A day in the life covering the Pa. Capitol
Budget season in Pennsylvania is tiring. For seven years, I've spent the weeks leading up to and after June 30 picking through rumors and half-truths in search of stories about what's actually happening. This is my process.
First, usually sometime after I wake up, I check the General Assembly’s website to get a sense of what’s on the committee calendar.
Committee votes are just the first step of a long legislative process, but every proposal starts there, so if any last-minute meetings have been added since I last looked, I’m intrigued.
I watch for bills that have been quickly put up for a committee vote after being introduced, which tells me they’re someone’s priority. Plus, committee votes and arguments often foreshadow how a bill will be discussed on the floor
Some mornings, I’ll also see who is holding campaign fundraisers that week. If a top legislative leader has one starting at 5 p.m., I’ll know that day’s session will probably be short.
Then, I need coffee. If I don’t, I’ll have a headache. I prefer Elementary Coffee with its friendly baristas and rotating specials, one of several shops within a few blocks of the Capitol.
I often bump into Capitol insiders on the walk to Elementary, from plugged-in lobbyists to antsy rank-and-filers to energetic activists. They can tell me what bills are advancing, the status of closed-door talks, or the latest gossip.
Floor votes don’t start until afternoon, so I spend the rest of my morning in one place: The Capitol rotunda. An early mentor told me that this is the best place to follow budget talks, because you can catch top lawmakers and their staff shuttling between offices, binders in hand and poker-faced.
This method isn’t foolproof. Sometimes I get a cold shoulder or a frosty “email my spokesperson.” Other times, I get vague a football metaphor like ”we’re at the 20.” But occasionally, I grab a lawmaker at the right time and get an insight that becomes a story. Being persistent does have its rewards!
When I’m not chatting up other Capitol watchers, I’m on my phone checking who has texted me, bouncing tips off others in the know, and talking to my editors about what we need for the day, which can change at any moment.
Floor votes usually start around 2, at which point I hole up in the press room to write down the day's findings, track down any documents I need, and listen to floor debates, which normally finish before 5 p.m. But during budget negotiations, they can go much later — I’ve been in the Capitol past midnight many times.
The long days are tough. But when I land a scoop about Republicans having a blowup with skill games lobbyists, learn about the latest twist in the governor’s school vouchers saga, or come up with a new way to illustrate how campaign cash affects Harrisburg's decisions, it's all worth it. —Stephen Caruso, Spotlight PA
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