sharif-street
Senate panel proceeds with election bill hearing despite Department of State absence
The Senate State Government Committee met for 25 minutes on Tuesday.
Pa. county officials say bipartisan election reform bill is a step toward ‘badly-needed relief’
The 11-page bill allows for precanvassing of mail-in ballots at least three days before an election and moves back the deadline to receive applications for mail-in ballots from one week to two weeks before an election.
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.
Two Pa. lawmakers are working on bipartisan election reform. Here’s what they’ve proposed
Two months after a panel of lawmakers released a report on election integrity, the Republican and Democratic heads of a Senate committee with election oversight are putting its recommendations into action.
Philadelphia officials demand more action to reduce gun violence
Sen. Sharif Street choked up discussing his cousin-in-law’s murder. April, Street’s wife, left the news conference at one point, sat beside a nearby statue, and cried.
Bill cleaning up Pa.’s medical marijuana law, without home growing provision, heads to Wolf
As part of a rush of last-minute legislation, the Pennsylvania General Assembly on Friday passed an omnibus bill making numerous tweaks to the state’s medical marijuana law. The bill, sponsored by state Rep. Paul Schemel, R-Franklin, will enshrine in law numerous temporary policies adopted by the state Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic, as […]
‘We don’t just stop at Juneteenth’: Civil rights leader, lawmakers call for more action on social justice reform
“It is important that we don’t just stop on Juneteenth. It’s important that we look at all of the systemic issues and racism in legislation and policy and how that has impacted our community,” said Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Philadelphia, the chairperson of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus.
With election reforms on GOP’s radar, Wolf and Democrats draw red line on voter ID, other proposals
“I will always uphold our democracy,” Wolf said Wednesday. “I am here to get things done for the people of Pennsylvania. But I am also a steward of a grand democratic tradition, and I recognize both.”
Chauvin verdict reignites calls for police reform in Pa. | Friday Morning Coffee
"A jury unanimously decided that chokeholds are acts of murder, and this decision should compel us to examine policies of our own law enforcement agencies across the Commonwealth,” one lawmaker said.
Leaders in Philly, nationwide honor Black Muslims during virtual town hall
Organizers said the event was an effort to celebrate the history of Black American Muslims, with an added focus on current social justice efforts and issues.
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.