Working & The Economy
Unregulated gambling games cost Pa. Lottery $95 million in revenue, director says
A new type of quick-thrill game is popping up in bars and gas stations across the state, and it’s causing big problems for the Pennsylvania Lottery. “Games of skill” — arcade-style betting games operated by private companies — have cost the state lottery an estimated $95 million in annual revenue, Pennsylvania Lottery Executive Director Drew Svitko said […]
Wolf creates workforce development command center
Surrounded by business, union, and legislative leaders, Gov. Tom Wolf signed an executive creating a state workforce development command center. The panel will include three members of Wolf’s cabinet and three representatives of the private sector, including state AFL-CIO President Rick Bloomingdale and Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry President Gene Barr. These six members […]
New Jersey just went to a $15/hr minimum wage. Here’s why Pa. could be next | Tuesday Morning Coffee
Good Tuesday Morning, Fellow Seekers. Workers in the Garden State may have just given Pennsylvania lawmakers a glimpse of what they can expect as the debate over Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed minimum wage increase revs up as we get deeper into the spring and early summer. As Vox reports, New Jersey has now become the fourth state […]
Suburban Philly Democrat suggests statewide paid family leave
just three states — California, Rhode Island and New Jersey — offer employees fully paid leave according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. New York offers family leave at half pay.
As work for welfare battle continues, Wolf admin will put a new spin on old jobs programs
State lawmakers also want stricter work requirements for food stamps.
Amazon is pulling out of New York, won’t reopen HQ2 search
Amazon announced Thursday it will not open a corporate campus in New York City, after state lawmakers tried to block billions in subsidies to the tech behemoth. The company chose Long Island City in Queens and part of Northern Virginia as the winners of its HQ2 competition. Pennsylvania’s largest cities, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, were finalists. […]
Treasurer Joe Torsella: Pa’s Rainy Day Fund is ‘nothing to write home about’ but at least it has one again
Pennsylvania’s top financial officer says he’s committed to helping the Commonwealth build up its emergency savings account and that he wants to “continue doing great things” with his office. Right now, the $22.5 million balance sitting in Pennsylvania’s Rainy Day Fund, the account that’s supposed to serve as a hedge against future downturns, is “nothing […]
A state House hearing for Pa.’s budget watchdog turned into a minimum wage Q&A
A budget hearing Monday for Pennsylvania’s independent fiscal watchdog agency turned into a proxy fight over Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to boost Pennsylvania’s minimum wage. Lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee used a Monday appearance by the state’s Independent Fiscal Office to crack the hood on Wolf’s plan to increase the wage from the current […]
‘Fight for $15’ campaigners furious at Erie Democrat for showing hand ahead of minimum wage fight
State ‘Fight for $15 activists’ are hoping to inspire a fighting attitude among a key House Democrat in the the clash to raise the minimum wage. Keystone Progress, a progressive advocacy group, is seeking signatures to push back on comments from Rep. Pat Harkins where he suggested he’d compromise on increasing the state minimum wage. […]
Higher teacher salaries sound appealing, but can districts afford them long term?
Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget proposal contains a provision that’s hard to argue with, at least on the surface: higher salaries for teachers. In his 2019-20 budget, Wolf provides nearly $14 million to bump up salaries in districts where teachers make less than $45,000 per year to start. According to state Department of Education records, 178 […]
Payday lenders just scored a win in Washington — will they try again in Pennsylvania? | John L. Micek
And, as ever, it’s those who are cheering the loudest for him that will end up suffering the most. Let's hope Pa. lawmakers have more sense.
Lawmaker who chaired Liquor Control Committee moves to lobbying role for Pa. brewers
Former Rep. Adam Harris, a Republican who spent 16 years in the General Assembly before retiring last session, has a new job leading outreach for Pennsylvania’s beer brewing industry. Harris was chairman of the House Liquor Control Committee in 2016 when the state reformed its liquor laws, including letting distributors sell six packs. “Brewers across Pennsylvania […]