State Senate
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Pa. Women’s Health Caucus push for maternal health care, childcare access as legislature reconvenes
Tuesday marked the beginning of negotiations for the upcoming 2025-26 state budget. The Pennsylvania Women’s Health Caucus laid out their priorities for the budget, which include funding for Black maternal health, expanding childcare access and expanding access to menstrual products for lower-income residents.
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Legal cannabis, raising wages, and skilled games: Top takeaways from Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal
Gov. Josh Shapiro highlighted his track record and called for legalizing adult-use cannabis, regulating skill games, and restoring housing rights for those who have past evictions.
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Josh Shapiro’s proposed budget continues to close education funding gap
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed state budget includes an additional $526 million to close the education funding gap between poorer and wealthier school districts. It also calls for capping cyber charter tuition at $8,000 per student.
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Pa. receives federal funding to help establish tracking system for untested rape kits
Abuse survivors in Pennsylvania will soon have the ability to electronically track their untested rape kits. Pennsylvania is one of ten states throughout the country without a tracking system for untested kits.
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LGBTQ+ lawmakers renew calls for Pa. Fairness Act after Trump’s attacks on transgender rights
Pennsylvania House Democrats passed the Fairness Act in the previous session. Now lawmakers are renewing calls to pass protections for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians after Trump signs executive orders attacking transgender rights.
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Pa. lawmakers gear up to defend reproductive rights
Members of the Pa. Women’s Health Caucus celebrated their legislative victories from the previous session and announced their agenda to protect reproductive rights over the next two years.
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Proposed AI-powered cyber charter school draws criticism as approval deadline nears
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has until Wednesday to approve an application for the state’s first AI-powered cyber charter school. Education advocates see it as a crash grab.
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Fetterman renews call to turn Pa.’s Whole Home Repairs program into national initiative
US Sen. John Fetterman reintroduced a national version of Pennsylvania’s Whole Home Repairs program last week turning the popular program into a five-year pilot program.
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Shapiro administration distributes $11 million in afterschool programs for underserved communities
“When we invest in afterschool programs, we’re being smart about safety, and we’re saving lives. There’s no more important metric, when we talk about getting stuff done, for the good people of Pennsylvania,” Lt. Gov. Austin Davis said.
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Shapiro administration announces $45 million for high-speed internet projects at local schools, libraries and community centers
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration approved funding expanding high-speed internet access in dozens of public schools, libraries and community health centers across the commonwealth.
