Thursday, February 08, 2007

Barnes Update

The Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on (what's left of) the efforts to block the Barnes move to Philadelphia. The proposed bill by U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach, whose district includes the Barnes, "will be introduced in a week or two." It would amount to a "poison pill" for the Barnes, forcing it to pay an excise tax equal to the amount raised for the move, which is now more than $150 million. But even Gerlach says the bill's chances of passing are "very uncertain." Norman Ornstein, "a nonpartisan Washington analyst," is quoted as saying "this is not an issue that will make it prominently onto the radar screen of Democratic leaders in Congress. There will be a lot of members leery about a federal law putting such stringent limits on foundation boards."

Earlier posts on the Gerlach bill here and here. An earlier post on the Barnes move is here.