andrew-dinniman
Amid COVID in Capitol, Pa. General Assembly finishes budget with no new taxes, no furloughs — and no new aid
The spending plan passed in a nearly empty Capitol, as the majority of the 203-member House of Representatives were sent home due to at least one presumed positive COVID-19 case in the House Republican caucus.
Pa. Senate sends Wolf stopgap $25.8 billion budget; Wolf expected to sign it
The budget, which does not contain any tax hikes, got the approval of the state Senate in a 44-6 vote Thursday afternoon.
Wolf signs bill to let synagogues, mosques and churches apply for $5M in safety grants
In response to last year’s Tree of Life shooting, Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday signed into law a $5 million program that provides grants to beef up security at nonprofits, such as houses of worship or a faith-based community center. The program was originally proposed by Sen. Andrew Dinniman, D-Chester, as part of a larger […]
DePasquale: Scrap Keystone exams for high school kids and replace them with SATs
Pennsylvania could join the ranks of 12 other states that have scrapped state-specific exams since the demise of the federal No Child Left Behind law, and instead allow students to take the PSAT or SAT.
‘That could be any of us’: Senate Dems propose $10M safety grant program for Pa. houses of worship
"Event after event has unfolded across our commonwealth," one of the proposal's backers said. "We have to act on this."
‘We can’t ask any questions:’ Environmental official gets OK from Senate committee over pipeline objections
A committee advanced Secretary Patrick McDonnell’s nomination to the full Senate, over the objections of Sens. Andrew Dinniman, D-Chester, and Daylin Leach, D-Montgomery.
Top environmental official’s reconfirmation hearing delayed over pipeline concerns
This story was updated on Tuesday, April 30 to include a statement from a DEP spokesperson. A state Senate committee postponed a planned confirmation hearing for one of Pennsylvania’s top environmental officials, after a bipartisan group of lawmakers raised concerns about his agency’s involvement in controversial gas pipeline project. The Senate Environmental Resources & Energy […]
Higher education shouldn’t be a ‘luxury’: Pa. community college advocates rally for more state funding
When Andrew Helmer looks at Pennsylvania’s 14 public community colleges, he sees more than just campuses. He sees “reservoirs of knowledge.” “I know what community colleges do to train our employees of the future,” Helmer, the vice-president of human resources at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, said Tuesday. He joined dozens of students, business leaders, and […]