Gov. Shapiro’s proposed budget would put state money behind a popular home repair program, anti-homelessness initiatives, and public legal defense against evictions.
Spotlight PA
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Pennsylvania is flush with surplus cash, but it still faces a looming budget problem
Pennsylvania persistently spends more than it makes in revenue, but lawmakers have struggled for years to agree on lasting solutions.
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Pa. local governments want long-term state money for cybersecurity as federal grant fills the gap
Federal cybersecurity funding included in Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal isn’t enough to help local governments keep up with rising costs, officials say.
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Secrecy still pervades Pennsylvania state government, but Spotlight PA is fighting back
The one constant in Harrisburg no matter the dominant political party is a reflexive inclination to shield information from the public.
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Pennsylvania treasurer candidates spar over unclaimed property issue
The debate over unclaimed property contrasts with the race’s earlier focus on national political flashpoints.
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Pa. Game Commission won’t renew controversial contract with lobbying firm run by former top lawmaker
Several Republican state senators expressed concerns about using public funds to pay for the services of private lobbyists.
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What to know about Shapiro’s proposed $10.3M agriculture innovation program
The idea of the proposed agriculture innovation funding is to create a grant program that enhances efficiency and saves labor for farmers.
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Oversight board will secretly review how Pa. counties spent millions of dollars to fight opioid crisis
Counties must report how they spent tens of millions of dollars they received in the first rounds of opioid settlement payments.
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Pa. pays property owners for land lost to eminent domain, but farmers want more for their loss
Pennsylvania pays property owners when their land is taken for public use projects, but farmers want expanded assessments to determine agricultural land values.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
