Pennsylvania pays property owners when their land is taken for public use projects, but farmers want expanded assessments to determine agricultural land values.
Spotlight PA
High-stakes court battles loom over Pennsylvania’s election laws
Despite calls for legislative clarity on Pennsylvania’s 2019 law that introduced voting by mail, partisan disagreements have stalled progress, leading to a surge in litigation over executive actions and voter registration procedures.
Federal money has supercharged Pa.’s plugging of dangerous wells, but critics want more oversight
With the help of millions of dollars in federal funding, Pennsylvania has plugged more oil and gas wells in the last year and a half than it did in the past decade.
What to know about Shapiro’s pitch to legalize marijuana, its chances in the Pa. legislature, and more
Unlike his predecessor, Gov. Josh Shapiro has the benefit of a Democratic-led state House and a state Senate where attitudes appear to be shifting.
Pennsylvania mortgage program, closed for more than a year to resolve backlog, will reopen in March, officials say
A Spotlight PA analysis reveals the program has funds to help more than 3,000 homeowners.
DOJ settlement will bring new protections for people with opioid use disorder in Pa. courts
Under the settlement, officials overseeing Pa.’s court system will encourage all county courts to adopt an anti-discrimination policy for opioid use disorder medications.
Josh Shapiro accepted $1,650 in ‘event tickets’ from powerful Pa. lobbyist
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro received $1,650 in event tickets and catering from prominent lobbyist Michael Brunelle, despite his ban on executive branch employees accepting such gifts.
Flawed claims fueled backlash against tool meant to improve voter roll accuracy
A Spotlight PA / Votebeat investigation found that flawed claims fueled a backlash against a tool intended to make voter rolls more accurate.
Pa. could wipe out up to $400M in medical debt under proposal from Gov. Josh Shapiro
Under a new Pennsylvania budget proposal, $4 million could potentially wipe out $400 million of medical debt for the state’s poorest citizens.
Shapiro pitches legal cannabis, regulated skill games in budget that bumps education spending by $2.2B
The $48.3 billion plan represents a departure for first-term Gov. Josh Shapiro, who last year proposed to keep spending relatively flat.
Pennsylvania’s drug laws complicate funding for syringe services programs
Billions of dollars are coming to states to help them respond to the opioid epidemic, but Pennsylvania’s drug paraphernalia law is creating conflict.
Transit, education expected to headline Shapiro’s 2024 Pa. budget address
Proposals to restructure Pennsylvania’s higher education system and boost public transit funding are expected to be centerpieces of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s upcoming Feb. 6 budget address.
Gov. Shapiro is pitching more funding for Pa.’s struggling transit systems
Transit systems across Pennsylvania are struggling with inflation, even as ridership rebounds from the pandemic. State lawmakers are struggling to agree on funding to help.
Proposed update to state gaming rules could offer relief to Pa.’s fire companies, nonprofits
Pennsylvania lawmakers have proposed letting nonprofits accept credit and debit card payments for small games of chance, which is currently illegal.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s admin blames ‘human error’ for deletion of Pa. State Police records
The Office of Administration under Gov. Josh Shapiro accidentally deleted thousands of records including State Police evidence logs. Some records haven’t been recovered.