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Pa. GOP leaders trumpet soaring state revenue, caution against spending
Legislative Republicans on Wednesday took a victory lap over a bustling state economy, giving credit to President Donald Trump's tax cuts, while cautioning against spending the newfound windfall.
Metcalfe leads anti-vaccine rally for bill that would penalize medical practitioners
In the midst of a measles outbreak nationwide, Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe gathered with families and three anti-vaccination academics in Harrisburg on Tuesday to push a bill that punishes doctors who refuse to see unvaccinated patients. Fifteen of Metcalfe’s fellow Republicans have signed on to co-sponsor the bill, which includes a “vaccine non-discrimination” clause. […]
Restore or reenergize? Turzai, House GOP offer plan for natural gas-based state economy
Preaching “jobs, jobs, jobs,” state House Speaker Mike Turzai and other House Republicans rolled out a package of bills Monday that they say will expand the manufacturing potential of the shale gas boom.
Pennsylvania’s public workers don’t have workplace safety protections. This bill would change that
For 577,000 Pennsylvanians, no state agency oversees their workplace safety. Legislation that's being pushed by organized labor and its allies would change that.
Union-driven campaigns have helped Pa. Democrats flip red seats. Could it notch them one more victory?
Union-backed Democrat Sam Doctor is taking on Republican Marci Mustello in the May 21 special election.
Fossil fuel industry group-backed poll finds Pennsylvanians uninformed about nuke proposal, skeptical when educated
A poll funded by a fossil fuel-boosting organization shows 77 percent of Pennsylvanians have heard little or nothing about a deal that would aid the state’s nuclear industry at the expense of consumers. The poll was sponsored by the Secure Energy for America Association, which supports “fair policies and regulation of the coal and natural […]
Anti-nuclear activists cry foul over Exelon’s request to use TMI decommissioning dollars for waste storage
The owner of Three Mile Island in Dauphin County is asking the feds for permission to use a decommissioning nest egg to pay for keeping nuclear waste safe, drawing the ire of anti-nuclear activists. Exelon Corporation, a Chicago-based energy producer, has requested federal approval to use dollars set aside to help safely close TMI, just […]
Top Senate Republicans aren’t happy with Pa.’s environmental regulators. Here’s why
Two senior Republican senators want an appellate court to force the state Department of Environmental Protection to issue new clean water standards for a byproduct of coal mining. Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati, R-Jefferson, and Senate Environmental Resources & Energy Committee Chairman Gene Yaw, R-Lycoming, filed the suit in late March in Commonwealth Court. […]
Air quality in Harrisburg metro area among worst in nation, despite improvements
The Harrisburg-York-Lebanon metropolitan area’s air quality has improved compared to previous years, according to the American Lung Association’s annual report. But it’s still not great. “Mid-state residents should be aware that we’re breathing unhealthy air, driven by local emissions, upwind sources, and extreme heat as a result of climate change, placing our health and lives […]
In call to arms for environmental action, Wolf and lawmakers name Eastern hellbender state amphibian
No, a live hellbender did not attend the ceremony.
Lawmakers agreed to privatize free medical trips for Medicaid recipients last year. Now, some are trying to stop it
State lawmakers from rural Pennsylvania are pushing back on a privatization measure slipped into last year’s state budget that would affect transportation for at least 150,000 Medicaid recipients.
Union opposition to post-Janus proposal divides Republican caucus in Pa. House
A bill that targets state unions and should be an easy sell to GOP lawmakers in the House has instead been stopped by a debate over how much to push a powerful interest group that has dug in its heels.