The budget bill’s next stop is the Senate Appropriations Committee, following this week’s largely party line vote in the State House. Senate Appropriations chair Jake Corman (R-Centre) tells us they’ll spend the next week or so reviewing the legislation, and hope to have an action plan by the first or second week of June. When […]
Researchers from seven universities, beekeepers in every state, economists, epidemiologists and others have joined the Bee Informed Partnership. Senior extension associate at Penn State Dennis vanEngelsdorp is leading the project, and tells us honeybees are essential to agriculture. “About one in every three bites of food we eat is either directly or indirectly pollinated by […]
Spring and early summer are times of year when the ticks that transmit Lyme disease tend to be most active. Health officials are reminding people to be vigilant when they’re outdoors. Dr. Stephen Ostroff, acting Pennsylvania Physician General, Pennsylvania Department of Health, says the deer tick is tiny, and people may not notice it […]
A statewide investigating grand jury released its 102-page report on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Tuesday. Chairman of the State House Gaming Oversight Committee Curt Schroder (R-Chester) calls the report a “stinging indictment” on the operation of the Gaming Control Board since its inception. Schroder says it is lawmakers’ duty to follow-up. “I intend […]
Pennsylvania is one of only two states that still ban teachers from wearing any type of religious garb or symbol. A bipartisan effort is underway to lift that ban. Representative Eugene DePasquale, a York Democrat, says it’s about ending religious discrimination in the public. He says statutes banning teachers from wearing any religious garb or […]
The 102-page document compiled by the 31st Statewide Investigating Grand Jury paints an unflattering picture of the state’s gaming regulators. It cites a political process that neglected or ignored its policy objectives, failed to protect the public from unlawful gaming practices, and avoided transparency. The report includes 21-recommendations ranging from a new venue for the […]
The State House voted overwhelmingly in favor of legislation that creates the offense of teen “sexting.” The bill would apply to nude photographs distributed among teenagers, via cell phones and even computers. The prime sponsor is State Rep. Seth Grove (R-York), who says the legislation will make teens think before they “sext.” At the same […]
On the same day that one state lawmaker reintroduced a bill to once again make motorcycle helmets mandatory, more than one hundred bikers rode to the state capitol for their annual motorcyclists’ rights rally. It was no coincidence, according to Charles Umbenhauer with ABATE of PA. “It’s probably a good idea to air both sides […]
A state lawmaker is introducing three motorcycle safety bills, including one to reinstate the helmet law for all riders. Representative Dan Frankel (D-Allegheny) says since the motorcycle helmet law was repealed in 2003, there have been an increase in deaths and injuries and a decrease in the number of riders wearing helmets, including those […]
A new study from Penn State’s Institute for Research in Training & Development treated the Marcellus Shale severance tax and impact fee proposals as added production costs to the gas producers. Professor David Passmore says the four proposals they considered differed based on how they handle exemptions, and how high the tax rate is over […]