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The congressional committee investigating the events of Jan. 6 has subpoenaed Mastriano, but he didn’t appear for a deposition in March.
Throughout an hour-long debate in Harrisburg Wednesday — the first debate in which all the frontrunners shared a stage — the four candidates had very few real policy disagreements.
To date, White has dumped $4 million of his own money into his campaign — more self-funding than any other candidate in the race.
Corman filed his paperwork to withdraw from the race Tuesday afternoon. But just hours later, he reversed the attempt.
Pennsylvania’s coordinated campaign has around 40 volunteers stationed across key regions, including 16 on various college campuses
When you look at just the opinions of parents who have children in kindergarten through high school, they are more closely divided.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will pick the final map.
With the Jan. 30 deadline imposed by Pa. Commonwealth Court approaching, the Republican-controlled state Senate is trying to cobble together a compromise.
The Pennsylvania House plans to pass a Republican-drawn draft of the map.
A closer look at school board results in the vastly influential Philadelphia suburbs challenges any decisive electoral storyline.
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey’s retirement is leaving a rare power vacuum in one of the country’s swingiest swing states.
About 7,000 prisoners will still be counted as residents of the districts where their prisons are located.
The process of passing a congressional map, which the state must do every decades, is essentially the same as passing a bill into law.
State prisoners will be counted as residents of the districts where they originally lived.
One big question: How hard should mapmakers try to match up district lines with county and municipal borders?
So far, Tioga and York Counties have both said they will not be voluntarily turning over any material. Tioga said the primary reason was that Governor Tom Wolf’s administration had heavily discouraged it.
Pennsylvania legislative leaders say a bill that would institute new mandatory minimum sentences for gun-related crime is “off the calendar,” at least temporarily.
On the federal level, the bill that made Juneteenth a federal holiday has been one of the only major racial justice-related measures to become law.
Republicans, who have not won a statewide election in nearly 20 years, are energized by the multiple scandals that are weakening current Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Acting State Human Services Secretary Meg Snead said parents ultimately have to make their own decisions about what’s safe.
The Republican ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2018, hitching his wagon to former State Sen. Scott Wagner.
Politically, he has made a project of attempting to bridge the increasing conservatism of de-industrialized, once-Democratic-voting areas with his own brand of progressive politics.
Good government groups across Pennsylvania fear that if Harrisburg Republicans get their way in the coming legislative session, the commonwealth could end up with a high court system that is one of the most partisan in the country.
PHILADELPHIA, PA (WITF) – It’s not easy to recognize important historical moments while they’re happening. But 2020 has been a year marked by disaster and debacle. It has featured a deadly global pandemic, a reckoning over racism in the wake of several Black Americans killed by police, and a tense, litigious election. Looking back, historians, political insiders, and on-the-ground organizers agree that the last 12 months or so will leave an indelible impression. “I don’t know a historian right now who isn’t still kind of in shock,” said Timothy Lombardo, a Philadelphia-born historian of conservative politics.
As coronavirus cases soar in Pennsylvania, state lawmakers face a looming deadline to spend $1.3 billion in federal pandemic relief that the commonwealth received in early spring, but still hasn’t used.
A handful of cases are pending in courts around the state, including a few key challenges. If the Trump campaign can whittle away Biden’s advantage to 0.5%, Pennsylvania law would trigger an automatic recount.
“Nobody is looking to get anybody unnecessarily involved in the legal system.”
“People still have dirty clothes.”
An account traced to him had uploaded an image showing a sexual act between a female minor and adult male. The office said police found two other images on Folmer’s cell phone.
The group argues the strong economy makes it a good time to reinstate the cash assistance program. But the GOP-controlled legislature is wary of increased spending.
People will still be able to use other forms of identification after REAL ID requirements take effect.
Pennsylvania sentences a lot of people to life without the possibility of parole. Research has shown their odds of reoffending are low after years of incarceration.
Attorneys say they believe the stop was racially motivated. The ACLU’s client was detained, then placed in ICE custody.
The diocese has been under financial strain from legal fees and payouts to people its clergy and other affiliates abused over many decades.
The Democratic Governor has pitched the same overhaul to Pennsylvania’s corporate tax structure for five years in a row.
DEP acting on governor’s executive order — which Republicans are challenging
Republican Scott Perry and Democrat Matt Cartwright are both considered to be in toss-up races.
Joe Scarnati has represented the 25th Senate District for two decades, and rose to power as Senate President Pro Tempore in 2006.
They’re adding new plaintiffs from the Philadelphia, Altoona-Johnstown, Greensburg and Harrisburg dioceses.
The new application website comes courtesy of Act 77, which expands voting laws. Lawmakers passed it in an effort to boost participation.
Overrides are rare, and can only happen when two-thirds of the legislature are willing to support a bill against the governor’s explicit wishes. The last one happened a decade ago.
According to Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, the Dog Law Enforcement Bureau could be out of money by this summer.
At a Women for Trump event in Camp Hill, the vice president touched on education, veterans’ issues, abortion, undocumented immigrants and what he sees as ‘socialism’ in the Democratic party.
Over the past three sessions, at least a dozen Democratic-sponsored resolutions related to honoring LGBTQ+ people have failed to pass the state House and Senate.
The governor says the days of “painful” budgets are behind Pennsylvania, thanks to a strong economy. But Republicans say Wolf should work harder to reign in spending.
The old system was expensive, and its coverage was so spotty that police and other first responders couldn’t rely on it for communication.
His latest ask is more than a billion dollars to clean up lead and asbestos in Pennsylvania’s schools, houses and water systems.
Governor Wolf first introduced Restore PA last year, to a chilly response from Republicans. It’s one of several unsuccessful proposals he is reiterating ahead of his 2020 budget address.
The proposal would require Pennsylvanians to pay part of their checks into an emergency fund, from which any eligible worker would be able to draw benefits.
Thanks to a package of new laws, county officials will likely have to count more absentee ballots and register more voters.
However, the governor says he’s much less sure about his longtime push to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage.
“I’d like to be in the private sector. I’d like to be on the other side of that line where I’m actually in the middle of it, to create those jobs and see an organization thrive.
Lawmakers are speculating that Allegheny County Rep. Mike Turzai plans to leave office.
One of the bills now goes the governor for a signature, and the rest still have to pass the Senate.
The additional fees are intended to apply specifically to records that companies are reselling, using to market products, or making money with in some other way.
A bill that would change the process made it through a House committee unanimously, and now goes to the full chamber for a vote.
Governor Tom Wolf says the goal is to ensure more young offenders leave the criminal system and stay out.
Speaker Mike Turzai counters that he did so because of a routine parliamentary issue.
Studies have shown that doctors at some hospitals routinely instruct medical students to perform practice exams on unconscious patients without their permission.
Republicans are pushing for looser regulations on conventional oil and gas drillers, who generally run small operations and work with relatively shallow wells.
The chamber narrowly passed a measure that would require judges to issue consecutive sentences for multiple crimes involving guns.
In order to change how congressional and state legislative districts are drawn before nationwide reapportionment in 2021, the General Assembly needs to strike a deal by early August.
They want a GOP-controlled Senate committee to hold hearings on several of their bills backstopping ACA provisions. It’s not clear if they’ll get their wish.
GOP Speaker Mike Turzai scheduled the elections to be held less than a month before the primary. Democratic leaders think that’s needlessly confusing.
Pennsylvania’s Agriculture Secretary says several grant recipients were taken by surprise that they had to pay contracted workers prevailing wages.
The freshmen congressional members join a growing number of Pennsylvania politicians throwing support behind the former vice president.
Most Republican members have said they support the move; Democrats say they’re worried about destabilizing the Middle East and concerned Trump didn’t seek congressional approval
The governor wants to require that time-and-a-half be paid to anyone who makes $45,000 or less and works more than 40 hours in a week.
The letter from a statewide board could be used against Judge Dennis Reinaker in future misconduct cases.
Auditor General Eugene DePasquale says he found tens of thousands of discrepancies in a review of county registration records. But the department says he’s overstating the issue.
House Republicans have voted to elect appellate court judges in regional, partisan elections. Only two other states use similar methods.
The measures now go back to the Senate, where members will vote to concur with, or reject the amendments.
Harrisburg’s rally was one of many around the country in which people who oppose President Donald Trump turned out to celebrate his possible ouster.
Current state law bars municipalities from paying for conferences and other instruction programs until the elected person formally takes office.
Many Democrats and some Republicans say mandatory minimum sentences are ineffective and biased against black people. The GOP committee chair says he ‘doesn’t see color.’
After 25 years in prison, David Sheppard received clemency for a second-degree murder charge. But he may have to go back to prison for allegedly stealing jeans in 1992.
Democrat Movita Johnson-Harrell says she plans to resign. She won her seat in a special election nine months ago, replacing a representative charged with bribery.
Republicans argued Democrats aren’t respecting due process, while Democrats argued the president’s conduct is baldly unconstitutional.
Major League Baseball is considering cutting 42 teams from the minor league circuit after the 2020 season.
A newly-enacted law is making Pennsylvania one of 19 states with older legal tobacco purchase ages.
Lawmakers and the governor opted to create their own exchange because it’s likely to save the commonwealth money.
A state senator’s recent defection from the Democratic party shook the Capitol last week and now it’s causing political upheaval in his district.
People abused as children will be able to file criminal suits against their abusers no matter how much time has passed.
Among other things, the measures would impose longer sentences for assaulting guards, and punish inmates for a broader range of crimes.
The longtime Luzerne County lawmaker is now registered as an Independent, but has allied himself with Republicans in key ways.
Under current law, lawmakers can accept whatever gifts they want, no matter the cost. For the first time in recent memory, the House may be poised to change that.
Supporters say the measure would ensure parents have an opportunity for closure. Opponents say it could discourage women from getting abortions, and might make traumatic experiences worse.
They’ll now get at least 42½ hours per week out of their cell, and will be allowed to eat and attend religious services with other inmates.
Tom Wolf, a Democrat, addressed the situation for the first time Wednesday afternoon, saying he is not aware of any wrongdoing.
Eugene DePasqule wants lawmakers to come up with a more comprehensive plan to improve infrastructure, and hopefully prevent future damage from severe weather.
Officials are hoping early exposure to science and tech will give rural students a leg up in rapidly modernizing fields, like agriculture.
It’s unclear exactly what went wrong with the commonwealth’s dated system, but from Thursday to Sunday, a crash kept unemployed people from filing claims.
The Associated Press says those high-risk structures are in poor condition, and could kill people if they collapse.
Pennsylvania’s Republican US Senator introduced a resolution he hopes will enable Congress to defeat future presidents’ fracking bans in court.
Last year, a Supreme Court decision made it illegal for public sector unions to compel non-members to pay dues. Some non-members are now trying to recoup that money.
Republicans in the state legislature have long pushed to privatize the commonwealth’s state-run liquor industry.
It could take a year or longer to resolve whether victims’ rights measure is constitutional.
Voters can cast ballots on the proposed amendment, but the state won’t do an official count until courts decide whether the victims’ rights proposal is constitutional.
The ACLU and other groups had argued the victims’ rights constitutional amendment is too broad and could compromise the rights of the accused. The judge agreed.
Once signed, the measure will give grants to nonprofits susceptible to hate crimes. Though few lawmakers ever opposed it, the legislative process was unpredictable.
The bills are in their early days, but they’ve already gotten early rebukes from staff for one of two pension systems.
The controversial Berks Family Residential Center is one of three facilities in the US that detains undocumented parents and children together.
Union leaders interpreted Corrections Secretary John Wetzel’s quiet aside at a prison closure hearing as dismissive.
Opponents of the victims’ rights amendment say it’s too broad and would cause “immediate and irreparable harm” to the accused. Marsy’s Law backers firmly disagree.
Supporters of the bill say it is a needed correction to a burdensome system, but opponents say it just makes the departments needlessly opaque.
Calling the issue a matter of public health, the group is proposing four bills that would require public restrooms to provide free pads and tampons to anyone who needs them.
The measure would outlaw abortions from the time a fetal heartbeat is detected. That’s usually around six or seven weeks—before most women know they are pregnant.
Pennsylvania’s brand new House Oversight Committee held its first-ever hearing Monday, on whether there should be tighter rules for lobbyists to disclose what they spend on lawmakers.
With the 2020 census approaching, black community leaders are brushing up on the best ways to get people counted.
Marsy’s Law would insert a bill of rights for crime victims in Pennsylvania’s constitution. The ACLU thinks it’s too sweeping and would need to be broken into parts.
The change, which will involve new furniture and roomier cells, will test whether a less punitive prison environment will yield better-behaved inmates
The measure has high-ranking co-sponsors from both parties, making it a rare healthcare bill that may not divide the chamber on party lines.
Lebanon isn’t not the only county that does this. The Pennsylvania ALCU says it has heard at least seven others have similar policies. The group is hoping its suit has statewide implications.
The state Senate held a daylong hearing on bills to overhaul the statute of limitations for certain abuse cases. They’ve repeatedly stalled before, and it’s unclear if anything has changed.
Pennsylvania is getting a new auditor general next year, and the field of prospective candidates is already getting crowded.
The amendment would enshrine certain rights for crime victims in the commonwealth’s constitution.
“The result has been a decrease in the ability of staff to adequately maintain physical infrastructure…manage natural and cultural resources and address numerous environmental challenges.”
A bill that would raise the minimum age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21 passed the Senate easily, and may have enough support to get to the governor’s desk
For the first time, Pennsylvania’s governor is throwing his support behind fully legalizing marijuana. Republicans say they’re skeptical.
A measure that moved from committee Tuesday would give the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs jurisdiction over the building and close it off to future lieutenant governors.
GOP Chairman Rob Kauffman says in particular, a high-profile “red flag” bill won’t be considered “so long as Chairman Kauffman is chairman.”
A bipartisan consensus has been rising around bills that seek to make sentencing less punitive. But House Republicans are holding fast to one of their longtime, tougher-on-crime priorities
Those people who support nuclear worry that without tax breaks, the plants will be shut out of a competitive energy market
The caucus has released a final report about sexual misconduct allegations against Leach. It found “unprofessional” behavior, but no sexual harassment.
The top Republican, arrested on child pornography charges, was heavily involved in efforts to overhaul redistricting and elections laws.
The raft of proposals serves as a rejection of Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf’s own energy plan.
The state attorney general says the high-ranking Republican is not “above the law.”
Their call for action comes as the Trump administration works to loosen federal regulations on the powerful greenhouse gas.
The lawmakers and activists who want to raise Pa.’s $7.25 minimum say they’re “deflated” but regrouping after failing to push higher wages into the state budget.
The administration says it wants to make sure the rotunda is accessible to people with disabilities. Some disability advocates say the move is unnecessary.
Expect arguments on everything from energy to guns, from criminal justice to wages, and more.
The Pennsylvania governor has vetoed two different bills. Lawmakers plan to send him a third.
Meanwhile, environmental groups like the Chesapeake Bay Foundation say the move is an “assault” on clean water.
Representative John Galloway was charged after an incident in May, when police found him driving with a BAC of .16
The legislature is weighing a bill that would roll back the pricing flexibility it granted the PLCB three years ago.
The head of Pennsylvania’s Manufacturer’s Association said he supports the president’s trade tactics.
Even under current detention rules, licensing at the Berks County Residential Center is complicated.
One state House lawmaker is trying to pitch a new solution to a very old Pennsylvania problem: the reliance on school property taxes.
A Republican polling firm says its latest survey found compelling evidence that a key bloc of swing voters want stricter gun control.
A law to expand schools’ security options in Pennsylvania now has some school law enforcement officers miffed.
Democrat Daylin Leach lost support from his own caucus, the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, and the Democratic committees in the counties he represents after being accused of inappropriate conduct with female staffers.
The demonstration was one of many springing up statewide in the wake of the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio that killed more than 30 people.
Some Pennsylvania Democrats are urging Gov. Tom Wolf to call the legislature back to Harrisburg for a special session on gun violence, even as other legislators concede it’s unlikely such a session would produce any meaningful action.
After a series of incidents in which people have been harmed while in state or county human services care, Governor Tom Wolf says the system isn’t working.
Despite a legal aid group asking the commonwealth court to grant an injunction, a small cash assistance for the poor has ended, effective Thursday.
The alleged perpetrators were onetime Pennsylvania state inmates out on parole. And in a commonwealth that has been working systematically to get people out of prison, that prompted concern.
Democratic state lawmakers are criticizing the Trump Administration over its proposed plan to restrict Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for certain people.
Pennsylvania’s attorney general is trying to convince firearms dealers and police precincts around the commonwealth to do a more effective job tracking guns–an effort he hopes will eventually help reduce gun crimes.
Like most of their colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, three representatives from Pennsylvania appeared to have wildly different reactions to his report, based on their party affiliation.
“You have to ask yourself, why is every diocese in the country dealing with child sex abuse? The answer is, the coverup, the protection afforded to child predators.”
“If you’re going to be obtaining personal information from people, it’s important that you invest that money to protect their information, or you could be facing something similar.”
A spokesman for newly elected Lawrence Tabas said a compliance officer will be tasked with enforcing the party’s legal and ethical rules.
Two advocacy groups are suing Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services over the repeal of a small cash assistance program for poor people who don’t qualify for other aid.
“I’m thrilled that the people here are trying to do as best they can under the circumstances. But I think the underlying issue is, we should not be doing this.”
