New law expands who can carry guns in school

• 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.

 Matt Rourke / The Associated Press

Bicycles are parked outside Tamaqua Area High School in Tamaqua, Pa., Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.

But the Governor says teachers aren’t allowed to

Matt Rourke / The Associated Press

Bicycles are parked outside Tamaqua Area High School in Tamaqua, Pa., Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.

• CeaseFirePA, a group that supports increased gun restrictions to reduce violence, frequently agrees with Democratic Governor Tom Wolf. For the first time in Wolf’s four-and-a-half years in office, CeaseFirePA recently urged him to veto a bill.

• National groups and activists got involved, including David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland, Florida, mass shooting, and a founder of March For Our Lives.

• Wolf signed Senate Bill 621 into law. The measure allows independent contractors to serve as armed security in schools. In his signing statement, Wolf argued that it will eliminate ambiguity in existing law and ensure that teachers cannot be armed. Some people aren’t so sure, The Inquirer’s Justine McDaniel reports.

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Ed Mahon / PA Post

Cumberland County dairy farmer Jason Nailor is seen working at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex on Jan. 8, 2019.

• Governor Tom Wolf did deliver his second veto of his second term. He rejected legislation that would have exempted milk haulers from travel restrictions on highways during a declaration of disaster emergency. The bill’s main sponsor said the change was meant to help the struggling dairy industry. But Wolf said the exemption would put state police, first responders and milk haulers at risk.

• For his third veto of his second term, Wolf rejected an election bill last week, WITF’s Katie Meyer reports. The measure would have provided up to $90 million for counties to replace their voting systems (which was more money than Wolf asked for). But the bill also would have eliminated automatic straight-party voting and given the Legislature more oversight over decertifying voting machines.

• Two years ago, lawmakers expanded options for Pennsylvania residents who want to buy fireworks. Now, the fire chief in the city of Harrisburg says the change has led to a lot of problems.