Good Monday Morning, Fellow Seekers.

It's no secret that there's an unavoidable patina of electoral politics slathered all over the long-simmering debate over whether Pennsylvania should slap a severance tax on natural gas drillers.

In his 2014 campaign for the top spot, now-Gov. Tom Wolf promised to tax drillers and to use the proceeds to, among other things, pay for programs for Pennsylvania school-kids. Three years later, Wolf still hasn't fulfilled that promise, but it seems closer than ever to the goal-line in this fall's budget debate.

But rarely have electoral and budget politics intersected as closely as they did late last month when one of the men hoping to replace Wolf in 2018, GOP state Sen. Scott Wagner, directly appealed to a senior House Republican to kill a severance tax proposal now before the chamber.

As Steve Esack of The Morning Call reported over the weekend, Wagner, R-York, was caught on tape on Sept. 14 by a Democratic tracker assigned to follow him, saying that he'd urged House Appropriations Committee Chairman Stan Saylor, also a York Republican, to fight a severance tax proposal that's part of a $570 million, Senate-approved revenue package.

Speaking to a gathering of York County residents, Wagner was caught on tape saying this, The Call reported:

"I went to school with Stan Saylor," Wagner said, according to the recording. "And I told Stan at a meeting three weeks ago, he was sitting like 15 feet away from me, I said 'Stan you cannot let this severance tax get through ... because if that happens the governor is going to get re-elected. Stan, you take that to the bank.'"

Wagner is vying with Pittsburgh-area businessman Paul Mango for the Republican gubernatorial nod. And while the garrulous Republican is a noted anti-tax hawk, the fate of any tax proposal is inextricably tied to his own electoral fortunes.

Beth Melena, a spokeswoman for the state Democratic Party, accused House Republicans of "conspiring" with Wagner to block the tax proposal -- which Wolf, a majority of Wagner's fellow Senate Republicans, and House and Senate Democrats, want to use to help balance a $32 billion spending plan that Wolf allowed to lapse into law in late June.

Wagner's comments to Saylor are "Harrisburg at its very worst," Melena said. "Scott Wagner seems to have swamp fever."

Wagner's campaign manager, Jason E. High, downplayed the comments as "campaign talk," Esack reported. The GOP gubernatorial hopeful has long opposed the levy, High said.

"He's been pretty vocal about that for a long time," High said.

Saylor's spokesman, John O'Brien, declined to comment on the specifics of his boss's conversation with Wagner, but Saylor "doesn't allow political conversations to affect his views and votes on policy items," O'Brien told Esack, adding that Saylor has a "long record of opposing a severance tax. It's nothing new."

The rest of the day's news starts now.

With deer season rapidly approaching, The AP runs down the kinds of electronic gizmos the state is allowing hunters to take into the woods with them (via The Tribune-Review).

CHIP and other federal safety net programs went over a metaphorical cliff over the weekend. The Post-Gazette explains why that's a big deal and why you should care.

The Inky catches up with the mall owners rejecting this whole 'retail apocalypse' you've been hearing so much about.

PhillyMag looks at Rebecca Rhynart's upset win over Philly controller Alan Butkovitz and what that means for the future of Democratic machine politics in the city.

The Incline wants your nominees for 'Who's Next' in Pittsburgh politics.

Here's your very, very colorful #Harrisburg Instagram of the Day:

Mental health advocates in The Garden State say a Halloween 'zombie hunt,' contributes to a negative mental health stigma, NewsWorks/WHYY-FM reports.

Amid rumors of a possible budget deal, the state Senate is back in town this Monday. PoliticsPA has some of the details.

What does every, single GOP healthcare plan have in common? More decisions, less cash for state governments, that's what. Stateline.org has the details.

Politico sits down for a long conversation with U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise, who was grievously wounded in that baseball field shooting earlier this year.

Despite a stalled White House agenda, Washington still likes Veep Mike Pence, Roll Call reports.

WolfWatch.

Perhaps anticipating a budget agreement, Gov. Tom Wolf has no public schedule today.

What Goes On.

The House comes in at 1 p.m., while the Senate gets its day rolling at 2 p.m. today. Another sure sign that things are moving, the Senate Appropriations and Rules committee meet at the call of the chair in the Rules Room just off the Senate floor today. Ditto for the Law & Justice Committee.

The House Approps Committee also meets at the call of the chair today. Meetings for them are in 140 Main Capitol.

What Goes On (Nakedly Political Edition).

11:30 a.m.: Luncheon for Rep. Joe Markosek

5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Kerry Benninghoff

5:30 p.m.: Reception for Rep. Neal Goodman

6:30 p.m.: Reception for Sen. Mario Scavello

Ride the circuit, and give at the max today, and you'll part with a truly offensive $11,000. The maximum ask at several of these events is $5,000. But, hey, who needs campaign finance reform?

You Say It's Your Birthday Dept.

Best wishes go out this morning to our pal Laurie Mason, ace courts reporter for The Morning Call. Congrats and enjoy the day.

Heavy Rotation.

Here's an insanely romantic song from

Big Star

to get your Monday morning going. Short and sweet, at just 1:47.

Monday's Gratuitous Baseball Link.

Baltimore's season came to a shambolic end on Saturday, with the Birds closing out the 2017 campaign with a 6-0 loss to the Rays. There's always next year.

And now you're up to date. See you all back here in a bit.