Powerball turns 20 next year and there will be some changes in how the game is played, and how much it will cost for a ticket. The goal is to create more millionaire winners and increase the odds of winning a prize in Powerball. Elizabeth Brassell, spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Lottery, says the number […]
State takeover legislation is another step close to the governor’s desk, after passing the Senate 37 – 13 on Tuesday afternoon. Despite $450 million dollars in mounting debt, officials in the City of Harrisburg cannot agree to a financial recovery plan. SB 1151 would allow the governor to declare a state of emergency and assume […]
Unanimous votes in the House Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness Committee have advanced two bills to the House floor. A newly amended version of HB 955 would both extend and expand the Pennsylvania Fire and EMS Grant Program. Gaming dollars currently fund $25 million in firefighting grants per year, but Chairman Stephen Barrar’s(R-Chester) bill would […]
This is School Bus Safety week. In addition to the school bus drivers, officials say students and other drivers play an important role in keeping kids safe going to and from school or school-sponsored activities. Craig Yetter, community relations coordinator for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s Safety Administration, says an important part of the safety routine […]
If Pennsylvania privatizes the state store system, one lawmaker is suggesting the money be spent on transportation. Representative Jerry Knowles (R-Berks/Schuylkill) is calling it the IFF Act; that stands for Infrastructure Future Fund. He says it means if we sell the state stores, the money should go to roads and bridges. Knowles says under his […]
The revoked Foxwoods casino license would be re-bid via a statewide public auction, under legislation penned by House Gaming Oversight Committee chairman Curt Schroder (R-Chester). HB 65 was written to maximize state revenues, and would set the minimum bid for the casino license at $66.5-million dollars. The original category 2 licenses were sold for $50-million […]
Small business owners from Pennsylvania are lending their support to a bill being introduced by an Arkansas Republican and California Democrat in the U. S. House of Representatives to address sales tax collections by on line retailers. The Marketplace Equality Act would empower states to require online companies that do not have a physical presence […]
There was bipartisan support in Congress for legislation to create free trade agreements that could benefit Pennsylvania agriculture. The bills awaiting the President’s signature would create agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, eliminating tariffs and other barriers to trade. Mark O’Neill, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, says it’s estimated the agreements could increase […]
Teens are 50% more likely to crash the first after they get their driver’s license than they are after a full year of driving on their own. That’s according to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Three common mistakes; failure to reduce speed, inattention and failure to yield account for 57% of […]
The 21-recommendations contained in May’s gaming grand jury report have been turned into bill form, and the House Gaming Oversight Committee is scheduled to take up three of them on Monday. One of them is HB 2009, which encompasses grand jury recommendation number 12. It would require the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to post […]