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Senators Saval and Street Announce Legislation to Prohibit Use of Private Contractors in Enforcing Evictions
Philadelphia, PA − March 30, 2023 − In response to the shooting of a Philadelphia resident by a private contractor during an attempted eviction, Senators Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia County) and Sharif Street (D–Philadelphia County) today announced...
New Pa. program will send millions to Philly area for home repairs and weatherization
The Philadelphia area will receive nearly $40 million from the state to help residents and landlords repair and weatherize their properties. The new funding comes courtesy of the Whole-Home Repairs Program, the result of bipartisan legislation financed by the current...
Longtime Pittsburgh homeowners hit by rising taxes in gentrifying neighborhoods could get relief
State lawmakers representing Pittsburgh unveiled new legislation Thursday that would let the city offer tax relief to longtime homeowners in neighborhoods where property values have skyrocketed. If the legislation were enacted in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh would be...
Pa. Senate Democrat proposes series of bills to increase housing accessibility
A Pennsylvania senator has announced plans for a series of proposals to increase housing accessibility and make finding affordable housing easier by removing some barriers to renters and low-income homeowners in Pennsylvania. The three bills sponsored by Sen. Nikil...
Costa legislation could keep some homeowners in growing areas from being taxed out of homes
State Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa has introduced legislation that he said would protect longtime homeowners from being taxed out of their homes. Costa, D-Forest Hills, said the Longtime Owner-Occupant Tax Exemption Program, or LOOP, would allow first- and...
DEP Offers 10 Point Plan To Improve Permit Reviews; Climate/Energy Work Group Co-Chairs Announced; Work Group Formed To Prevent New Oil & Gas Well Abandonments
On March 22, DEP presented a 10 point plan for improving DEP permit reviews to the Senate Appropriations Committee as part of Acting Secretary Richard Negrin’s presentation on DEP’s FY 2023-24 budget request. The Plan is aimed at concerns many legislators have about...
A guide to the gatekeepers: Here’s who’s running the most powerful committees in Harrisburg
The leaders of state legislative committees have the power to determine whether a bill ultimately makes it to the governor’s desk or languishes in committee until the end of the term. And while rule changes in one chamber will limit the ability of committee chairs to...
Temple grad students overwhelmingly ratify agreement, ending their six-week strike
After the union rejected a proposal last month, an agreement between Temple and its striking graduate students this time was approved by a vast majority of members, officially ending the six-week strike that has disrupted operations at the 33,600-student university....
Temple graduate students ratify new pact, end 6-week strike
Temple University graduate students who are teaching and research assistants have overwhelmingly ratified a new contract, ending their six-week-long walkout. The Temple University Graduate Students Association, which said Monday evening that the vote was 344 to 8 in...
Senator Saval Speaks Against Regressive Preemption Law Prohibiting Municipal Gas Bans
Larry Shifflet, Tony Williams and others talk infrastructure, transportation and the built environment
City & State’s 2023 Rebuilding PA Summit brought together nearly 100 of Pennsylvania’s brightest minds at the Hilton Harrisburg on Tuesday for a full-day event that examined how state and local leaders, businesses and other power players can band together to solve...
Politics In Focus Full Show 2/19/2023
On Politics In Focus airing Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 6:30 a.m. and Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 1 p.m. with Jennifer Lewis-Hall we begin today’s show with a recap of a widely followed ruling. We hear about a judge’s decision that...
Bipartisan Bill Makes “Diwali” A State Holiday
HARRISBURG – Bipartisan legislation is being proposed by Republican Sen. Greg Rothman of Cumberland, Dauphin, & Perry Counties and Democrat Sen. Nikil Saval of Philadelphia County which would make Diwali an official state holiday in the Commonwealth. PA is home to...
Pennsylvania lawmakers propose making Diwali a state holiday
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — State Senator Greg Rothman (R-34) and Senator Nikil Saval (D-1) introduced legislation to make Diwali an official state holiday in Pennsylvania. Nearly 200,000 South Asian residents reside in Pennsylvania, many of whom participate in Diwali as...
A change of heart
Earlier this month, a piece of paper came across Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk that if signed would have set an execution date for Rahmael Sal Holt. In 2017, Holt was convicted of murdering New Kensington police officer Brian Shaw. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the...
Pennsylvania Governor Does a 180 on Death Penalty
Josh Shapiro was once a supporter of the death penalty, including for the suspected gunman in the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Philadelphia in 2018. Now, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania says his views on capital punishment have shifted, and...
Shapiro calls on General Assembly to abolish death penalty, refuses to sign executions
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) —Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday he will not allow Pennsylvania to execute any inmates while he is in office and called for the state's lawmakers to repeal the death penalty. “When my son asked me why it was okay to kill someone...
Governor Vows Not to Sign Execution Warrants, Wants Lawmakers to Abolish the Death Penalty
Governor Josh Shapiro said he will not issue any execution warrants during his term and called on the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty. Governor Shapiro was joined by elected leaders – including Sen. Vince Hughes, Sen. Nikil Saval, and Rep. Rick Krajewski...
Gov. Shapiro calls for abolition of death penalty in PA
Governor Josh Shapiro has called on the General Assembly to abolish the death penalty once and for all in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On Thursday, when speaking in front of the Mosaic Community Church in West Philadelphia, Governor Shapiro stated he will not...
Shapiro refuses to sign execution warrants, calls on lawmakers to abolish capital punishment
A moratorium on executions will continue in Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Thursday. Continuing the precedent set by his predecessor, Shapiro has refused to sign execution warrants and plans to use his executive authority to issue a reprieve to anyone whose...