General Assembly

News & Politics

In return to Harrisburg, Senate votes on women’s sports, municipal planning legislation

City & State reviews key votes in the Pennsylvania Senate this week.

General Assembly

PA House passes minimum wage, paid family leave bills

House lawmakers voted on several high-profile bills to close out March.

Capitol Beat

House GOP lawmakers introduce ‘tax holiday’ bills to address affordability concerns

Lawmakers are proposing temporary “holidays” from several state taxes.

Technology

PA lawmakers advance SAFECHAT Act to protect children from AI chatbot interactions

The bill would require AI companion operators to take steps to prevent harmful interactions with chatbots.

News & Politics

Updated

What to know about Pennsylvania’s 2026 special elections

Several seats in the state House of Representatives have been decided through special elections in 2026.

Capitol Beat

PA House committee advances data center bills

Two data center bills were reported out of the House Energy Committee along party lines.

Capitol Beat

‘Crisis mode’: Gov. Josh Shapiro outlines severity of PA bird flu surge

More than 7.6 million birds in Pennsylvania have been affected so far.

Budget

9 things to know about Josh Shapiro’s $53.3B budget proposal

Shapiro revisited past priorities and eyed new goals in an hour-long budget address.

Capitol Beat

PA Senate lawmakers reelect Kim Ward as president pro tempore

Ward was praised by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as she was reelected to lead the upper chamber.

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General Assembly

A Q&A with PA House Republican Leader Jesse Topper

Topper talks state budget victories, navigating a divided General Assembly, and his top goals for 2026.

Analysis

City & State's 5 for 2025: Report names PA’s most and least effective lawmakers – and how partisan divide impacts Harrisburg

As the year comes to an end, we look back at some staff and reader favorites from our reporting over the past 12 months.

Interviews & Profiles

A Q&A with PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton

McClinton discusses the 2025-26 state budget, the CROWN Act and the need to address transit funding.

Capitol Beat

Lawmakers subpoena information about security improvements at Shapiro’s home

Democrats claimed the GOP-led subpoenas are part of a fishing expedition against the governor.

Capitol Beat

5 things to know about Pennsylvania’s 2025-26 state budget

Big changes are coming for the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, public education funding, tax credits and more.

Policy

City & State’s 2025-26 Pennsylvania state budget tracker

After a budget impasse that stretched more than 130 days, Gov. Josh Shapiro signed a $50B budget into law on Nov. 12, 2025.

Capitol Beat

PA Senate passes permitting transparency bill

The bill, which would require state agencies to create public permit tracking systems, received bipartisan support in the state Senate.

Education

State Senate studies ‘bell-to-bell’ cell phone ban in schools

Cell phone usage in schools is a hot-button issue in Harrisburg