The increase to $1.95, which takes effect in March, helps Pennsylvania pay for 911 call center staffing and infrastructure upgrades.
Spotlight PA
Pennsylvania provides state money for public defense for the first time
The state legislature approved $7.5 million for indigent defense. Until now, Pennsylvania was one of the few states to not provide state funding for public defenders.
New law aims to make guardianship a last resort in Pa., but some experts say it doesn’t go far enough
A new Pennsylvania law makes changes to the process of assigning guardians to people who are considered incapacitated, but some experts fear it won’t solve the issues.
“No budget, no pay” bill proposed after Pennsylvania lawmakers voluntarily withhold salaries
A bill would make it mandatory for Pennsylvania lawmakers to forego pay during a budget impasse. At least one member says it could force votes for the wrong reason.
School funding, permitting at top of Pa. legislature’s 2024 agenda
Looming over the legislature is a nearly year-old court ruling that declared the state’s education funding system to be unconstitutionally inequitable and ordered lawmakers to correct it.
Pa. medical marijuana cards and anxiety: What the research says
Anxiety disorders are the leading reason doctors approve patients for a medical marijuana card in Pennsylvania, even though the evidence that cannabis or its compounds are an effective treatment for them is limited and mixed.
Why the Pennsylvania legislature is off to a slow start in 2024
The legislature will be temporarily unable to grapple with major issues such as a far-reaching court ruling on how the state funds public education or its outdated Election Code.
Pennsylvania legislators approve study to improve 911 response to mental health crises
The study will look for ways for emergency dispatchers to send crisis responders through the 911 system in response to mental health emergencies.
Inside the Pa. court case pitting a genealogist against Ancestry.com
Pennsylvania hired genealogy company Ancestry.com to digitize a sweeping list of historical documents. Now the company claims it owns those digital copies.
Pa. lawmakers’ base salary now tops $106K after automatic pay raise
What you need to know about Pennsylvania lawmakers’ salaries, the history of the increase, and why changes are unlikely.
Despite ethics concerns, Shapiro will keep accepting tickets from a group that gets state money
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s gift ban says he can’t take tickets from groups with “financial relations with the Commonwealth.” Team Pennsylvania was awarded $1.8 million in state contracts this year.
Spotlight PA, News Lab at Penn State launch community-based program to keep tabs on local elected leaders
The program, Centre Documents, trains and pays local residents and students to attend and document government meetings in six townships across Centre County.
Administrative election errors rise as Pa. counties struggle to keep voting officials
Election experts, as well as the Department of State, agree the increase is linked to turnover and loss of experience at local voting offices.
A long budget impasse and partisan standoffs dominated the Pa. legislature in 2023
Members of the divided Pa. legislature acknowledge that they had a slow start and deep divisions remain. But after finishing the budget and passing bipartisan bills, they predict a smoother 2024.
Shapiro administration cancels $10.7 million contract for Pa. voter roll system upgrade
The Pa. Department of State has canceled its contract with KNOWiNK for an upgrade to the state voter roll management system. The change will not impact the 2024 election.