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The First Troop Philadelphia City Cav- Sen. Don White wants to give schools Few of the nation’s prisons allow ac-
alry has been described as the “only unit the option of arming teachers and fac- cess to FDA-approved medication that
in the U.S. Army that elects members ulty, saying it would prevent violence can curb opioid cravings. Is this cruel
after a series of rush-week-style fancy planned by “cowards who want their and unusual punishment? PAGE 8
GROUP INC dinners and boozy parties.” PAGE 4 15 minutes of fame.” PAGE 10
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Interviews. Investigations. Insight.
Each week, The Caucus delivers hard-hitting investigative reporting from the
halls of the Pennsylvania Capitol. The veteran team of political journalists
provides information and analysis of the bills, hearings, fundraisers, protests
and upcoming events that affect life in Pennsylvania.
Feed the watchdog. Read The Caucus.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE
4 ‘BLACKJACK
AND STRIPPERS’
Inside the boozy, male-only cavalry
whose connection to the National
Guard is — how should we say this?
— nebulous
6 AIRING DIRTY LAUNDRY
Inside the nasty and expensive
television ad war between Scott
Wagner and Paul Mango
8 IN JAIL, IN WITHDRAWAL
Less than 1 percent of the nation’s
5,000 prisons allow access to FDA-
approved medication that can curb
painful opioid cravings.
Robert M. Krasne CHAIRMAN + PUBLISHER
Tom Murse EDITOR
Brad Bumsted HARRISBURG BUREAU CHIEF
Paula Knudsen INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
Mike Wereschagin INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
Sam Janesch INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER
Abby Rhoad ART DIRECTION + DESIGN
Alyssa Williams DESIGN
CONTENTS APRIL 10, 2018
Walking bridge leading into Harrisburg.
THINKSTOCK | BAIMONMAURICE
10 ARMING TEACHERS
A student attacked 20 of his classmates in
Sen. Don White’s district in 2014. Now the SEND US A NEWS TIP
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12 CAPITOL DISPATCHES
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PO Box 1328, Lancaster, PA 17608-1328
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unless you wish to remain anonymous.
13 HEARINGS
Upcoming committee hearings in the House
and Senate ON THE COVER
Design by
14
THIS WEEK IN PA HISTORY Tommy Baran
Excerpts of noteworthy, newsworthy and
just plain odd political news
ONLINE caucuspa.com
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Tuesday, April 10, 2018 THE CAUCUS 3
 OVERHEARD ON 3RD

Members of the First Troop Philadelphia City

Cavalry, including Rep. Nick Miccarelli (front row,
second from left), ride in the inaugural parade
for President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2017, in
Washington, D.C.

U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY 2ND LT. SUSAN PENNING/RELEASED

‘BLACKJACK AND STRIPPERS’

Inside the boozy, male-only cavalry whose
connection to the National Guard is — how should we
say this? — nebulous

T
» » BRAD BUMSTED + PAULA KNUDSEN

hink back to the wealthiest fraternity on campus, the one SAY WHAT? further questions posed by The Caucus
about First Troop, instead directing a
with a reputation of partying to the max.
In 2014, The Wall Street Journal reporter to First Troop’s website.
That description begins to describe the First Troop Phila- described First Troop as “part blue- Perhaps the best known member
delphia City Cavalry, except for the fact that the cavalry blooded fraternity, part olive drab fight- of First Troop is a state elected offi-
ing force” and the “only unit in the U.S. cial, Rep. Nick Miccarelli, R-Delaware
is both a nonprofit corporation and, at tifying himself as Bill Buchanan asked Army that elects members after a series County. He is facing calls to resign amid
the very least, an adjunct unit to the why the reporter was inquiring about a of rush-week-style fancy dinners and allegations from two women, one of
Pennsylvania National Guard with $6 private organization. boozy parties.” whom is a state lawmaker, who say he
million in assets. Unlike other guard Just hours before, a spokesman for To be eligible, they must be members physically or sexually abused them. He
units in this state, First Troop also elects the Pennsylvania National Guard at Fort of the Guard’s Troop A, 1st Squadron, has denied the allegations.
its members and officers. Indiantown Gap, when asked whether 104th Cavalry Regiment. The women filed complaints with
The college frat that comes to mind First Troop was actually part of the Na- One prospective trooper was “sold” the House of Representatives and the
likely doesn’t have a stable of horses tional Guard, replied, “Yes.” at his first recruiting event — an event National Guard. Miccarelli is an Iraq
either, as the First Troop does in West Gregory Colella, who identifies him- described by the newspaper as “a black- combat veteran. His military records,
Chester, or the castle-like armory that self on social media as the First Troop tie casino night at the armory with obtained through the Freedom of In-
houses First Troop events in Center commander, could not be reached for roulette blackjack and strippers.” formation Act, list him as a member of
City Philadelphia. comment. Full-service bars, luxurious leather Troop A 1/104th Cavalry as of March.
The organization is “an indepen- Joan Nissley, spokeswoman for the couches and a sauna reportedly are
dent active part of the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans among other amenities. In a 2015 story, HISTORY
National Guard,” according to docu- Affairs, which oversees the Guard, said, the publication Billy Penn quoted a
ments First Troop filed with the IRS in “The First Troop Philadelphia City Cav- trooper as saying it was “a fraternity for First Troop is a purely volunteer
2015. alry is a private, volunteer organization life.” Cavalry troop. It is a “private military
But when a Caucus reporter called in Philadelphia. It is not a unit within The Public Affairs Office of the Penn- organization in the service of the United
the First Troop last week, a man iden- the PA National Guard. sylvania National Guard didn’t answer States,” First Troop’s website states.

4 T H E C A U C U S Tuesday, April 10, 2018


Troopers wear dress uniforms from
the Revolutionary War era with high-
plumed helmets.
The troop was originally called the
“Light Horse of the City of Philadel-
phia.”
“The gentlemen of the Philadelphia
Light Horse were professional men, ship
owners, importers, or traders, generally
of conspicuous prominence in the affairs
of the day,” the website states.
In other words, they were wealthy.
Prominent social clubs also played a
role in the troop’s founding. And that’s
how many military units were formed in
the 18th and much of the 19th centuries.
Throughout the country, officers were
often elected prior to World War I, said
Sgt. Damian Smith of the Pennsylvania
National Guard.
First Troop is “grandfathered in”
with rules that predate the modern
Army, Smith said.
Its privileges predate the Militia Act
of 1792.
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OVERHEARD ON 3RD
That’s why it can elect its members
and officers, unlike other Guard units.
There are no women in First Troop.
Its members come from the 104th
Cavalry, a combat unit, and women were
not allowed in combat until January
2013, according to a guard officer famil-
iar with First Troop.
First Troop escorted George Wash-
ington to Trenton and was engaged in
the War of 1812, the Mexican War and a
skirmish at Gettysburg during the Civil
War. More recently First Troop was
mobilized for Bosnia, Iraq and Kuwait,
its website states.
BENEFITS
There are former members and
current National Guard members in
the social organization, the officer said.
When they are deployed, only current
guardsman are activated. When current
members of the guard are riding in an
event, they are volunteering their time,
“
‘Troopers also en-
joy a wide variety of
other opportunities’
including cruises,
golf and shooting
tournaments, turn-
outs at events such
as U.S. presidential
inaugurals, and
national and inter-
national equestrian
competition.
FIRST TROOP PHILADELPHIA
CITY CAVALRY WEBSITE
HTTP://WWW.FIRSTTROOP.COM/
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
said the officer familiar with the unit.
Members are expected to donate
their guard duty drill pay to the unit.
The armory’s main hall is rented out
for events. Annual giving and gifts to
endowments to capital projects also
make up a share of the $329,135 in
revenue collected in 2015, according
to the unit’s IRS filing as a 501(c)(4)
nonprofit.
“Benefits include membership in the
Troop Club, access to the Troop NCO
club, vehicle parking in the Armory, and
use of the Troop horses stabled in the
Philadelphia area,” First Troop’s mem-
bership website states.
“Troopers also enjoy a wide variety of
other opportunities” including cruises,
golf and shooting tournaments, turnouts
at events such as U.S. presidential inau-
gurals, and national and international
equestrian competition. Additionally,
there is always a busy round of Troop
social events, including many for the
family.”
THE CAUCUS 5

AIRING DIRTY
LAUNDRY
Inside the nasty and expensive television ad
war between Scott Wagner and Paul Mango
T
» » SAM JANESCH
om Wolf ushered in a new era in Pennsylvania
politics when he honked the horn of his 8-year-
old Jeep Wrangler. The three friendly beeps
reverberated in living rooms across the state for
months as the only gubernatorial
campaign ads on television.
By the time Wolf’s opponents
put their own commercials on the
air, it was too late. The cabinet-
making businessman appearing in
those folksy ads had built a lead he
would never relinquish.
“There isn’t any argument. Tom
Wolf’s introductory commercial
… took a race where he was about
five or six in the polls and put him
into the front of the pack, and he
never trailed in the primary or in
the general election,” said G. Terry
Madonna, director of the Center for
Politics and Public Affairs at Frank-
lin & Marshall College in Lancaster.
Four years later, Wolf has re-
vived his old campaign playbook;
he spent $350,000 on media in the
last few weeks without a primary
opponent in sight.
And his potential Republican
challengers have, for months, been
copying his methods — spending
huge sums of their own personal
fortunes to televise ads early and in
massive quantities.
Scott Wagner and Paul Mango
are hammering each other and
spending millions on advertising in
the hopes of keeping competitive in
what every political scientist says
will be a huge year for Democrats.
Meantime, Laura Ellsworth is
waiting in the wings, criticizing their
increasingly negative attacks and try-
ing to discredit a strategy that politi-
cal observers say is officially the new
normal in Keystone State politics.
THE AD WAR
Four years after Wolf showed off
his worn Jeep — and the mechanic
who helped keep it in running — his
opponents are trying to outdo one
another in the Republican primary
campaign by painting starkly con-
trasting images of themselves.
Wagner is selling himself as a
farm-raised businessman who owns
a trash-hauling company and isn’t
afraid to get on the back of a garbage
truck or clean the company toilets.
6 T H E C A U C U S Tuesday, April 10, 2018
COVER STORY
Mango is playing up his status
as a West Point graduate, and being
handed his degree from Grand Old
Party icon Ronald Reagan, going on
to Harvard, then learning how to
reinvigorate businesses.
Wagner had been running for
governor for a year before his cam-
paign went on the air in December,
five months before the Republican
primary. “He wanted his message
out there,” said Wagner campaign
spokesman Andrew Romeo. “And he
had the ability to do so financially.”
The multimillionaire invested
$4 million of his own money in his
bid right away. Campaign-finance
reports show Wagner first began
making media-related purchases
early in 2017; he spent nearly
$750,000 at the end of the year to
begin the television ads in force.
In an ad called “Tough,” the
words “conservative,” “reformer”
and “tough” are prominently fea-
tured in big bold type as a voiceover
announces them to reinforce the
point.
The one-term senator from
York wants voters to view him as
the outsider candidate rather than
the “Harrisburg insider” he talks
negatively about in the ads.
Mango, the first-time candi-
date from Pittsburgh, has a similar
outsider message telling voters that
politicians are the real cause of all
Pennsylvania’s woes.
Voters view politicians in a dim
light, so both candidates will likely
continue to emphasize their busi-
ness experience, said Chris Borick,
professor of political science and
director of the Muhlenberg College
Institute of Public Opinion.
“You’re not going to get much
from Sen. Scott Wagner,” Borick said,
emphasizing the word “senator.”
Madonna said, “They’re both
fighting to be the classic outsider.”
They’re also tearing into each
other.
A new ad from Mango’s cam-
paign last week features cartoon
drawings of Wagner while slinging
several dark monikers at him — from
“slumlord Wagner” to “sleazy bail
bondsman Wagner,” “deadbeat dad
Wagner” and “violent Wagner.”
A Wagner ad from last month
calls Mango a “phony” and a “real
liberal.”
Ellsworth, for her part, de-
nounced the vicious ads and said
while she hasn’t been on TV yet,
it’s only a matter of time before
she is.
“(Voters) don’t want 30-sec-
ond attack ads that they’re
bombarded for at home when
politicians talk about the other
politician,” Ellsworth said at a
recent Pennsylvania Press Club
luncheon in Harrisburg. “They’re
tired of it. They’re sick of it. That’s
why you haven’t seen me doing it
— because I don’t believe in it.”
Her ads will hit the air, she said
with a smile, “when I think people
are really attending to the issues,
which they’re not at the moment.”
SPENDING SO FAR
Wagner’s and Mango’s cam-
paigns each spent $1.9 million on
media-related purchases in the
first three months of 2018, accord-
ing to a Caucus review of their
campaign finance reports filed last
week.
That’s on top of the $1.1 mil-
lion Wagner spent and $725,000
Mango spent in 2017, according to
their reports from last year.
All of Mango’s media money
went right to BrabenderCox, the
Harrisburg-based firm run by
former Rick Santorum strategist
John Brabender. The descriptions
for all of that spending was “me-
dia/consulting/advertising.”
“Our agency is his comprehen-
sive media firm … from television
to digital to radio,” said Brabend-
erCox’s Mat Beynon, who serves
as Mango’s primary campaign
spokesman.
Most of Wagner’s spending
— about $2,340,000 — went to
Jamestown Associates for “placed
media” going back to November.
The Philadelphia-based
company was the group behind
President Donald Trump’s televi-
sion campaign in 2016.
Wagner also notably paid
$508,214 to an Alexandria,
Virginia-based group, Imge Inc.,
for online advertising, an increas-
ingly popular method of reaching
voters. He also spent $124,014 di-
rectly on Facebook ads in 2017 and
dabbled in Snapchat ads — just
$115 — campaign records show.
Campaign spokespeople for
both Wagner and Mango declined
to comment on how much Face-
book or other social media ads are
part of their digital strategies.
Ellsworth, meantime, re-
ported no distinct media-related
purchases in 2017, and in recent
months reported just $24,000 to
a Columbus, Ohio-based firm to
produce videos for her.
Her campaign spent $351,239
in the last three months total — al-
most the exact amount of money
that her would-be opponent in
November has already spent to
revive his television campaign.
Wolf, who doesn’t face any
Democratic challengers in the
May primary, reported sending
$353,590 to his media buyer, the
Philadelphia-based Shorr John-
son Magnus, in two payments
starting Feb. 23.
That’s the same firm that he
used in 2014 and that produced
ads for President Barack Obama’s
2008 campaign.
And it’s already put the gover-
nor’s money to use.
While Wagner and Mango began
spending big to get their ads on TV
in late December and early January,
Wolf’s re-election ads began in late
February, according to television
contracts filed with the Federal
Communications Commission.
Wolf’s campaign manager Jeff
Sheridan declined to talk about
the media buys.
It’s unclear how much each
candidate is specifically spending
in every market, but what is clear
from the FCC reports is that Wolf,
Wagner and Mango are all on the
air already in the Pittsburgh and
Scranton markets.
The pair of Republicans are also
spending heavily in Philadelphia,
where buying air time can take an
unnerving chunk out of candidates’
piggy banks.
To get on during Philadelphia’s
ABC affiliate Channel 6 during the
6 p.m. hour, they’re coughing up
 COVER STORY

$3,250 for 30 seconds, according to con-
tracts filed with the FCC.
For the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh,
where Wagner, Mango and Wolf have all
bought time, it can cost $925 for the same
time slot.
At CBS in Scranton, where they are
all also on TV, it’s $75 for 30 seconds at 6
p.m.
Wagner is the only candidate on TV in
Erie and Altoona-Johnstown, according
to the FCC reports.
THE TOM WOLF PLAYBOOK
Wolf came charging out of the gate in
2014, vowing from that first commercial
to be “a different kind of governor.”
He dropped $10 million of his own
money on the campaign and launched
ads in the major media markets from
late January through the May 20 pri-
mary, building his name recognition
and boosting his position in the polls.
Originally, he wasn’t even close to
being considered the front-runner;
there were bigger names including Rob
McCord, Allyson Schwartz and Katie
McGinty in the race, Borick said.
Wolf not only spent to get his face on
TV, but he did it well — with “quirky Jeep
ads” that the public could easily identify
with, along with hitting hard on issues
like education spending and a natural gas
severance tax, Borick said.
“The combination of the early timing
and the size of his buys were not normal
in Pa. politics,” Borick said. “He really did
take a lot of people by surprise with that
strategy.”
Madonna, the longtime Pennsylvania
politics observer, said Wolf’s first ads were
the most effective he’s seen since 1966,
when former Gov. Milton Shapp ran his
first unsuccessful, self-funded campaign
with a “man against the machine” theme.
“There have been commercials that
flooded the markets that have not been
very effective,” said Madonna.
For the previously unknown busi-
nessman and secretary of revenue, the
strategy won him a place in not only vot-
ers’ living rooms, but also on the national
stage.
“Why a Tom Wolf Win Is No Sur-
prise: Money,” a headline in The Atlantic
read the day before the May 20, 2014
primary.
The New York Times, in its story
about Wolf winning that primary, said he
had been “virtually anonymous before
spending as much as $10 million of his
own money on television ads.”
BIG MONEY, ROUND II?
Wolf spent a grand total of $32.5 mil-
lion in his 2014 campaign — a bit more
than the $28 million from Corbett’s camp.
Pennsylvania was the fourth-highest
state in the country in terms of television
ad spending in the 2014 midterms, and the
third-highest state in which candidates
themselves put money into those ads,
according to a report from The Center For
Public Integrity at the end of that year.
Wolf’s campaign spent $19.3 million
on more than 25,000 television spots
while Corbett’s campaign spent $15.4 mil-
lion on 23,225 spots in the two-year pe-
riod, the center reported. Millions more
were spent on thousands of other ads
from McCord, McGinty and Schwartz.
Outside groups also spent millions.
PA Families First, a Democratic group
backed by the Democratic Governors As-
sociation, spent $1.8 million on 2,302 ads
attacking Corbett for education cuts.
And a Republican-backed group, Key
Questions Key Answers, spent $220,000
on 67 anti-Wolf spots featuring the soon-
to-be governor’s face superimposed on a
sheep and asking viewers to go to NoWol-
fInSheepsClothing.com.
Stephen Medvic, a Franklin & Mar-
shall College government professor, said
it’s difficult to predict how much money
is going to flow into the race this year
because it’s early and there hasn’t been
much polling yet.
And how competitive the race appears
Who’s on the air and where
This chart shows the television stations and markets where the 2018 Pennsylvania
gubernatorial hopefuls are spending their money on advertising.
Cost of 30-Second Ad
Station listing at 6 p.m. Weekdays
KDKA (CBS, Pittsburgh)
WPXI (NBC, Pittsburgh)
WTAE (ABC, Pittsburgh)
WPGH (Fox, Pittsburgh)
WPCW (CW, Pittsburgh)
WPVI (ABC, Philadelphia)
WCAU (NBC, Philadelphia)
KYW (CBS, Philadelphia)
WTXF (Fox, Philadelphia)
WPSG (CW, Philadelphia)
WPHL (Philadelphia)
WJET (ABC, Erie)
WICU (NBC, Erie)
WSEE (CBS, Erie)
WFXP (Fox, Erie)
WNEP (ABC, Scranton)
WYOU (CBS, Scranton)
WBRE (NBC, Wilkes-Barre)
WOLF (Fox, Hazleton)
WHTM (ABC, Harrisburg)
WHP (CBS, Harrisburg)
WGAL (NBC, Lancaster)
WPMT (Fox, York)
WTAJ (CBS, Altoona)
WATM (ABC, Altoona)
WJAC (NBC, Johnstown)
WWCP (Fox, Johnstown)
Source: Federal Communications Commission
is going to determine much about the
amounts that the campaigns — and out-
side groups working on their behalf — are
going to put into ads.
“A lot of it’s going to be driven by ‘How
close is the race?’” Medvic said. It will be a
“big Democratic year,” he said, and the Re-
publican nominee hasn’t been decided yet.
The first and only poll in the race so
far, released March 29 by Franklin &
Marshall College’s Center for Opinion Re-
search, found many voters are undecided.
The poll’s hypothetical head-to-head
matchups found Wolf defeating Ellsworth
50 percent to 22 percent; Wolf beating
Mango 49 percent to 22 percent; and Wolf
beating Wagner 38 percent to 21 percent.
The Wagner-Wolf matchup question
revealed the most undecided voters, 35
percent.
NATIONAL INTEREST?
Since the record-breaking Wolf-
Corbett race, Pennsylvania’s been home
to more than a few races that have drawn “They’re going to have to do an analy-
attention and cash from all over the sis of what’s important,” Kopko said of
country. the national interests.
McGinty’s challenge to Republican Even looking at other gubernatorial
U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in 2016 cost an races, there are places such as Ohio, a
astounding $164 million combined, the battleground state where Gov. John Ka-
most for any Senate race in history. sich won’t be on the ballot again, where
Last month, the special election the national Republican Party needs to
between Republican Rick Saccone and make significant investments, Kopko
Democrat Conor Lamb featured a last- said.
ditch, $10.6 million effort from national “Republicans are going to cling to
Republicans and nearly $2 million from every single incumbent first of all,” and
liberal groups. Still, Saccone came up as they look at the rest of their large-but-
short. finite pool of money, they’re going to be
looking at the strength of the other GOP
candidates, Medvic said.
If one is underperforming in the polls
or unable to raise money individually,
they’ll say, “Why should we come in and
bail him out?” Medvic said
“They’re going to be looking for signs
that a candidate is viable especially in
Who’s Advertising this environment,” Medvic said.
$1,500 Wagner, Mango Other factors will be how the pri-
maries shape up, how voters feel about
$925 Wagner, Mango, Wolf Trump’s tax reform efforts, and the
$800 Wagner, Mango, Wolf performance of his administration and
$600 Wagner, Mango congressional Republicans in general.
Borick said the general-election cam-
$350 Wagner, Mango
paigns could easily spend more than $20
$3,250 Wagner, Mango million. The primary alone could cost $10
$900 Wagner, Mango million, he said.
$700 Wagner, Mango
WHAT TO EXPECT
$400 Wagner, Mango
$225 Mango Analysts say Labor Day is the typical
Not Available Wagner, Mango point for campaigns and outside inter-
ests to kick off their work and television
$1,080 Wagner spending in high gear.
$215 Wagner But they also say it wouldn’t be a
$115 Wagner shock if a healthy dose of ads continued
all through the spring and summer,
Not Available Wagner
especially as the Republican nominee
$750 Wagner, Mango, Wolf builds name recognition and tries to
$75 Wagner, Mango, Wolf take advantage of state issues in the
$175 Wagner, Mango, Wolf
news, like another potential budget
debacle in July.
Wagner, Mango, Wolf In 2018, candidates are expanding
$500 Wagner, Mango their efforts into social media, but the
$150 Wagner, Mango “lion’s share” of the spending will still be
directed toward television, said Borick,
$650 Wagner, Mango who estimated three-quarters of the
$85 Wagner, Mango gubernatorial spending will be in TV.
$525 Wagner “They’ll be fighting for TV spots,” es-
pecially with so many competitive races
$40 Wagner
in the Philadelphia area this fall.
$300 Wagner As of the end of March, Wagner, the
Not Available Wagner Pennsylvania Republican Party-endorsed
candidate, had the most cash on hand
heading into a vital stretch of the Repub-
lican primary.
He reported having $6,299,862 cash
And, of course, Trump became the on hand, while Mango had $3,295,224
first Republican presidential nominee and Ellsworth had $434,158.
to take the state in nearly 30 years while Wolf’s campaign had a $14.7 million
spending far less than Hillary Clinton. war chest and was already on television
But in 2018, with a crowded election assuring voters that he has indeed been
season made even more competitive by “a different kind of governor.”
the new congressional district map here, “It wasn’t just talk to get elected in
analysts aren’t expecting the gubernato- 2014. It was about actions that he ex-
rial race to break any records — espe- ecuted as governor,” Sheridan said about
cially if it doesn’t appear to be very close. Wolf’s promised salary deferment and
Kyle Kopko, a political science pro- gift bans for administration officials.
fessor at Elizabethtown College, said After voters first heard Wolf say those
investments from the national parties ideas on repeat, that television strategy
and independent groups such as the gov- became “the new standard,” Borick said.
ernors associations are likely. Unknown candidates need to get out
More outside resources coming here, early to establish a presence with vot-
however, will likely be devoted to the ers. And perceived frontrunners such as
U.S. Senate race between Democrat Sen. Wagner must continuously reinforce that
Bob Casey and Republican U.S. Rep. Lou perception and “make everyone else play
Barletta. Outside interests will view the catch-up,” Borick said.
gubernatorial horse race as important, “Clearly in politics if something works
but the Senate one has national implica- it’s going to be replicated and I have no
tions, including the narrow margin over doubt in this cycle you will see, for those
which party has control of the chamber who have the resources, a replication,”
after November. said Borick.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 THE CAUCUS 7

 SPECIAL REPORT

IN JAIL,
IN WITHDRAWAL THINKSTOCK | PETER GINTER

Less than 1 percent of the nation’s 5,000 prisons

allow access to FDA-approved medication that can
curb painful opioid cravings. Is this cruel and unusual
punishment?
» » CHRISTINE VESTAL

F
rom the moment they are arrested, people with an addic-
tion to heroin and prescription painkillers and those who
are taking medications to beat their addictions face the
prospect of painful opioid withdrawal.
At least a quarter of the people in two-thirds among recently incarcerated
U.S. prisons and jails are addicted to people in the first year of a new program
opioids. Those who are released rejoin that screens and provides addiction
their communities with dangerously medicines to all state inmates.
reduced tolerance and nothing to blunt According to the study by Brown
their drug cravings, making them highly University researchers, the program not
susceptible to a deadly overdose. only reduces overdose deaths after the
But new scientific evidence and a inmates are released, but also increases
recently announced federal investiga- the likelihood they will stay in treat-
tion may soften prison officials’ long- ment and avoid getting arrested again.
held opposition to medication-assisted Meantime, in Massachusetts, which
treatment. doesn’t provide methadone or buprenor-
Rhode Island is the only state that phine to inmates, the U.S. Department of
provides all three FDA-approved ad- Justice is investigating whether correc-
diction medications — methadone, tions officials are violating the Ameri-
buprenorphine and a long-acting, cans with Disabilities Act by forcing
injectable form of naltrexone known as inmates who were taking those addiction
Vivitrol — to all inmates. medicines when they entered prison to
A recent study in the medical jour- stop taking them while incarcerated.
nal JAMA Psychiatry found that opioid Massachusetts lawmakers are con-
overdose deaths dropped by nearly sidering a corrections bill that would re-
quire the state’s prisons and jails to offer
all three FDA-approved medications.
A similar proposal is advancing in
Connecticut, which has provided metha-
done to some inmates in some jails for
six years. The bill there would expand
the program to all medications for all
inmates.
And at the federal level, President
Donald Trump promised last month to
screen every federal inmate — roughly
180,000 people — for opioid addiction
and provide Vivitrol in residential treat-
ment centers prior to release. Trump
also called for more federal support for
state, local and tribal drug courts to help
provide “evidence-based treatment as
an alternative to or in conjunction with
incarceration, or as a condition of super-
vised release.”
OPPOSITION WITHIN
Less than 1 percent of the more than
5,000 U.S. prisons and jails, which house
more than 2 million inmates, allow ac-
cess to the FDA-approved medication,
even though medical societies, addiction
experts and correctional health organi-
zations support their use.
Finding the money to fund correction-
al drug treatment programs is a challenge
in many states. But research shows the
cost of providing addiction medications in
correctional facilities is outweighed over
time by savings in both future health care
and incarceration costs.
“In fact, not treating inmates with the
community standard of care for addiction
should be considered a violation of the
U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment
prohibition on cruel and unusual punish-
ment,” said Josiah Rich, a Brown Univer-
sity professor of medicine and epidemiol-
ogy who co-authored the recent study of
Rhode Island’s treatment program.
Standing in the way are sheriffs and
other prison officials, who argue that
allowing treatment inside prisons with
methadone or buprenorphine — both
narcotics that can be abused — will lead to
the drugs being diverted within the prison
and possibly to illicit street markets.
In Barnstable County, Massachu-

8 T H E C A U C U S Tuesday, April 10, 2018


setts, for example, Sheriff James
Cummings said he would not
allow buprenorphine to be
dispensed in his jail because it is
considered contraband.
“We ruled out buprenorphine
because it doesn’t work for the
people we deal with,” Cummings
said. “Inmates try to smuggle it
into the facility every day. It’s a
narcotic. They use it until they
can get their next heroin fix so
they don’t get sick and they sell it
to get money to buy more heroin.
It’s not a good fit.”
Instead, Barnstable in 2012
added Vivitrol to its re-entry pro-
gram for opioid-addicted inmates
who are scheduled to leave within
the next two weeks. Cummings
said the program has reduced
overdose deaths and repeat of-
fenses.
In general, Vivitrol is an easier
sell in most prisons and jails, said
Andrew Klein, who runs a Justice
Department program aimed at
getting more drug treatment into
correctional facilities. But it’s not
the best medication for everyone,
he said.
In fact, nearly all corrections
officials reject the use of either
methadone or buprenorphine be-
hind prison walls. That’s despite a
history of research showing both
medicines are highly effective at
eliminating cravings, preventing
overdoses and keeping people in
recovery from opioid addiction.
Methadone has been used for
addiction treatment almost exclu-
sively in highly regulated clinics
since its introduction in 1964.
Buprenorphine has been available
by prescription since 2002.
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY
At least one in five incarcer-
ated people are imprisoned
because of drug charges, but in
many states, even more inmates
are addicted to heroin and other
opioids.
In Connecticut, for example,
at least 30 percent of the state’s
14,000 inmates are addicted to
opioids, according to Kathleen
Maurer, the medical director for
the state’s corrections depart-
ment.
Nationwide, a quarter of
heroin addicts pass through the
corrections system each year, ac-
cording to a study in the Journal
for Opioid Management.
This presents a huge opportu-
nity to quell the opioid epidemic
and prevent thousands of over-
dose deaths. Cut off from their
drug supply, inmates are more
likely to opt for addiction medi-
cations than people who haven’t
been incarcerated, particularly
SPECIAL REPORT
when the medications can help
them avoid painful withdrawal
symptoms, Rich said.
In addition, providing the
medications and ensuring com-
pliance should be much easier in
the controlled environment of
prisons and jails, said Dr. Kevin
Fiscella, an addiction specialist
who advises the National Com-
mission on Correctional Health
Care, which accredits prison
health programs. “There is no
better place to intervene in an
individual’s addiction than in
corrections.”
Yet very few correctional
facilities offer it.
Methadone, the oldest and
most researched addiction medi-
cation, is available in only 22 of
the nation’s 3,300 local jails and
even fewer of its prisons, Klein
said.
Five states — Hawaii, New
Jersey, New York, Vermont and
Washington — offer both metha-
done and buprenorphine to some
inmates at one or more prisons or
jails. Only Rhode Island offers all
three medications to all inmates
in all of its prisons and jails.
And in about 200 jails in about
40 states, naltrexone is offered to
inmates who are close to being re-
leased, under programs primarily
sponsored by its manufacturer,
Klein said.
The online news site Vox re-
cently published original research
showing that a smaller number
of states offer naltrexone in their
prisons.
Under a 2016 executive order
issued by Rhode Island Gov. Gina
Raimondo, a Democrat, the state
not only continues medications
for those who enter incarceration
on an addiction drug, but also of-
fers medication to prisoners who,
after a substance abuse screening
at intake, are deemed to need it.
Rhode Island is spending $2 mil-
lion annually on the program.
Traci Green, the lead author
of the Rhode Island study and an
adjunct professor of epidemiology
at Brown University, said, “The
great hope is that we can take what
we’ve learned in prisons and jails
and transplant it to other places
in the community such as hospital
emergency departments, where
we’re also touching the lives of
people who use drugs.
“The good news for other
states,” she said, “is that what
we’ve done here is entirely repli-
cable.”
Christine Vestal is a journal-
ist for Stateline, which reports on
trends in state policy. Stateline is
an initiative of The Pew Chari-
table Trusts.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 THE CAUCUS 9
 THE INTERVIEW

“I looked at this as a great

deterrent, because these
cowards who want their 15
minutes of fame, they don’t
want to go anywhere where
somebody is going to be
shooting back,” Sen. Don
White says of arming teach-
ers against school shooters.

ARMING TEACHERS
SENATE REPUBLICAN COMMUNICATIONS

A student attacked 20 of his classmates in Sen. Don White’s district in 2014. Now the
lawmaker says educators should have the right to carry guns and defend their schools.

S
» » BRAD BUMSTED + PAULA KNUDSEN

THE CAUCUS: Are the interests in- 50 percent. That is substantial. This gov-
enate Banking and Insurance Chairman Don White has
volved in this — be it the trial lawyers, ernor has been very active, very visible
sponsored legislation to establish which drugs may be the Philadelphia law firm Pond Lehocky on opioid abuse, and this should be right
covered by workers’ compensation insurance. Stern Giordano? Are they all lobbying up his alley, and he has not come out
Legislative interest peaked when The Philadelphia Daily against it still? and said that he is going to veto it, but he
WHITE: All I know is this, Brad: The hasn’t shown any support at all.
News and Inquirer last year published THE CAUCUS: Your workers’ com- trial bar is working very, very hard
stories about a Philadelphia law firm pensation drug formulary legislation, against this bill and they have been very THE CAUCUS: Do you think that has
that controlled a mail-order pharmacy Senate Bill 936, received a tie vote — 98- vocal and riling up as much support anything to do with the million dollars
and billed insurance carriers thousands 98 — in the House in February. That is a as they can, and you know what that in contributions he received, according
of dollars for a pain cream that had not pretty unusual vote. means. to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s report-
been approved by the Food and Drug WHITE: Yes, I’ve have been scratch- ing?
Administration. ing my head trying to figure it out. The THE CAUCUS: What do the trial law- WHITE: This PAC called Fairness PA
More broadly, the firm was sending House has kind of been going to the beat yers say? Why do they think people will — I have no idea who this entity is — but
injured workers to doctors and allegedly of its own drummer for some time now. be harmed by this legislation? between them and Pond Lehocky, who
asking the physicians to send patients WHITE: I really don’t understand it started their own pharmacy, there has
to the law firm-connected pharmacy, THE CAUCUS: Do you have any indica- other than they feel we are intruding in been a lot of money transactions over
according to the Inquirer. tion from House leaders that they are an area that we have no business stick- the last year. In fact, I think I can fairly
The issue of a drug “formulary” for going to bring it up again? ing our nose in, and they are passing out say that these entities have given Gover-
workers’ comp had been around for WHITE: The speaker has told me, not all these rumors that it’s really not about nor Wolf over $1 million in the last year.
several years, but the media exposure directly, but it he has been quite clear opioids but it’s really about “this and
revealed systemic weaknesses. that he is 100 percent behind the bill and that.” And that we are interfering with THE CAUCUS: So you look at this
White’s bill sailed through the Senate wants to bring it back up again. the doctor/patient relationship, and this money flying around. The initial sto-
but stalled in the House by an unusual is just another workers’ comp bill that is ries were about this law firm having a
98-98 tie vote. THE CAUCUS: Why are legislators op- over the top and a very partisan bill. prescription-drug business where work-
White, R-Indiana County, who has posed to the bill? What have you heard? All the insurance companies that ers’ comp people were going to get drugs
served 18 years in the Senate, suspects Ninety-eight House members voted identify with the chairman of Banking and expensive cream. Your bill doesn’t
special-interest money may be the against it. and Insurance are all excited because even prevent a law firm from having a
reason. WHITE: There are all of these myths. they are going to make specifically a lot connection to a pharmacy, right?
Perhaps more controversial is For example, the chiropractors are more money if this is passed. I don’t WHITE: No, it does not prevent it at all.
White’s bill giving school boards the op- against it. Well, this has nothing to do know. Obviously they are not coming to All we are saying is we want the same
tion of arming teachers and other school with chiropractors. They are not allowed me and telling me what their story is. I kind of formulary that we have for the
employees. In his interview with The to prescribe drugs. They are against it, just find it, to say that least, a little over CHIP program, for Medicaid and for
Caucus, White talks about training that and you know how once a camel gets his the top. This is something that has been regular personal health insurance. That
would be required and why he offered nose under the tent, you gotta look out done in other states and has worked is all that we are asking. I have to be
this bill. He is not seeking re-election for what’s going to happen next. But I quite efficiently. I’ve been talking a lot blunt and say that I’m pretty skeptical
and reflects on some of the high points really don’t understand their opposition about Ohio. But they managed to lower about these creams where they basically
of his Senate tenure. to this at all. or show reduction in opioid addiction by take one cream that costs $100 in

10 T H E C A U C U S Tuesday, April 10, 2018


the right hand and another cream that
costs $100 in your left hand, put them
together and all of a sudden the bill’s
in the thousands. I have a tough time
with that, but that’s not what this bill is
about. We are not trying to put them out
of business necessarily, but I do think
they deserve to have a lot more over-
sight than what they have now, and their
over-prescription of opioids to workers’
comp. I’d like to think that the labor or-
ganizations would be behind something
like this. They don’t want their members
addicted.
THE CAUCUS: So businesses, through
their payments to pay for workers’ comp
and taxpayers, are the ones who are pay-
ing for these creams and various other
drug concoctions, right?
WHITE: Yes, and you can’t blame the
workers. The worker never sees a bill. As
you know, there are no deductibles or co-
pays, so they never see a bill, so they don’t
understand or really care. They just want
to feel better. They don’t care how much
money the taxpayer has to pay. They are
not having to pitch in a dime.
THE CAUCUS: Switching from the
workers’ compensation drug formulary
legislation to your teachers and firearms
bill. Can you give us an update on your
legislation?
WHITE: I have had a lot of calls from
a lot of press people across the country,
especially right after what happened
down in Parkland. This all started for
me back when I had a bunch of teachers
after Sandy Hook come to me from the
Indiana School District and said, “Look,
senator, do you agree that we should
have the right to defend ourselves in all
situations?”
And I really didn’t know what they
were getting into, and to tell you the
truth, that first meeting was rather
short and I thought their plan, as they
described it to me, was a little over the
top. I didn’t get a chance to really get
into their particulars on their training
programs or if this would be volunteers.
I didn’t know that. I pictured some prin-
cipal walking through the halls saying,
“OK, librarian, you are going to be one of
the participants.”
But after Governor Corbett called me
back in 2013 and gave me the heads-up
right after it happened out at Franklin
Regional School District. The school
district is one of my wealthiest, by far,
school districts in the 41st district, and
he told me about what happened there.
That young man ran through there. He
timed it perfectly. He timed it before
classes started so the halls were packed.
All the kids were at their lockers and
milling around and talking. He ran
through there with two kitchen knives
and he stabbed 21 people. They had a
resource officer right there in school,
right in the same hallway, but he was
unarmed. He ended up getting stabbed
himself.
Corbett asked them to preserve the
crime scene. We went to Murrysville. I
went through there and it was just stun-
ning. I thought I was walking through a
slaughterhouse. You have to remember
he did all of this in four minutes and 30
seconds. Four minutes and 30 seconds
before he was finally apprehended and
tackled. The police were 2 ½ minutes
away and they responded. The problem
is, I have a school district that is very,
very rural. I have communities that do
not have local police officers. So as a
result, they are totally dependent upon
THE INTERVIEW
state police protection.
In my home county, for example, I
have three or four schools that — I don’t
care if they drive 100 miles an hour — it’s
going to take the state police 25 to 45
minutes to get there. If this kid can do
that much damage in 4 ½ minutes with
two kitchen knives, imagine if he had an
automatic weapon at that time of day.
I know that it’s not the silver bul-
let. Everyone is making it out to be.
I got a lot of abuse from my Senate
colleagues down in the Southeast. I’ve
visited schools, the public schools in the
Southeast, and I saw — and this is prob-
ably eight years ago — metal detectors, I
saw bars on windows, I saw police in the
hallways.
That doesn’t apply to my Purchase
Line and Penns Manor and Marion Cen-
ter schools at all. And so I just thought
this would be an option.
In Ohio, their legislation was passed
in 2010, and now there are 250 schools
out of 630 that have signed up for this.
If you do your research, as I have tried,
they haven’t had one gun incident in any
one of those schools.
So I looked at this as a great deter-
rent, because these cowards who want
their 15 minutes of fame, they don’t
want to go anywhere where somebody
is going to be shooting back. They want
to go into a pristine area, in a no-guns-
allowed area, do their damage and get
their picture in the paper. They don’t
care how many people they hurt. They
just don’t want anybody there shooting
back at them.That’s all.
THE CAUCUS: How would this work
under your bill? Each school district
would be able to decide whether they
want to do this? So they wouldn’t have
to, right?
WHITE: It is strictly a “may” bill. I’d
be surprised, who knows? Maybe there
would only be one school out there. Or
10 or 20. I have no idea how people feel
or if they feel as passionate about this
as I do. But in those areas without any
armed personnel and any local police?
Another thing they are talking now
about is putting armed guards in the
schools. Well, that is great, but most of
my schools are made up of more than
just one school. In Indiana, for example,
there are six schools — elementary,
junior high, and senior high. You would
have to have a guard in every one of
those, and you are talking about benefits
and pay. They are already cutting classes
and saying they can’t afford them. They
are cutting teachers and not replacing
teachers who retire. Not every school
district has disposable money to go out
and hire these people.
THE CAUCUS: Will there be some
training required for whoever is going
to carry a gun? Let’s say a school board
votes to do this, would whoever is going
to carry in the school have to undergo
some training, unless they happen to be
ex-FBI or ex-Navy seal?
WHITE: These teachers who came to
me, none of them were military, and
two of them were women. One is a gym
teacher and one is the volleyball coach.
Two of them described the course they
went to in Ohio called Buckeye Fire-
arms. The classes are limited to 20
people, and so far, since they started this
program, they have taught over 1,300
teachers across the country. It is very
intense and very realistic.
When they get down to the realism
where they are actually firing rubber
bullets in scenarios where there is an
attacker on a school, four or five teach-
ers after that session say, “This isn’t for
me. I don’t think I am capable of han-
dling the stress of this. “And they walk
away from it. The cost for each school is
$3,500 for each session and it lasts seven
or eight days. So they pay $3,500, which
is better than paying salary and benefits
for a security guard.
THE CAUCUS: Or for several security
guards as you had pointed out.
WHITE: It’s a “may” bill, strictly volun-
teer. I don’t want any Rambos out there.
I don’t want any John Waynes. The
teachers want to do something, as some-
body said in an article; they just want
to defend themselves with something
more than a No. 2 pencil, and I agree.
They have just as much right to defend
themselves and the kids they have.
Those three teachers shot in Parkland,
don’t forget, stood there with their arms
spread and their kids behind them, and
this guy gunned them down.
THE CAUCUS: Is there any psycho-
logical testing required or anything like
that?
WHITE: Yes, we have psychological
testing to be performed, and state police
oversight on the program as well as the
training. I think it is a pretty compre-
hensive bill. A lot of school districts say,
“This is silly. The last thing we need is
more guns.” Well, in some of the cases
that we have seen, guns in the right
hands really can make a difference.
THE CAUCUS: That is interesting. Has
the Pennsylvania State Education As-
sociation taken a position on it?
WHITE: Oh, they are against it. Of
course they are against it. They want
their teachers teaching. They don’t want
them being concerned about anything
else. But I do think these teachers have
a good point in the fact that they have
the right to defend themselves if they so
wish. If they go through the training and
go through the psychological testing and
they are well trained on how to handle a
firearm, I don’t see why this can’t be an
option for our 501 school districts.
THE CAUCUS: What are the prospects
of this getting through? It has passed the
Senate, right?
WHITE: Yes, it has passed the Senate.
It wasn’t easy. I got a lot of pushback. I
think it passed by five or six votes. The
big part is that there are still people out
there who think this is a mandate and
every school has to do it. But that is not
the case at all and I wouldn’t even sup-
port something like that. We talk all the
time in Harrisburg about local control.
Well, I think this is a good opportunity
for local control.
THE CAUCUS: You’ve been in the Sen-
ate for 18 years. Do you think the Senate
has changed any for the better or for the
worse?
WHITE: It’s sort of followed the pat-
tern of what we’ve seen in D.C. One of
the most disappointing things is we’ve
become much more partisan. When I
first got here, I remember ranting and
raving — not so much me, but a lot of
debate. I was a new guy and I pretty
much kept my mouth shut and listened.
We would see a lot of times where there
would be a lot of very argumentative
debate on the floor, and yet at night —
I’m trying to think of the name of that
restaurant that burned down. It was
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
north of town. The Maverick. That was a
hangout for Republicans and Democrats
— you sat and you broke bread together.
You had a couple drinks together and
you discussed issues together.
We don’t do that anymore, and it is
sad. I happen to be in a caucus that has a
16-seat majority over the Democrats, so
I guess you would say we get things done
our way whether the Ds like it or not.
And that’s too bad. Because we used to
work together very closely.
The only time I have seen a good
working relationship recently has been
with this medical marijuana. Senator
(Mike) Folmer and Senator (Daylin)
Leach — that was like the old days. I mean
they really worked together. I think I was
the first Republican to sign on to Senator
Folmer’s bill and I had Democrats com-
ing across the aisle. We really reached
out and came to a conclusion that was in
the best interest of all Pennsylvanians,
especially after sitting through those
hearings and literally watching kids have
seizures in front of us. We got it done, and
the governor was anxious to sign it, and
I think it was a great piece of legislation
and a classic example of what happens
when people work together.
THE CAUCUS: I know it is hard to pick
one, but what is one thing that took
place that you did or were instrumental
in that you’re really proud of?
WHITE: I came there with no idea. I
was never in politics before. When I
went down there I knew nobody, and
like I said before, I kept my mouth shut.
And right in my first year we had that
pension increase. I voted no and my
leadership came to me and said, “Look,
I know you promised you wouldn’t take
a pay raise but this isn’t a pay raise, Don,
this is something to help with your pen-
sion down the road.” And I said, “Well,
you can cut this any way you want, but to
me it is a pay raise and I refuse to do it.”
I worked hard to continue the values
of the people that I represent and I think
I’ve been very accessible. Most of the
people down there are a lot smarter than
me. They didn’t send a Rhodes Scholar
when they sent me down there, but I’m
a pretty basic, black-and-white guy and
I am proud that I have relationships on
both sides of the aisle and I think my
leadership respects me. I didn’t get into
leadership and I never wanted to be in
leadership because I never wanted to be
told how to vote. That is important to
me. I think that overall it has been the
greatest experience of my life and at the
same time the most frustrating experi-
ence of my life.
THE CAUCUS: When you are done
with this term, what do you look forward
to doing when you don’t have to travel to
Harrisburg?
WHITE: I am very blessed with a
daughter, and she is a thoracic surgeon
up in Boston. She has presented me with
two grandchildren, one of her own and
one they adopted from China, and they
are both about the same age, 2 ½ and 3
years old. I will be making many more
trips to Boston. My wife goes up maybe
once a month for three or four days, but
I never get to go along because of all this
business, but I will have a lot more time
with them then. My predecessor, Pat
Stapleton, served for 32 or 34 honorable
years, and he also had the misfortune of
dying in office and never really getting
any opportunities to enjoy his well-
earned retirement. So I don’t wanna die
with my boots on.
T H E C A U C U S 11
 CAPITOL DISPATCHES

8 A.M., APRIL 10
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Harrisburg Hilton Harrisburg Hilton REP. SID MICHAELS KAVULICH REP. TEDD NESBIT
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Harrisburg Hilton
$300 to $1,000 $100 to $250 Harrisburg
Harrisburg
$350 to $1,000
8 A.M., APRIL 10 $300
8 A.M., APRIL 16
RECEPTION FOR REP. CHRIS QUINN RECEPTION FOR 11:30 A.M., APRIL 17
Old Town Deli LUNCHEON FOR 5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 8
REP. ADAM RAVENSTAHL
Harrisburg SEN. LISA BAKER RECEPTION FOR
Stock’s on 2nd
$250 to $500 Rubicon REP. KERRY BENNINGHOFF
Harrisburg
Harrisburg Rubicon
$250 to $1,000
8 A.M., APRIL 10 $500 Harrisburg
RECEPTION FOR REP. FRED KELLER 11:30 A.M., APRIL 16 $1,000 to $5,000
500 N. 3rd St. FUNDRAISER FOR 5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 7
Harrisburg RECEPTION FOR 5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 9
JOHN EICHELBERGER FOR CONGRESS
$250 SEN. GENE YAW RECEPTION FOR REP. JOHN TAYLOR
500 N. 3rd St.
Level 2 House of the Colonial Dames
Harrisburg
8 A.M., APRIL 10 Harrisburg Philadelphia
$500 to $1,000
RECEPTION FOR REP. TOM CALTAGIRONE $500 $250 to $10,000
Harrisburg Hilton
5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 6
Harrisburg 5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 7
RECEPTION FOR 8 A.M., APRIL 24
$500 to $2,500 RECEPTION FOR REP. ROSITA YOUNG-
REP. NEAL GOODMAN RECEPTION FOR SEN. JOHN YUDICHAK
BLOOD
McGrath’s Pub Harrisburg Hilton
8:30 A.M., APRIL 10 MCGRATH’S PUB
Harrisburg Harrisburg
RECEPTION FOR REP. STEPHEN BARRAR Harrisburg
Harrisburg Hilton $500 to $1,000 $500 to $2,500 $500 to $1,000
Harrisburg
$500 5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 6 7:30 A.M., APRIL 18 6 P. M . , A P R I L 2 5
RECEPTION FOR RECEPTION FOR RECEPTION FOR REP. ERIC ROE
5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 0 REP. PERRY WARREN REP. BECKY CORBIN Galer Estate Vineyard & Winery
RECEPTION FOR REP. PAM SNYDER McGrath’s Pub Stock’s on Second Kennett Square
McGrath’s Pub Harrisburg Harrisburg $85 to $140
Harrisburg $300 to $500
$500 to $1,000 8 A.M., APRIL 17
7 P. M . , A P R I L 2 8
RECEPTION FOR SENATE DEMOCRATIC 7:30 A.M., APRIL 18
CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR
5 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 0 RECEPTION FOR REP. BUD COOK
Harrisburg Hilton U.S. REP. DWIGHT EVANS
RECEPTION FOR REP. MARK KELLER 500 N. 3rd St.
Harrisburg Hilton Hotel City Avenue
Rubicon Harrisburg
$500 to $5,000 Philadelphia
Harrisburg $250
$300 to $1,000 $250 to $2,500
8 A.M., APRIL 17 8 A.M., APRIL 18
7:30 A.M., APRIL 11 RECEPTION FOR RECEPTION FOR 8 A.M., APRIL 30
RECEPTION FOR REP. JESSE TOPPER REP. DONNA BULLOCK REP. DARYL METCALFE RECEPTION FOR REP. FRANK RYAN
500 N. 3rd St. Little Amps Coffeehouse Cafe Fresco 500 N. 3rd St.
Harrisburg Harrisburg Harrisburg Harrisburg
$400 to $1,000 $250 to $1,000 $300 to $1,000 $250

9:30 A.M., APRIL 10

THE WEEK AHEAD
2 P. M . , A P R I L 1 0 1 P. M . , A P R I L 1 4 10 A.M., APRIL 16
PARENTS KNOW BEST EQUAL PAY DAY 2ND AMENDMENT RALLY HEART ISSUES
Capitol Rotunda Capitol Rotunda Front Capitol Steps Capitol Rotunda
A rally in support of H.B. 1349 from Rep. The American Association of Univer- Members of the National Constitutional News conference to highlight legislation
Will Tallman. The Parental Rights Protection sity Women and Business & Professional Coalition of Patriotic Americans hold a rally in support of heart and stroke health issues.
Act would recognize the “intrinsic right of par-
Women hold a rally to advocate for equal in support of their right to bear arms.
ents to determine the upbringing, education
pay for equal work. 11 A.M., APRIL 16
and care of their children” and prohibit any
2 P. M . A P R I L 1 5 PHARMACY RALLY
commonwealth agency, political subdivision,
municipal authority, or any other local govern- 10 A.M., APRIL 11 HARRISBURG WELCOMES YOU Capitol Rotunda
ment instrumentality from abridging this right BETTER GUN LAWS Front Capitol Steps Rally to coincide with Pharmacy
without “demonstrating that its governmental Capitol Rotunda A rally to support Pennsylvania’s Legislative Day.
interest as applied to the person is of the high- A rally in support of tougher gun immigrants.
est order and not otherwise served.” control coincides with House Judiciary 1 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 6
Committee hearings on gun violence in 9 A.M., APRIL 16 PROPERTY TAX ELIMINATION
11 A.M., APRIL 10 the state. DRAW THE LINES Capitol Rotunda
COMMUNITY COLLEGES LOBBY DAY Capitol Rotunda Taxpayers voice support of Sen. Mario
Capitol Rotunda Display of electoral maps drawn as part
1 2 P. M . , A P R I L 1 3 Scavello’s legislation to eliminate school
A news conference in support of of a digital public mapping competition.
A BETTER PATH property taxes.
community colleges.
Capitol Rotunda
1 P. M . , A P R I L 1 0 Organizations fighting pipelines, 9 A.M., APRIL 16 2 : 3 0 P. M . , A P R I L 1 6
ANTI-BULLYING RALLY processing plants, power plants, fracking HUMANE LOBBY DAY RECLAIMING OUR DEMOCRACY
Capitol Rotunda and climate change rally before deliver- Capitol Rotunda Capitol Rotunda
A rally to promote awareness to anti-bully- ing a letter and petition to Gov. Tom Animal advocates gather to educate the Rallying in support of gerrymandering
ing efforts and to promote safe environments. Wolf. general public on cruelty laws. reform from Fair Districts Pennsylvania.

12 T H E C A U C U S Tuesday, April 10, 2018

 CAPITOL DISPATCHES

HEARINGS
Here’s a look at the schedule of committee
hearings in the House and Senate this week.

9 A.M., APRIL 10 9:30 A.M., APRIL 11

House Finance Committee House Human Services

ROOM 205, RYAN OFFICE BUILDING
Informational meeting on Keystone Scholars Program.
Committee
ROOM 60, EAST WING
10 A.M., APRIL 10 Public hearing on H.B. 2069 from Reps. Dan L. Miller and Thomas P. Murt, which would

House Children & Youth

codify an expiring grant program for deaf and blind Pennsylvanians.

Committee 10 A.M., APRIL 11

ROOM 60, EAST WING House Judiciary

Committee
Voting meeting on H.B. 1539 from Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, which would allow grandpar-
ents to obtain temporary guardianship of their grandchildren while protecting both the
parental rights of parents, including those suffering from opioid addiction, and the needs
ROOM 140, MAIN CAPITOL
of the child to be with family members; H.B. 2133 from Rep. Katharine M. Watson, which
would establish a Kinship Caregiver Navigator Program within the Department of Human Public hearing on gun laws and violence.
Services as a resource for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren but are not
involved with the formal child welfare system; and H.R. 390 from Rep. Eddie Day Pashin- 10 A.M., APRIL 11
ski, which would direct the Joint State Government Commission to study grandfamilies in
Pennsylvania, with a focus on how the opioid crisis is impacting this trend.
House Urban Affairs
10 A.M., APRIL 10
Committee
House Judiciary ROOM G-50, IRVIS OFFICE

Committee Voting meeting on H.B. 1981 from Reps. Ryan A. Bizzarro and Rosemary M. Brown,
which would create a First-time Homebuyers Savings Accounts in Pennsylvania allow-
ROOM 140, MAIN CAPITOL ing first-time homebuyers to deposit money into a savings account, where it goes for
Public hearing on gun laws and violence. the exclusive purpose of purchasing a first home; the money can be deducted from their
state income tax.
10 A.M., APRIL 10

House State Government

10 A.M., APRIL 16

Committee Local Government

ROOM G50, IRVIS OFFICE BUILDING Commission
Informational meeting on H.B. 482 from Rep. Brad Roae, which would abolish the provi-
ROOM 461, MAIN CAPITOL
sion of state-paid vehicles to legislators, and a discussion with the Department of General
Services about the program. Meeting of the Commission Assessment Reform Task Force.

CALL OF CHAIR, APRIL 10 11 A.M., APRIL 16

House Health Senate State Government

Committee Committee
ROOM G50, IRVIS OFFICE BUILDING
HEARING ROOM 1, NORTH OFFICE BUILDING
Voting meeting on H.B. 1618 from Rep. Justin M. Walsh, which would force public-assis-
Public hearing on S.B. 1037 from Sens. Mike Folmer and Randy Vulakovich, which would
tance recipients to forfeit any allotments that remain unused by the eligible individual or
family after a six-month period; H.B. 1659 from Rep. Mike Tobash, which would prohibit move the following responsibilities from the Civil Service Commission to the Common-
the Department of Welfare from applying for waivers of the work requirements for the wealth’s Office of Administration: merit-based hiring; civil-service applications; certifica-
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; and H.B. 2138 from Rep. Matthew D. Dowling, tions; examinations; and promotions.
which would compel the commonwealth to apply to the federal government for approval
of a waiver under Section 1115 of the Social Security Act to require work or community 11:30 A.M., APRIL 16
engagement as a condition of eligibility for Medical Assistance.

9 A.M., APRIL 11 House Labor & Industry

House Professional Licensure Committee
Committee
ROOM G50, IRVIS OFFICE BUILDING

Public hearing on H.B. 1781 from Rep. Fred Keller, which would create a process to expedi-
ROOM G50, IRVIS OFFICE BUILDING tiously determine that an individual is an independent contractor in situations where both
Public hearing on H.B. 1805 from Rep. Judy Ward, which would provide for the practice of the employer and the independent contractor agree that no employer-employee relation-
surgical technologists in health care facilities and create standards for the profession. ship exists.

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 T H E C A U C U S 13


THIS WEEK IN PA HISTORY
Excerpts of noteworthy, newsworthy and just plain odd political news
1
Y E A R AG O
Former Rendell aide
gets probation
JOHN H. ESTEY, A FORMER CHIEF OF STAFF TO THEN-
Gov. Ed Rendell, was sentenced in April 2017 to a year of
probation after pleading guilty to felony wire fraud for
taking thousands of dollars from a fake company set up
by the FBI in a public corruption investigation. “I slipped
down into a black hole of moral relativism,” Estey told U.S.
District Judge John Jones. Prosecutors had alleged Estey
accepted $20,000 in bogus campaign donations he was
to pass along to state lawmakers to hide the company’s
involvement. He made just $7,000 in donations and con-
verted the remaining $13,000 for his own use. Estey was
ordered to pay $5,100 in fines and fees and perform 100
hours of community service. The plea agreement required
he pay back the $13,000.
4
Y E A R S AG O
Informant: I bribed
several Pa. lawmakers
COURT FILINGS UNSEALED IN APRIL 2014 REVEALED
that a man who wore a wire for state prosecutors claimed
he paid cash bribes to several elected state House mem-
bers from Philadelphia in exchange for favorable votes.
Tyron Ali, a Philadelphia businessman and lobbyist, claimed
to have been secretly recording contacts with public of-
ficials after being charged in a fraud case five years earlier.
His attorney wrote: “Mr. Ali, in cooperation with the (Office
of Attorney General), paid cash bribes to no fewer than
eight elected state representatives in exchange for favor-
able votes on a variety of public laws, all of which was
documented and recorded by OAG.” Bruce Beemer, a
senior state prosecutor at the time, said evidence on the
secret tapes did not support Ali’s claims that the money
resulted in the sort of action required to show in court
that the payments amounted to bribes. “I did not find
evidence that would be sufficient to support a quid pro
quo,” Beemer said. The Philadelphia Inquirer first reported
in March 2014 that Democratic state lawmakers from
Philadelphia had been captured on tape accepting money
from Ali. Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams later
charged six public officials in the case; five pleaded guilty
or no contest. One case is ongoing.
14 T H E C A U C U S Tuesday, April 10, 2018
POLITICAL HISTORY
2
Y E A R S AG O
Medical cannabis bill
heads to Gov. Wolf
THE PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE VOTED 149-46 IN APRIL 2016
to pass Senate Bill 3, which legalizes smokeless forms of
medical marijuana. Gov. Tom Wolf said he would sign the
bill into law, making Pennsylvania the 24th state to legal-
ize a medical marijuana program. Patients were expecting
to wait a year and a half until regulations and the growing,
processing and dispensing system were in order. But a provi-
sion in the bill allowed parents to lawfully purchase medical
marijuana from another state for their children. “I applaud
members of both parties in the House and Senate who have
come together to help patients who have run out of medical
options and want to thank the thousands of advocates who
have fought tirelessly for this cause,” Wolf said.
5
Y E A R S AG O
Corbett called ‘most
endangered governor’
REPUBLICAN GOV. TOM CORBETT, MORE THAN A YEAR
and a half away from re-election, was hitting rock-bottom
in opinion polls in April 2013, drawing the attention of Vice,
which described him as a “stealth Tea Partier.” “He’s more
reserved than his counterparts, avoiding political theater
and national ambitions alike,” journalist Jake Blumgart
wrote. “But his cuts to state services have been compara-
tively ideological. All of his budgets have been austere,
with cuts and no new revenue sources, even though the
state has experienced an explosion of natural-gas extrac-
tion. The concerned companies enjoy one of the lowest
taxes on production in the nation. But while tax breaks
for a variety of industries are easily attained, state ser-
vices have been repeatedly slashed.” A Franklin & Marshall
College survey found Corbett’s approval rating to be “the
worst for a sitting governor in the 18-year history of the
poll.” Public Policy Polling found that only 33 percent of
voters approved of him. Dean Debnam, president of Public
Policy Polling, stated: “At this point Tom Corbett looks
like the most endangered governor in the country up for
reelection next year.”
3
Y E A R S AG O
Pa. Dems sour
on Sestak again
DEMOCRATS IN PENNSYLVANIA AND THE NATIONAL
level were pressuring Montgomery County commissioner
Josh Shapiro to run for the U.S. Senate in April 2015 because
they were “uneasy” with second-time candidate Joe Sestak,
The Associated Press’ Marc Levy reported. Those nudging
Shapiro to run included including New York’s Chuck Schum-
er and the head of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm,
Montana’s Jon Tester. The party soured on Sestak after the
ex-Navy vice admiral went against the wishes of President
Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and then-Gov.
Ed Rendell and ran against then-Sen. Arlen Specter in the
2010 primary. Sestak beat Specter, but lost by 2 percentage
points to Republican U.S. Sen. Toomey.
6
Y E A R S AG O
Gov.: Blame school
boards for tax increases
GOV. TOM CORBETT, SPEAKING ON PHILADELPHIA’S
Talk Radio 1210 WPHT in April 2012, told a caller that
Pennsylvanians who are concerned about rising school
taxes should take their complaints to local school boards,
not the state government. “I think the taxpayers need to
help themselves,” Corbett said. The Republican said small
class sizes and generous teacher contracts were the cause
of many districts’ financial woes. A spokesman for the
Pennsylvania School Boards Association pointed out Cor-
bett was proposing tens of millions of dollars in education-
funding cuts and stated: “In light of these tight budgets,
the state needs to step forward and provide relief from
unfunded mandates that divert hundreds of millions of
dollars away from the classroom, such as prevailing wage
requirements.” School across Pennsylvania were moving
to increase class sizes, eliminate programs and services,
freeze wages and furlough staff in light of the budget cuts.
FROM LEFT John H. Estey, former aide to Gov. Ed
Rendell, Gov. Tom Wolf, Attorney General Josh Shapiro,
former Gov. Tom Corbett, former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak,
Inspector General Bruce Beemer.
BRAVE NEW WORLD.
BRAVER REPORTING.

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