News
AAA Asks Drivers To Take The Distraction Free Challenge
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is recognizing “Heads Up Driving Week” by asking people to take the distraction free driving pledge. The fourth annual Traffic Safety Culture Index finds that 95% of drivers view texting or emailing by other drivers as a serious threat to their safety. However, 35% of drivers admit to reading or […]
PSEA Releases Survey on Public Schools
Governor Corbett plans to make an announcement on education policy in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, the state’s largest teacher’s union has released a poll showing strong support for its blueprint for education reform. The Pennsylvania State Education Association says Pennsylvanians oppose recent funding cuts to education and oppose creating a taxpayer […]
Some Question the Structure of Gov’s Impact Fee
The Marcellus Shale plan that Governor Tom Corbett rolled out provides for an “impact fee” to be adopted by the counties where the natural gas drilling takes place. In the first year, counties could impose a per-well fee of up to $40,000 dollars. The maximum fee would drop over the next several years, but Corbett […]
House Votes to Update Caregiver Program
Pennsylvania’s Family Caregiver Support Act was written to reimburse eligible families for expenses relating to caring for an older adult at home, but reimbursement rates have never increased and restrictive guidelines have kept many families on the outside looking in. “In fact, these restrictions have led to almost $1-million dollars going unspent last year,” says […]
Q1 State Revenues Miss the Mark
The first quarter of the state’s fiscal year is in the books, and the numbers tell the tale of a flagging economy. “All the major tax categories were below estimate for the month, so clearly the economic conditions are having an impact on tax collections,” says state Revenue Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Brassell, while discussing the […]
Self Reported Drinking and Driving Falls, But Numbers Still High
Drunk driving has fallen to its lowest level in nearly two decades according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but officials say the numbers are still too high. Adults admitted to drinking and getting behind the wheel more than 100 million times last year. Those numbers have declined 30% in the past five […]
Two State House Republicans Call for Drilling Tax
Governor Corbett has proposed an impact fee on natural gas wells to be assessed at the county level, but some lawmakers continue to push for a broader fee on gas extraction, with more money going statewide. Two House Republicans, Representatives Tom Murt and Gene DiGirolamo, are calling for a tax of 4.9 percent on the […]
Food Assistance Shifts From Emergency To Chronic According to New Study
Food pantries are seeing more repeat users, and a new study, “Food Banks: Hunger’s New Staple“, says it reflects a shift from emergency food assistance to chronic. More Americans are depending on food pantries and other charitable food services to feed themselves and their families according to the study by Feeding America. Mara Daly, chief […]
First of 15 Immigration Bills Passes Committee
It took an hour for the House State Government Committee to advance the first piece of the National Security Begins at Home legislative package, via a party line vote. The legislation (HB 439) would revoke the professional license of an employer who knowingly hires illegal immigrants. “If you can hold somebody who has a professional […]
National Popular Vote Proponents Seize on PA Debate
Pennsylvania allocates its Electoral College votes based on a winner-take-all model. Critics say it disenfranchises the millions of Pennsylvanians who vote for the losing candidate, every four years. “The integrity and weight of an individual’s vote is something that must be preserved and protected,” says Luke Bernstein, Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Tom Corbett. […]