What to Watch: Pennsylvania budget talks near deadline, and get contentious
Gov. Josh Shapiro is trying to wrap up his first budget by Saturday’s start of the new fiscal year, as the Democrat works to balance Pennsylvania’s politically divided Legislature.
Pennsylvania's mail-in voting law is upheld again, as court rules against Republican challenge
A Pennsylvania state court has rejected the latest Republican effort to throw out the presidential battleground state’s broad mail-in voting law.
Pennsylvania Senate advances bill to overhaul probation system
Pennsylvania’s state Senate has approved legislation that's designed to reduce the number of people on probation and in jail.
Non-US citizens could teach in Pennsylvania under bill passed by the state House
Non-U.S. citizens would be able to teach in Pennsylvania classrooms in a measure passed by the state House of Representatives.
States clamp down on freight trains, fearing derailments and federal gridlock
The Feb. 3 derailment along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border of a train carrying toxic chemicals has prompted new legislation and revived long-stalled efforts as backers voice skepticism that the federal government can help.
Pennsylvania Senate votes to expand ban on using cell phones while driving
Pennsylvania’s state Senate wants to expand a ban on texting while driving and is advancing legislation that increases the penalties for motorists who are handling their cell phones for almost any activity while driving.
Pennsylvania House passes $15 minimum wage bill
Pennsylvania’s Democratic-controlled House of Representatives approved a measure that would raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2026 in a close vote Tuesday, a long-held party campaign plank that has run up against Republican legislative majorities for years.
Pennsylvania lawmakers eye liberalization of medical marijuana rules
Pennsylvania state senators are advancing legislation that would liberalize the state’s 5-year-old medical marijuana program. It would expand the scope of who can buy medical marijuana and allow it to be sold in edible form.
Pennsylvania House votes to expand types of criminal records that can be sealed from public
A measure that would expand the kind of criminal records that can be sealed from public view has passed the Pennsylvania House with bipartisan support.
Pennsylvania House approves bill to expand property tax, rent subsidy for seniors, disabled
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Monday overwhelmingly approved a bill to increase the state’s property tax and rent subsidy for seniors and people with disabilities, plus raise the income eligibility cap to expand the program.
Growing budget fight in divided Legislature could test Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor
Pennsylvania lawmakers are back in session, as House Democrats are advancing a spending plan that could test Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro's ability to manage a politically divided Legislature in his freshman year.
GOP field in Pennsylvania Senate race still wide open as hard-right state lawmaker says he won't run
A hard-right Pennsylvania state lawmaker says he will not challenge Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. The decision leaves the GOP primary field wide open.
Pennsylvania high court to consider plan to make power plants pay for greenhouse gas emissions
Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court will take its first crack at whether a governor can force power plant owners to pay for their planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, or whether he first needed approval from a Legislature that opposed the plan.
Democrats advance gun-control bills in Pennsylvania House
Authorities could temporarily seize firearms and background checks would be expanded for gun buyers, under two bills passed Monday in the Pennsylvania House, where Democrats are using their razor-thin majority to push gun-control measures after a yearslong standstill in the politically divided government.
'We did it': Cherelle Parker gives first speech after securing Democratic nomination for Philly mayor
Cherelle Parker, the Democratic nominee in the race for Philadelphia mayor, held her first press conference Monday, nearly a week after a health issue prevented her from speaking on election night.
Fetterman tackles Senate life in hoodies and gym shorts after depression treatment
Before Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman checked himself in to a hospital for clinical depression in February, he used to walk the halls of the Senate stone-faced and dressed in formal suits.
Chester mayoral candidate strives to turn around beleaguered city
The City of Chester, a beleaguered suburb of Philadelphia, will have a new mayor in January after a member of city council ousted their longtime mayor.
Philadelphia's likely next mayor could offer model for how Democrats talk about crime
The Democrat who will almost certainly become Philadelphia’s next mayor wants to hire hundreds of additional police officers and says officers should be able to stop and search pedestrians if they have a legitimate reason to do so.
Cherelle Parker wins Democratic primary for Philadelphia mayor
Cherelle Parker, a Democrat with a long political history in Pennsylvania, won Philadelphia’s mayoral primary on Tuesday, likely setting her up as the city’s 100th mayor and the first woman to serve in the role.
Democrat McCaffery, Republican Carluccio win primaries for Pennsylvania Supreme Court seat
Democrat Dan McCaffery and Republican Carolyn Carluccio won their parties’ primaries for a vacant seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Tuesday, setting up a fall contest to join a high court that is at the center of cases on guns, abortion and elections in a presidential battleground state.