The governor’s latest budget pitch would send an additional $290 million to the state’s public transit agencies, invest more in a new student-teacher stipend, and more.
Spotlight PA
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Lack of Senate support could again sink Shapiro’s call for Pa. to legalize weed
A legalization bill needs to win majority support from an 11-person state Senate committee. Just 3 members are publicly on board.
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Legal weed, more money for Pa.’s poorest schools will likely be in Shapiro’s budget pitch
Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to reuse ideas from his first two years in office that have yet to win enough support in the legislature.
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Pennsylvania law limits noncompete agreements for some health care workers
The rules prevent a health system from pushing dismissed doctors out of town and keeping patients in the dark, but critics say it’s still too narrow.
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Pa. lawmakers split on how to structure legal marijuana market
Lawmakers are resuming their debate over legalizing recreational marijuana. To do it, they have to navigate industry interests, meet restorative justice goals, and more.
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Top lawmakers revive debate over PA’s unregulated gambling machines
Lawmakers will again wade into a tricky debate over taxing skill games this session. The slot-like machines are currently unregulated.
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Blacksmiths forge unorthodox biz inside struggling Pa. mall’s vacated Victoria’s Secret
As shopping malls nationwide see traditional retailers depart, businesses like the Drunken Smithy in Lebanon are making creative use of the vacancies.
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A new Pa. legislative session starts today
Every legislative session starts with Pennsylvania lawmakers passing rules to govern the movement of bills and more. Here’s what’s on the table.
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Lawmakers tease their plans to address high child care costs, low pre-K attendance in Pa.
Legislative memos addressing paid leave, pre-K access, and child care costs preview how Pennsylvania lawmakers plan to approach caregiving issues in 2025.
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Lawmakers passed fewer laws than in other recent sessions, but leaders say quality is better than quantity
Despite partisan challenges, lawmakers managed to pass some notable bills in 2023 and 2024 including a major education boost.
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Josh Shapiro wasn’t on the ballot this year, but still spent millions campaigning
Pennsylvania’s governor traveled extensively as a Democratic surrogate in 2024, spending money on consultants, private flights, ritzy hotels, and more.
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Persistent problems with a Pa. grant for beer promotion led to headaches, layoffs for awardees
The grant program promised money to people promoting Pennsylvania’s beer industry. But awardees were routinely denied their full grants, and now the state is quietly making changes.
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America’s future depends on a thriving free press, and it’s time we take it back
We must restore journalism to its constitutional role as an independent check on power and influence that answers to no one but the people.
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Bipartisan bill to boost nonprofits’ fundraising abilities stalls in Pa. House
Pennsylvania lawmakers did not vote on a proposal that would let the state’s nonprofits accept cashless payments for raffle ticket sales.
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New limits, oversight for Pa.’s medical marijuana doctors proposed in response to Spotlight PA investigation
The bill would give the Department of Health discretion on which doctors in the medical marijuana program would receive extra scrutiny.
