What stands in the way of the Pa. Fairness Act?

• Ed Mahon
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  Ed Mahon comes to Spotlight PA from PA Post, where he covered state politics and policy, produced radio stories that were broadcast on public media stations throughout the state and on NPR’s national newscasts, and co-wrote a weekday newsletter. Prior to joining PA Post, Ed worked for six years as an investigative and political reporter for the York Daily Record, part of the USA Today Network. His reporting on failures in Pennsylvania’s system for protecting domestic abuse victims was a finalist in the national 2018 Livingston Awards for Young Journalists in the local reporting category. He was also part of a team whose coverage of the criminal justice system, including the aggressive use of civil asset forfeiture by York County prosecutors, received the 2018 G. Richard Dew Award for Journalistic Service from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association. Before joining the York Daily Record, Ed covered K-12 education at the Centre Daily Times in State College and worked as a stringer for suburban sections of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

 Joseph Kaczmarek / AP Photo

In this 2014 photo, people march in the annual Pride Day Parade in Philadelphia.

From The Context, PA Post’s weekday email newsletter:

Proposal gains some new hope

Joseph Kaczmarek / AP Photo

In this 2014 photo, people march in the annual Pride Day Parade in Philadelphia.

• Katie Meyer, WITF’s Capitol bureau chief, took a look at the odds that state lawmakers will approve legislation to expand protections against discrimination. The Fairness Act would ban housing and employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

• One reason the situation is different now? State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a Republican and opponent of the proposal, is no longer chairman of the House State Government Committee. Republican Garth Everettnow leads the committee, and he called the Fairness Act a big issue and “one that we’ll be getting to.”

• Katie’s story was prompted by a question submitted to our Listening Post feature. Other readers have asked why are there so many  school superintendents in Pennsylvania and why there were delays in getting a shingles vaccine.

Best of the rest

Jacqueline Larma / The Associated Press

State Police deploy before the Eagles team parade and celebration Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018, in center city Philadelphia.

• During a recent budget hearing, lawmakers again discussed the idea of charging communities that rely on state police coverage, Keystone Crossroads’ Emily Previti reports. “These conversations that happen every year don’t happen just to happen,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Pat Browne said. “They happen because there’s an interest in accomplishing a goal, possibly.”

• Katie Meyer also has some details about a court-case settlement over legal mail security at state prisons. The Department of Corrections will stop photocopying inmates’ legal mail.

• The Guardian described problems in Chester, outside Philadelphia, as about 200 tons of recycling material is sent to an incinerator there each day. China — which used to take about 40 percent of U.S. paper, plastics and recyclables — no longer accepts certain materials.