Four of Pennsylvania’s most powerful lawmakers are accepting applications to chair the redistricting commission, and advocates are hoping for independence.
Spotlight PA
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Group of GOP lawmakers seek to ban Pa.’s transgender student athletes from playing women’s sports
The proposal is part of a nationwide wave of legislation advocates say has the potential to harm transgender children and adults, especially amid the ongoing pandemic.
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Pa. cannabis legalization remains unlikely as neighboring states go for it
For Pennsylvania to legalize cannabis, the idea would need to gain backing among the Republican lawmakers who control both the state House and Senate.
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All Pa. adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccine as of April 19, new groups eligible now
As part of the accelerated rollout, law enforcement, grocery store workers, and people who work in food-processing plants are eligible as of Wednesday.
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Senate GOP leaders tap well-connected Pa. political operative to lead campaign arm
The move further solidifies the influence of lobbyist Ray Zaborney, who, with his wife, runs a trio of companies that help elect public officials, then lobby them once in office.
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Inside Pennsylvania’s race to expand who’s eligible for the coronavirus vaccine
The state has made significant progress in its vaccination effort after Gov. Tom Wolf came under intense scrutiny, but that progress still depends, in part, on where you live.
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Wolf administration refuses to release details of wasted COVID-19 vaccine doses
The state Health Department is once again citing a decades-old law that it has used numerous times to prevent greater public scrutiny of its coronavirus pandemic response.
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Have you helped process Pa. unemployment claims this past year? Spotlight PA wants to hear from you
Spotlight PA is seeking current and former employees of the state Department of Labor and Industry about their experiences during the pandemic.
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As thousands of unemployment claims expire, Pa. residents refile, wait on federal benefits
The expiration of state benefits for many and the new federal stimulus law is creating fresh confusion and potential gaps in benefits for people who have been desperate for help for the past year.
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Ballot questions should be clear, but two written by the Wolf administration don’t pass the test
Two proposals that will be before voters this May have drawn the ire of Republican leaders in the state House and Senate, who called language written by the Wolf administration “prejudicial.”
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A huge spike in Medicaid enrollment in Pa. shows how devastating the coronavirus has been
Enrollment in the program rose by more than 388,000 people, or 13.7%, including in counties that, historically, have been wealthier than some of their counterparts.
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Child sex abuse survivors in Pa. denied legal relief as emergency effort fails
A Wolf administration blunder derailed a traditional constitutional amendment to provide legal relief for survivors of child sex abuse, leading lawmakers to pursue the emergency option.
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Levine pressed for answers on Pa.’s missing nursing home data as confirmation advances
U.S. House and Senate Republicans also want more information on the state’s overall response to nursing homes, citing several Spotlight PA reports.
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Hopes dim that Pa. lawmakers will push through emergency relief for clergy abuse victims
A proposed constitutional amendment was derailed by “human error” within Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration, leading lawmakers to pursue the rarely used, emergency tactic.
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See how much lawmakers banked in meal, lodging payments during the pandemic
Despite a statewide shutdown and remote voting, Pennsylvania state lawmakers — led by House Democrats — banked hundreds of thousands of dollars in flat-rate payments for meals and lodging.