of 21/2 to five years in prison.
The legislation was introduced last week by State Reps. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, and Mike Vereb, a Republican, and immediately referred to the Judiciary Committee.
“It’s plain and simple. Those we entrust to educate and watch over our children should not engage in any sexual activity with them at any age,” said Shapiro, a father of three.
The bill was expected to pass from the Judiciary Committee to the Appropriations Committee in preparation for a vote this year.
The two legislators and District Attorney Risa Vetri Ferman described the proposed legislation during a briefing Monday morning in Norristown.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Sunday, June 20, 2010
Tony Romeo of KYW writes:
A group of Democrats in the Pennsylvania House has launched a web site designed to collect your ideas on how to help balance the state’s wounded budget.
Some of the ideas submitted so far: impose fees for every child after the first in each household and tax plastic shopping bags. But nonetheless, the web site — launched by some House Democrats including Josh Shapiro of Montgomery County and Steve Santarsiero of Bucks County — has the endorsement of Governor Rendell, who’s confident there’ll be some good ideas:
“I’ll accept any idea that will either save us money or generate money for us. I go on these ‘talk to the governor’ shows all the time, and I tell people that. And, you know, we may get 100 ideas, and 99 of them may be wacky as heck but the 100th may be a gold mine for us.”
The governor says that’s why he reads almost all of his mail. The web site is yourpabudget.com.
Read the full article here.
Posted by Josh Shapiro on Thursday, June 17, 2010
Friends,
As I continue to fight hard in Harrisburg for reform and to pass a balanced budget, I hope you’ll take a minute to check out a new website I created with some of my colleagues that invites you and other Pennsylvanians to give us input about the state budget.
YourPAbudget.com is intended to be a marketplace of ideas and discussion where Pennsylvanians can offer thoughts on how to address the fiscal challenges we face. Your feedback is valuable to the process and to progress in Pennsylvania.
Check out the new site, post your ideas, vote on other suggestions and let me know what you think.
All the best,
Rep. Josh Shapiro
