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Pennsylvania lawmakers pass $40.8 billion state budget; Gov. Tom Wolf says he’ll sign it
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has passed a $40.8 billion state budget with a fair amount of bipartisan support for the investments it makes in schools and continuing economic relief from the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, the budget passed the House on a 140-61...
My District: Is Home to the Liberty Bell
“My District” gives NCSL members a chance to tell us about life in the places they represent, from the high-profile events to the fun facts only locals know. Commissioned by the Pennsylvania Assembly in 1751, the Liberty Bell called legislators to session up until the...
With a $3 billion surplus, Harrisburg should cut the word ‘scarcity’ from the vocabulary | Editorial
The only mistake Pennsylvania can make during this budget season is not spending big. That should be easy considering that tax collection revenues exceeded estimates by a whopping $3 billion and the American Rescue Plan brought the state another $7.3 billion. But...
Senator Saval Calls on State Legislature to Free Our Funds
Welcoming PA Caucus Members Demand Immediate Release of York Detainees
Harrisburg, PA − July 13, 2021 − Members of the Welcoming PA Caucus, comprising elected officials in the Pennsylvania State House and Senate committed to the development of Commonwealth-specific legislative and policy solutions to the issues and hardships faced...
Philly’s Cambodian community demands more resources after receiving a letter threatening violence over fireworks
On Friday, July 9, at the popular South Philly playground and diverse gathering place, Mifflin Square Park, the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia (CAGP) held a press conference to address an anonymous threatening letter they received a week prior. The...
Structural reviews should be a local concern
The tragedy that unfolded two weeks ago has led all of us to look inward with a simple question: Could what happened at Champlain Towers happen here? The answer is yes. The catastrophe in South Florida must be a lesson for us all. It must serve as a reminder that...
Could it happen here? Senator warns PA buildings face own perils from climate change
The minority chairman of the Senate urban affairs and housing committee said Tuesday he thinks the General Assembly ought to examine what lessons can be taken from the Florida condo collapse. State Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, said Pennsylvania buildings may not...
Were Wolf’s budget season trades worth the price of a deal? Democrats may find out in 2022 | Mark O’Keefe
Was Gov. Tom Wolf trying to put a good face on the $40.8 billion state budget recently passed by the General Assembly, calling it a “good budget?” While Wolf was happy the Legislature passed the budget ahead of the June 30 deadline; it contained none of the...
LEARNING A VOCABULARY OF PRAGMATISM: Nikil Saval’s Unconventional Path to Politics – 032c
While creative ecosystems may be comfortably merging into what we’ve called The Big Flat Now, cultural industries and the convention-driven world of politics don’t necessary flow into one another so smoothly. Yet, as series of crises – from Covid-19 to climate change...
Cocktails to-go helped Pa. businesses stay afloat. Now they’re in for an even slower recovery
Anticipating a busy summer for takeout boozy drinks, Thomas Tell — a Lackawanna County bar owner — stocked up on sealable containers and drink carriers. But now that cocktails to-go are off the menu at Pennsylvania bars and restaurants, thanks to a legislative pile-up...
We hate the office. We love the office. Do we want to go back?
During a global pandemic, when most people were stuck at home every day, all day, there was one TV show Americans couldn’t stop watching: “The Office.” Viewers spent more than 57 billion minutes in 2020 on Netflix binge-watching the sitcom’s paper company drones —...
To-go cocktails legislation appears dead in Pennsylvania Senate — at least for the summer
Just in time for sultry summer evenings that could have been brightened by a mojito or two from the corner bar, the Pennsylvania Senate on Friday did not act on legislation — passed Thursday in the House — that would have permanently allowed cocktails-to-go....
Pa.’s $40 billion budget includes more money for poorest school districts, saves bulk of federal relief funding
HARRISBURG — The Pennsylvania legislature on Friday advanced a $40 billion budget package that sends more money to the state’s poorest school districts, includes no new taxes, and saves billions of federal relief dollars. Unlike in years past, Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf...
Senator Saval Votes NO on the Budget, Calls for Investment in the People of Pennsylvania
Senator Saval Urges Action on the Budget and Investment in Pennsylvanians
Ready to drink spirits causing a roadblock for cocktails to-go in Pa.
(WHTM) — During the pandemic, restaurants were allowed to sell cocktails to-go. Many say it was a lifeline during a dark time. House Bill 1154 would let restaurants and bars sell customers cocktails to-go post-COVID. The bill sailed through the House, but in the...
Sen Saval Pushes for Drivers Licenses for All
Senate Democrats Offer Restaurant & Tavern Recovery Legislation
Harrisburg, Pa. – June 21, 2021 − After Republicans failed to pass a clean, bipartisan bill to extend mixed drinks to go for restaurants and taverns, the Pennsylvania Senate Democrats are introducing legislation that will provide the opportunity for bars, taverns and...
Parkway Corp. seeks second injection of state money into Center City tower
Parkway Corp., a major Philadelphia parking garage operator and real estate developer, is seeking millions in state development grants for the construction of a downtown office tower that has already broken ground. The tower, at 2222 Market St., will house a new...