Policy

Updated Politics

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

Pennsylvania’s ongoing budget impasse is set to enter its third month.

News & Politics

Policy

For more PA cities, hard fiscal choices are leading to home rule

The need for revenue is driving more Pennsylvania local governments to consider home rule charters.

Policy

Policy

PA Senate advances $47.7B budget, transit spending plan

Amid an ongoing state budget impasse, state Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward called the proposal ‘the answer for the moment.’

Capitol Beat

Policy

Kim Ward suggests ‘six-month budget’ amid ongoing PA budget impasse

The Pennsylvania Senate president said school choice policies and mass transit funding remain sticking points.

Josh Shapiro

Policy

A recent history of efforts to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage

Lawmakers have attempted to raise the minimum wage in the commonwealth, with little success over the last 20 years.

Policy

Personality

A Q&A with state Rep. Lindsay Powell

Powell talked with City & State about several bills she has sponsored to increase access to housing and improve quality of life in Pennsylvania communities.

News & Politics

Policy

What we now know – and don’t know – about the Pennsylvania budget

Pennsylvania’s fiscal year started on July 1 – and the state still lacks a completed state budget.

General Assembly

Policy

Junk fees, corporate taxes and boot camps: 5 bills advanced by PA lawmakers this week

City & State rounds up some of the major proposals considered in Harrisburg to close out June.

News & Politics

Policy

PA senators approve bill banning TikTok from state devices

The bill would prohibit TikTok and other successor apps from being installed on electronic devices bought with state dollars.

Policy

Policy

New investigation shows the ivory trade is alive and well in PA

Following the investigation, state lawmakers are looking to ban the sale of ivory and similar animal products in the commonwealth.

Budget

Policy

5 things to know about Pennsylvania’s budget timeline

City & State’s primer on the timeline for passing a state budget in Harrisburg.

Health Care

Policy

State lawmakers and health experts debate how to save PA hospitals

During a State Senate Institutional Sustainability and Innovation Committee hearing, panelists laid bare the challenges and offered solutions

Education

Policy

School voucher debate returns to Harrisburg

The Pennsylvania Senate Education Committee advanced a bill on Tuesday that would create a private school scholarship program.

Capitol Beat

Policy

Cannabis legalization bill advances in Pennsylvania House

Lawmakers on the House Health Committee voted 14-12 to advance the bill.

General Assembly

Policy

‘AI is not the future; it is current’: Lawmakers examine how to make Pennsylvania an AI powerhouse

GOP lawmakers traveled to Pittsburgh for a hearing focused on all things artificial intelligence.

Health Care

Opinion

Opinion: It’s time to Washington-proof your health care

State Rep. Tarik Khan explains how Democrats in Harrisburg are working to protect access to health care.

Politics

Politics

Democrats pick up state Senate seat as they win 2 special elections in PA

Pennsylvania Democrats flipped a state Senate seat and retained their state House majority.

Policy

Policy

‘We’re fighting back’: PA House Dems celebrate passage of Affordable Care Act protections

The bipartisan votes now put the onus on state Senate Republicans to advance the four bills and send them to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk.

Capitol Beat

Policy

Bipartisan paid family leave bill advances in Pennsylvania House

The legislation, known as the Family Care Act, would provide eligible residents with between 12 and 20 weeks of paid leave.