The state Senate has given approval to the Firefighter Cancer Presumption legislation and it’s heading to the Governor for his signature. House bill 797 won unanimous approval from the state Senate on Monday. It would cover firefighters who contract cancer on the job under the state’s Workers Compensation Act. State Senator John Gordner (R-Columbia), […]
A new survey shows Americans are relying more on social media and texting when disaster strikes. “Get Ready, America!, the National Hurricane Survival Initiative, has released a survey that shows social media and texting are becoming the leading ways people will communicate in a disaster. The Sachs/Mason-Dixon commissioned poll found 72% of Americans are members of […]
A new website is on line to provide statewide resources for reporting and preventing child abuse. It’s a joint effort of Penn State’s College of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and School of Law. “Look Out for Child Abuse” is designed to be a one stop resource for completing a CY-47 form, Pennsylvania’s official […]
A new report questions the number of jobs created by the Marcellus Shale boom between 2007 and 2010. The “not so mighty Marcellus” might describe the results of their analysis according to Dr. Stephen Hertzenberg, Executive Director of the Keystone Research Center. He says their review shows less than 10,000 jobs created rather than the […]
The Food and Drug Administration has unveiled nine new cigarette warning labels. The warnings will take up the top 50% of a pack of cigarettes and 20% of an advertisement for cigarettes. They include graphic images of diseases related to smoking, such as lung disease and oral cancer. Tobacco companies have until September 2012 to comply. […]
With no action expected on Senate Bill 1 this summer, some state House members are introducing their own school voucher legislation. Representative Curt Schroder (R-Chester) has introduced two measures as alternatives to the Senate bill. HB 1679, the “Opportunity Scholarship and Educational Improvement Tax Credit Act”, will offer $5,000 opportunity scholarships to all students. Representative […]
Governor Tom Corbett has signed a bill to ensure the continuation of a federally funded, 13 week period of unemployment compensation benefits. Senate Bill 1030 also makes reforms that will save Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation fund an estimated $133 million annually. The Governor called it good legislation and an important step toward reforming Pennsylvania’s unemployment compensation […]
Pennsylvania’s jobless rate dipped one-tenth of a point to 7.4% in May. Some economists are concerned about the numbers, because the seasonally adjusted number of non-farm jobs dropped by 14,200. Mark Price, labor economist for the Keystone Research Center in Harrisburg says the May jobs report raises concerns that a renewed weakness in the national […]
State lawmakers passed the bill just in time to ensure that the federal extended benefits program continues. “We are getting it done literally under the wire, but it’s an important fix to do for the 45,000 folks who would otherwise lose 13-weeks of unemployment compensation,” says State Senator John Gordner (R-Columbia). Gordner chairs the Labor […]
The Phillies top the Pirates 51 – 22 in a new survey of Pennsylvania baseball fans. It’s Quinnipiac’s first ever Pennsylvania Pennant Race poll. “The Phillies are playing .600 ball, compared to the Pirates .500, and Pennsylvania fans are lined up with the winner,” says pollster Tim Malloy. It’s no surprise that fans in the […]