Government & Politics
Sober? Steady? Liked by Republicans? A most unusual Wolf budget indeed | John L. Micek
There was plenty that was familiar about Gov. Tom Wolf’s fifth budget address on Tuesday. Once again, he was after a higher minimum wage and more money for public schools. And he was taking another run at trying to get municipalities without their own police departments to pony up and pay for the free coverage […]
Can the Pa. Legislature be trusted to investigate its own #MeToo allegations?
There is still no system to investigate sexual harassment complaints uniformly in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Bipartisan lawmakers are floating proposals to change that.
Here’s how Pa’s congressional delegation responded to President Trump’s #SOTU speech
The final syllables of President Donald Trump’s second State of the Union address had barely stopped echoing through the hall of the U.S. House on Tuesday night before members of Congress started weighing in with their reactions. Here’s what Pennsylvania’s members of Congress had to say about the speech – before, during and afterward. It […]
In the middle of #SOTU, Congress sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to 81-year-old survivor of Tree of Life shootings
There was plenty of sharp-elbowed partisanship in President Donald Trump’s second State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night. But in the middle of it, Republicans and Democrats took a moment to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to an 81-year-old survivor of last fall’s deadly shootings at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life […]
Democrats are happy with Wolf’s budget proposal — but want to go further
The reaction from Gov. Tom Wolf’s own party to his Tuesday budget address? It’s a start. Members of the Democratic minority from both chambers sees Wolf’s proposed budget as an uncontroversial kickoff to negotiations they hope to expand to include more policies in the coming months. “It’s consistent with the previous budgets of the governor, […]
Republican leaders praise Wolf’s proposed workforce initiatives, bristle at spending increases
State Republicans this afternoon had measured praise for Gov. Tom Wolf’s fifth budget proposal, saying that while they support his initiatives to develop Pennsylvania’s workforce, they may oppose proposals to increase overall spending. “I think we’ll break the normal tradition as the opposition to come out and ridicule or complain about the governor’s proposal,” Senate […]
Pa. Senate passes pension forfeiture bill, report
A quick one from our colleagues at Capitolwire, who report this morning that the Senate has approved legislation that would expand the list of offenses that would require public employees and officials to forfeit their pension benefits. According to Capitolwire, “the legislation would expand the list of convictions to include any felony conviction, guilty plea or no […]
Gov. Tom Wolf wants a higher minimum wage and more money for teachers — with no new taxes
Gov. Tom Wolf wants to raise the minimum wage, increase the base salary for teachers, and invest heavily in workforce development.
‘Pennsylvania must do better:’ Advocacy community splits on Wolf’s budget plan
Where you stand on the administration's proposal for the fiscal year that starts on July 1 largely depends on where you sit.
It’s our birthday! It’s your budget day! | Tuesday Morning Coffee
A Wolf budget. A Trump State of the Union. What could possibly go wrong?
Read the full text of Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019 budget address
The administration's $34 billion spending plan increases state spending by nearly $1 billion without any major tax increases.
Five takeaways from Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2019-20 budget
From a minimum wage increase to a new fee on municipalities