Pennsylvania in Focus

(The Center Square) – Education is the second largest spending area in the state’s budget after human services. For legislators on both sides of the aisle, the question that loomed the largest seemed to be, “Are we getting what we pay for?” It was a question that Education Secretary Dr. Carrie Rowe and other officials who sat before the House Appropriations Committee for an all-day discussion on M...

(The Center Square) – A new report found that despite record-high demand, Pennsylvania turned away nearly half of students applying for educational grants in 2023. That’s because red tape means not every dollar of the $600 million budgeted for the programs can be spent until a business or individual donor contributes in-kind, leaving at least $75 million on the table in December. It’s also more ev...

(The Center Square) - There are 32 states, red and blue, who offer some version of an Earned Income Tax Credit, or EITC. Pennsylvania isn’t one of them. The House Finance committee met with experts for an informational hearing on why that should change. The hearing largely centered around what are known as ALICE families and individuals, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed...

(The Center Square) – "We all just need a little break. It’s been a tough hearing,” said Deptartment of Health Secretary Dr. Debra Bogen toward the end of her testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. Legislators grappled with tough issues - and each other - as they pushed for clarity on the proposed 9.7% budget increase for the state’s primary health agency. There were di...

(The Center Square) - Appropriations hearings began with Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency taking the spotlight. The committee is undertaking consideration of a 6.5% requested increase in funding for the upcoming budget, a figure they say would enable them to keep student costs down. Tuition has been frozen at its current rate sin...

(The Center Square) – Ongoing political tension means law enforcement agencies across the nation still face hiring challenges. During their budget hearings in the General Assembly on Wednesday, representatives of the Pennsylvania State Police said they are having the same recruitment problems. “It’s speculation on my part, but my best guess is [law enforcement] it’s just not a sought after or valu...

(The Center Square) – In Pennsylvania, it’s possible to be convicted of murder and receive a life sentence without parole without ever having harmed another person. This is how the state’s felony murder charge, also known as murder two or second-degree murder, works. And some lawmakers think it should change. House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Tim Briggs, D-King of Prussia, is re-introducing a b...

(The Center Square) - Western Pennsylvanians are celebrating Wednesday after the release of American history teacher Marc Fogel from a Russian labor camp in exchange for an unnamed Russian citizen. Fogel has been the focus of years of effort petitioning the U.S. government to push for his release. Legislators and family members were frustrated to see his name omitted from high-profile prisoner exc...

(The Center Square) – Health care workers willing to work in Pennsylvania’s underserved rural regions could get some help repaying student loans. This after the House Healthcare Committee renewed its drive to incentivize medical workers to live and work in rural areas of the state through student debt repayment. The committee voted unanimously to pass House Bill 157 last week to the chamber floor....

(The Center Square) – Few legislators want to see games of skill regulated and taxed more than Pennsylvania Sen. Gene Yaw. Yaw, a Republican from Lycoming County, says doing so benefits the small businesses, like veterans clubs and volunteer fire organizations, that supplement their income with the machines. The county is also home to Pennsylvania Skill and Pace-o-Matic, the premier manufacturer o...

(The Center Square) – It's a new year, and with it comes a time-honored tradition in Pennsylvania: the unveiling of the governor's spending proposal. On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro proffered the biggest one yet: $51.4 billion that critics say spends $3 billion more than what the state can afford. For the administration and its allies, however, it's a mere down payment on the state's education adequ...

(The Center Square) – Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal aims to build on the inertia begun with last year’s investment in the state’s education system to the tune of $525 million, a figure Republican legislators say is unsustainable. The state's schools are facing a $4.5 billion adequacy gap. The commonwealth’s new adequacy formula determines which schools are behind and by how much, but it does...

(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania house members say that aging in place is a major priority for them as the state’s elderly population continues to grow. Homecare services, deemed unskilled, to support daily activities like bathing, dressing, and cooking are essential to creating that possibility for them. Yet providers across the state are struggling to hire enough staff to cover the needs of th...

(The Center Square) - Some Pennsylvania programs providing support to the state’s homeless population are shocked after receiving word that their services fall under the president’s “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing” executive order. The order claims that the Biden administration “forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs” into all levels of government...

(The Center Square) – A new deal could dampen the shock of anticipated price spikes from rising energy costs. On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said PJM will support a new price cap meant to lower the cost of the power grid in the coming year after a recent auction forecasted an 800% increase. That spike would have translated to a 30% rise in utility bills. The price cap must receive offi...

(The Center Square) – It was a full day of celebration in Harrisburg honoring the inaugurations of Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Auditor General Timothy DeFoor, and Attorney General David Sunday. This marks the first time all three row officer positions have been held by Republicans. Garrity and DeFoor both pledged to build from the momentum they’d gained during their first terms in their respective ro...

(The Center Square) – With flags at the capitol flying at half-staff, Pennsylvania legislators began to move forward to fill the vacancy left by House Rep. Matt Gergely, D-McKeesport, who died this weekend at 45. Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia signed a writ of election scheduling a special election to determine his replacement March 25th. Until then, the House will remain evenly split wi...

Gov. Josh Shapiro says he’s ready to work with President Donald Trump. The Democratic leader of Pennsylvania, where support for domestic energy production and a populist enthusiasm for the commander-in-chief resonates loudly, issued a statement Monday congratulating the new administration and pledging a cordial partnership, albeit conditionally. “As governor, I have a responsibility to serve the p...

(The Center Square) – Recruiting new police officers and supporting those already on the job in Pennsylvania remains a constant struggle. That’s why the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency backs local agencies as a way to boost hiring and retention. The latest recipient, Lock Haven City, accepted $14,000 in assistance from the commission in a news conference hosted Gov. Josh Shapiro,...

(The Center Square) – Doors have opened on Connections Emergency Behavioral Health Crisis Walk-in Center, a project with an investment of millions from the state in three central Pennsylvania counties. The center is the result of a joint effort between Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties leveraging funds from the state’s opioid settlement trust, a pool of more than $200 million paid largely by...

(The Center Square) – A joint bid for U.S. Steel from two domestic rivals has the potential support of Gov. Josh Shapiro. In a statement to The Center Square on Monday, the governor’s office said Cleveland-Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves has made “meaningful commitments to Pennsylvania” in conversations about a formal offer the Ohio-based company plans to make with Nocur, a steel manufacturer headqu...

(The Center Square) — A new report published by ConsumerAffairs ranks Pennsylvania as the third best state for raising a family. The report ranked each state in affordability, safety, education, pediatric health care and quality of life. The combined metrics were used to determine the states' overall rankings. The score puts Pennsylvania in rarified air, behind only Maine and Vermont, while southw...

(The Center Square) – Gov. Josh Shapiro faces a new challenge after the White House blocked U.S. Steel’s overseas acquisition. Join the lawsuit the company filed alongside its would-be Japanese-owned buyer, Nippon Steel, and make sure Pennsylvania doesn’t lose more jobs to “friggin’ Ohio.” Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward threw down the gauntlet Monday during the Marty Griffin show on KDKA ra...

(The Center Square) – One member down, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives struck an, at times, somber yet congenial bipartisan tone as they opened the 209th legislative session. Rep. Matt Gergley, D-McKeesport, remains hospitalized in Allegheny County following a medical emergency he suffered over the holiday, leaving the chamber evenly split with 101 members on each side of the aisle. Neve...

(The Center Square) – Twenty-one states across the US are raising the minimum wage in 2025. Pennsylvania Democrats would like to see the commonwealth soon join their ranks. Sen. Art Haywood, D-Philadelphia, joined legislators and representatives from the business community in Lancaster to draw attention to the state’s flagging $7.25 minimum. “We are here on New Year’s Eve for a reason,” said Sen.-...