pa-transportation

Pa. House bill would give commercial drivers with disqualifying convictions a second chance

BY: - May 22, 2023

The bill will now go to the House floor for a vote. If it passes in both chambers of the General Assembly and is signed into law, the legislation would take effect in 18 months, which Hill-Evans said is the time necessary for PennDOT to review and prepare records of disqualified drivers.

Pa. House panel examines ways to collect ‘fair share’ of road costs from electric vehicle users

BY: - May 1, 2023

With electric vehicle sales steadily increasing and Pennsylvania’s highway maintenance costs growing, lawmakers on Monday heard testimony about ways to capture alternative fuel users’ fair share of road taxes. Thirty states have enacted road use fees for electric vehicles, Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee Chairman Ed Neilson, D-Philadelphia, said. The challenge for Pennsylvania is determining a […]

Shapiro says Norfolk Southern’s response to East Palestine derailment and fire put first responders and residents at ‘significant risk’

BY: - February 14, 2023

Gov. Josh Shapiro released a strongly worded letter to the president of Norfolk Southern on Tuesday, criticizing the railroad’s unilateral decision-making in the aftermath of the Feb. 3 derailment of a train loaded with hazardous chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio. Shapiro’s letter to Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw followed a meeting with elected […]

The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvania’s Capitol building. May 24, 2022. Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

Wolf signs dozens of bills including clean energy tax credits, fentanyl testing and driver’s ed

BY: - November 4, 2022

Gov. Tom Wolf signed a whopping 66 bills into law on Thursday, including measures to provide tax credits for zero-carbon energy production, to punish Pennsylvania Turnpike toll scofflaws, and to provide new tools to combat the opioid epidemic. The bills, passed near the end of the General Assembly’s 2021-22 session, also aim to expand the […]

What legislation did Gov. Tom Wolf approve or veto during budget season?

BY: - July 13, 2022

In a flurry of budget season legislation, Gov. Tom Wolf vetoed Republican-backed bills dealing with poll watchers, transgender athletes, and energy policy and approved laws on election funding, affordable housing and a loophole that can let people who commit serious crimes get away with a ticket.

Are Venmo and PayPal the future of Pa. Turnpike tolling? A Pa. lawmaker wants to make the switch

BY: - January 12, 2022

With fewer and fewer people carrying cash, one Democratic state senator says he wants to help the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission keep up with the times. State Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna, began circulating a co-sponsorship memo last week with a proposal to direct the commission to accept app payments such as Venmo and Cash App. The legislation […]

Snowplow driver shortage could mean slower road clearing in Pa., elsewhere | Analysis

BY: - December 30, 2021

Earlier this month, The Biden administration announced a plan to boost the number of truckers by helping states expedite the issuance of commercial driver’s licenses, increase apprenticeships and recruit military veterans.

Cap and trade for your car? Pa. is looking at limiting transportation emissions

BY: - January 28, 2020

The proposal, known as the Transportation and Climate Initiative, does not originate with him. Pennsylvania was one of 11 states in 2010 to commence a study of how to slash carbon emissions from vehicles.