Lancaster County Republican Bryan Cutler assumes control as new House speaker as the legislature faces mammoth challenges with the coronavirus, finances, and police reform.
Spotlight PA
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Mother of Antwon Rose II applauds confidential police hiring database, but does it go far enough?
While Pennsylvania takes its first steps on police reform, other states are far ahead in making misconduct data and records available to the public.
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Top Pa. GOP lawmaker fast-tracking a lucrative gambling expansion that would benefit a major campaign donor
The maneuvering offers a window into the raw intersection between politics and policy-making in Pennsylvania, and how campaign dollars can drive the legislative agenda.
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Despite landmark ruling, Pa. GOP leaders in no hurry to extend LGBTQ protections under state law
Advocates say action is necessary to close gaps in equality, but a House Republican committee chair said he’ll have “to see where this ranks” with other issues.
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Pa. will give health systems $175 million to lead coronavirus response inside state’s struggling nursing homes
These collaboratives will be tasked with implementing best practices for infection control and expanding testing “to include asymptomatic staff and residents,” a critical need.
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Health officials failed to safeguard trust in Pa.’s coronavirus data, sowing confusion
The pandemic posed a massive challenge for an underfunded public health system, but experts say officials failed to heed best practices when presenting the numbers.
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Parts of Pa. reopened without robust coronavirus contact tracing to keep residents safe
Health experts say the shortcoming is of critical concern because tracing is most needed as reopening begins, when the disease’s spread becomes more complex.
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Pa. advances reforms to create confidential police disciplinary database, as NY, NJ take steps to make records public
Democrats hailed the move as a long-awaited first step after seeing similar legislation languish. But transparency in officer discipline still lags behind New York and New Jersey.
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Red tape, lack of funding limit public’s oversight of Pa. police through body cameras
Hailed as a tool to better protect people from violent police officers, their use and effectiveness have been limited. Gov. Tom Wolf says it’s time to revisit the issue.
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The coronavirus exploited failure of Pa. health officials to improve long-standing problems with nursing home oversight
The Wolf administration was repeatedly warned of dangerously low minimum staffing and weak and inconsistent inspections, all problems that could have made the outbreak worse.
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Why Gov. Tom Wolf’s big effort to grant coronavirus reprieves to Pa. inmates came up small
The Department of Corrections has defended its response, saying it was a cautious approach that included all relevant parties to represent the public interest.
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Top Republican Mike Turzai will resign from the Pa. House on June 15
Turzai announced in January he would not seek reelection this fall and would instead pursue a job in the private sector.
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Lawmakers approved a resolution ending Pa.’s coronavirus emergency declaration. Wolf says he’ll take them to court.
The governor told lawmakers the resolution would have “disastrous” consequences should it take effect.
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Pa. House Speaker Mike Turzai expected to resign before the end of his term, sources say
It’s not clear exactly when Turzai will depart, though he’s expected to outline a timetable Wednesday.
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Thousands of deaths later, Pa. finally mandates universal testing in nursing homes, but not for another month
The Wolf administration in May touted widespread testing, but its plan fell short and, as of early June, only 75 of about 1,900 facilities had done it.
