Corbett rallies Senate GOP on vouchers

HARRISBURG - Gov. Corbett made an unusual and unexpected appearance Tuesday afternoon at a closed-door meeting of Senate Republicans to shore up support for a school-voucher bill to help low-income students attend the schools of their choice.

The governor carved out time to meet with the GOP legislators after it became clear that the voucher legislation was running into trouble. The Republican-controlled Senate was expected to approve it Tuesday but instead put off the vote to iron out differences.

Afterward, Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi (R., Delaware) played down any dissension within his ranks over the bill, which calls for redirecting a substantial block of public-school dollars to help low-income parents at failing schools pay tuition at a private or parochial school of their choosing.

"We have very, very strong support in our caucus for the bill, and it is still a priority for the Senate Republican caucus," Pileggi said. "We fully expect to continue work on this bill and have this bill passed."

Corbett spokesman Kevin Harley could not be reached for comment. The governor did not answer questions as he left the closed-door caucus meeting among Senate Republicans on Tuesday afternoon.

It is unusual, though not unheard of, for the state's top executive to venture down to visit lawmakers caucusing behind closed doors. Corbett's predecessor, Ed Rendell, did so at least once, according to a former spokesman, but it is not a common practice.

Pileggi offered few details about Corbett's visit, saying only that "the governor expressed his strong support for the bill and offered his assistance in the process in moving the bill from the Senate to the House to his desk."

The Republican leader said some more changes would be made to the proposal, but he declined to give specifics. The earliest that the Senate could take the bill up is April 26. The chamber takes a one-week break next week because of Easter.

The school voucher legislation has received bipartisan support but remains controversial. The bill cleared a key vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Monday, but it has not yet been taken up by the full Senate or, for that matter, the House, where it faces an uncertain future.