U.S. trade deficit rises to 12-year high $679 billion
By PAUL WISEMAN AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit rose 18% last year to $679 billion, highest since 2008, as the coronavirus disrupted global commerce and confounded then-President Donald Trump’s attempts to rebalance America’s trade with the rest of the world. The Commerce Department said Friday that the gap between the value of the goods and services the United States sells abroad and what it buys climbed from $577 billion in 2019. Exports skidded 16% to $2.1 trillion, and imports fell 9.5% to $2.8 trillion. As president, Trump sought to narrow the gap by imposing taxes on imported goods on a scale unseen since the trade wars of the 1930s.

US employers add just 49K jobs as unemployment falls to 6.3%
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S employers added just 49,000 jobs in January, a sign that that the viral pandemic retains a tight grip on the economy nearly a year after it triggered a painful recession.  The drop follows a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April. The unemployment rate for January fell sharply to 6.3%, the Labor Department said Friday. About half the drop occurred because some of those out of work found jobs, while others stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed.

Senate approves budget bill as Harris casts tie-breaker vote
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved a budget bill that’s a key step toward fast-track passage of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan without support from Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first. Democrats in the chamber applauded after Harris announced the 51-50 vote at around 5:30 a.m. Friday The action came after a grueling all-night session, where senators voted on amendments that could define the contours of the eventual COVID-19 aid bill. The budget now returns to the House, where it will have to be approved again due to the changes made by the Senate.

Causer Bill to Aid Dairy Farmers, Milk Haulers Earns House Approval

 

HARRISBURG – Legislation to ensure the dairy industry can continue to operate as needed during inclement weather has been approved by the state House, said Rep. Martin Causer (R-Cameron/McKean/Potter), prime sponsor of the measure.

 

House Bill 186 would exempt milk trucks from weather-related commercial vehicle travel bans in the Commonwealth. A similar measure was approved in a bipartisan vote last session but was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Tom Wolf.

 

Watch Causer’s remarks during House debate here:

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pagopvideo/609952237.mp4

 

“No matter the weather, cows continue to produce milk,” Causer said. “There is only so much room in each farmer’s bulk tanks, so if trucks can’t get to our dairy farms to pick up the milk, farmers will have no choice but to dump it. This is not only wasteful but potentially devastating to our already-struggling dairy farmers.”

 

Under the bill, milk haulers who wish to be exempt during travel bans would have to obtain a decal issued by the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing Board.

 

“While I can appreciate the public safety concerns that may prompt officials to impose a travel ban on commercial vehicles, an exception for milk hauling is necessary because milking schedules can’t be changed to comply with weather or travel conditions,” Causer said. “And allowing milk trucks to continue using our interstates, rather than pushing these heavy vehicles on to back roads that aren’t maintained as well, is actually safer both for them and others who may be on the roads.”

 

Causer first introduced the legislation last session as House Bill 915 in response to the Wolf administration issuing a disaster emergency declaration in which commercial vehicles were banned three times from some portions or all of the state’s interstate highways in anticipation of snow or ice accumulations that winter.

 

The bill was passed by a bipartisan vote of 125-77. It now goes to the Senate for consideration.

(Moon Twp., Pa) Do you want to learn about severe weather and how to properly report it to the National Weather Service? Well the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh is now taking pre-registration for for SkyWarn Storm Training. The training is being offered starting in March. just click the link below to get pre-registered.

https://www.weather.gov/pbz/skywarn?fbclid=IwAR3YggsJq2sLdi-RzlYHafWMUPKdTO1cmjjUijJZTQYwLeJgeHS6KMbBgCA

Long-term care homes demand more vaccine from Pennsylvania
By MICHAEL RUBINKAM Associated Press
The long-term care industry is calling on Pennsylvania to devote more of the state’s share of COVID-19 vaccine to nursing homes, personal care homes and assisted living facilities, saying the Wolf administration isn’t moving quickly enough to vaccinate the state’s most vulnerable residents. Industry representatives appeared at a state Senate hearing Thursday. They say the Health Department is directing less than 20% of the state’s weekly allotment to facilities that care for older adults, forcing many desperate residents to have to wait weeks or months for the vaccine. State health officials say pharmacy chains that administer the shots aren’t devoting enough resources to that effort.

Keystone State News Connection

February 5, 2021

Andrea Sears

HARRISBURG, Pa. – Public-education advocates have high praise for Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed education budget, but some believe the state could do more to meet its obligations to Pennsylvania’s children.

In his budget address, the governor proposed an additional $1.55 billion for education, and using the fair education-funding formula to be sure money goes to the districts with the greatest needs.

Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center, said she enthusiastically supports Wolf’s commitment to equity. But she cautioned that his proposal alone isn’t enough to repair decades of harm done to communities by a school-funding system she calls “irrational.”

“One analysis conservatively estimated the current shortfall as $4.6 billion, which is still far beyond the scale of the governor’s very important proposal,” said Klehr.

She said attorneys at the Education Law Center and the Public Interest Law Center will continue to pursue a lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s school-funding system.

Klehr emphasized that the General Assembly has a constitutional obligation to “provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education.”

“We need our elected officials to craft a reformed funding system, building on this proposal,” said Klehr, “toward a multiyear financial commitment to a truly level playing field, addressing the needs of students in all districts across the state.”

The lawsuit, filed in 2014 on behalf of parents, school districts and statewide organizations, will be going to trial in the coming months.

Klehr said overreliance on local property taxes to fund education has deepened inequities between wealthy and poor districts, disproportionately affecting students of color. But she called the governor’s proposal a huge step in the right direction.

“Over half of the dollars are going to districts that are majority Black and Latinx,” said Klehr. “For years, our school funding system has allowed the students who need to most to get the least. This proposal finally addresses this reality.”

HARRISBURG – Today the House Appropriations Committee amended Senate Bill 109 to include additional COVID-19 relief for small businesses. The legislation, which appropriates $197 million in educational grants, $570 million for rental and utility assistance, and $145 million for grants to the restaurant and hospitality industry, was amended to exempt income received from the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) from taxation under the state’s Personal Income Tax (PIT).

“Many small business owners were shocked to learn that they would end up owing state taxes on PPP money they received to continue paying their employees,” said Appropriations Chairman Stan Saylor (R-York). “Our antiquated tax code already exempts PPP money from taxation for large corporations.  We need to help our small businesses, that were most impacted by the governor’s shut down orders.”

Similar legislation was sponsored by Rep. George Dunbar (R-Westmoreland) last year.  House Bill 2497 was passed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on June 9, 2020, by a vote of 201-1.

“I’m grateful to my friend and colleague, Rep. Dunbar, who recognized this issue early on and has been working to find a solution for our small businesses,” Saylor said. “I also want to thank Senate Majority Leader Kim Ward for working with us to get this across the finish line.”

Congress exempted PPP income from federal taxation in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 that was passed by Congress on Dec. 21, 2020.  Because the Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) conforms to the federal tax base, PPP income is not taxable under Pennsylvania’s CNIT.  However, the PIT does not conform to the federal individual income tax base, and therefor PPP income is not automatically excluded from the PIT. Approximately 80% of businesses in Pennsylvania pay the PIT.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is expected to pass Senate Bill 109 tomorrow, at which point it will return to the Senate for concurrence.

Biden signals that US will refocus on diplomacy abroad
By AAMER MADHANI, MATTHEW LEE and DARLENE SUPERVILLE Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Asserting a broad reset of American foreign policy, President Joe Biden says he will halt the withdrawal of U.S. troops stationed in Germany, end support for Saudi Arabia’s military offensive in Yemen and make support for LBTGQ rights a cornerstone of U.S. diplomacy. Aides outlined some of his plans for what Biden is calling a return to the “grounding wire of our global power” as the president makes his first visit to the State Department as president. The visit doubles as an opportunity to buck up a diplomatic corps, many of whom were discouraged by the policies and tone of former President Donald Trump.

Man charged in beating of girlfriend’s son, who later died
CORAOPOLIS, Pa. (AP) — A western Pennsylvania man has been charged with beating his girlfriend’s young son, who later died from his injuries. Allegheney County authorities say 25-year-old Tyler Scott Mason, o9f Burgettstown, was alone with 3-year-old Aiden Lombardi in the girlfriend’s apartment in Coraopolis when the child became unresponsive Tuesday night. The boy was taken to a hospital but died the following night. Emergency responders noticed bruising and swelling on the child’s forehead, eye, jaw and ear. Doctors later determined he had a fractured skull and other head trauma. Mason faces two counts of aggravated assault and a child endangerment charge, and more charges may be filed following the child’s death.