dan-laughlin
Democrats, GOP lawmakers in Pa., elsewhere push back against partisan election reviews
Inspired by former President Donald Trump’s baseless accusation of widespread voter fraud, the inquiries are taking place in two states won by President Joe Biden. They come as the similarly partisan review wraps up in Arizona, where investigators chased conspiracy theories and accepted millions of dollars from Trump allies.
GOP 2022 gubernatorial hopefuls spar over Pa. vote by-mail law
In the lead up to the 2022 governor’s race, some Pennsylvania Republican hopefuls are reaching for a new way to question conservative credentials — did their rival vote to approve no-excuse mail-in ballots?
Amid inflation and staffing shortages, is now the time for Pa.’s minimum wage to increase?
Despite years of lobbying by low-wage workers and their advocates, Pennsylvania’s minimum wage has stalled at the federal level, $7.25 an hour, for over a decade. But with a faltering economic recovery caused by the surge of COVID-19 delta variant cases, ongoing labor shortages across Pennsylvania and troubling signs of inflation, is now finally the […]
Pa. Sen. Laughlin: Forensic probe of 2020 election will ‘further paranoid atmospherics’ | Opinion
If two sides want to fight over a year-old election, I advise them to take it outside. We have real work to do in the Capitol.
The pandemic changed a lot. But not the partisan debate over paid leave | Thursday Morning Coffee
Just 14 states and Washington D.C. now mandate paid leave. Democratic bills in the Pa. House and Senate seek to change that.
With the Fight for $15 in a holding pattern, do two new bills point the way to a deal? | Thursday Morning Coffee
State Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, wants to boost the wage to $10 an hour. No one's saying no, but nor are they saying yes -- yet.
Gov. Tom Wolf pardoned 69 marijuana offenders. Why that matters | Tuesday Morning Coffee
The executive action 'will give these 310 people a chance to put the conviction behind them, offering them more opportunities,' the Wolf administration said.
Senators reveal bipartisan plan to legalize weed, expunge records in Pennsylvania
The sponsors, Sens. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie, and Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, cited shifting public attitudes, as well as the potential gain from a new crop for farmers, a fresh start for those with a possession arrest on their record, and a boast to the state’s bottom line.
Erie lawmaker tells liquor regulators they need to spruce up rundown states stores in poor Pa. cities
The state board that controls alcohol sales in Pennsylvania touted its plans to renovate more liquor stores this year, leading one state lawmaker on Tuesday to decry what he saw as a disparity between state-run stores in poor urban areas and affluent suburbs.
This plan for universal paid family leave in Pa. has bipartisan support. Will it ever become law?
When Jackie Swain’s infant daughter, Emersyn, was diagnosed with a rare heart disease in 2018, the Montgomery County resident took a sobering look at the options before her. Swain could hire someone to care for Emersyn while she and her husband worked. Or she could quit her job as a cake decorator, which paid an […]
Pa. Senate panel advances bill to beef up ban on snow-topped cars
A state Senate panel has advanced legislation beefing up an already-existing state law that allows police to fine drivers who don’t speedily clear snow and ice from the tops of their cars and trucks after heavy weather. On Tuesday, the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously approved the bill sponsored by Sens. Lisa Boscola, D-Northampton, and Dan […]