Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA
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Legal Weed, More Money for Pa.’s Poorest Schools Will Likely Be in Shapiro’s Budget Pitch
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Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to reuse ideas from his first two years in office that have yet to win enough support in the legislature.
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Fiery Resignation by Pa.’s Consumer Advocate Breeds Fear Office Will Lose Independence
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Patrick Cicero’s resignation echoes the early years of the consumer advocate’s office, in which its first leader clashed with utilities and warned the office must remain independent.
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Negotiations to Tax Skill Games Fell Apart Last Year. GOP Leaders Are Restarting the Debate
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Lawmakers will again wade into a tricky debate over taxing skill games this session. The slot-like machines are currently unregulated.
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Democrats Get Their Choice of House Speaker as a New Pa. Legislative Session Starts
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Every legislative session starts with Pennsylvania lawmakers passing rules to govern the movement of bills and more. Here’s what happened.
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Special Elections Cost Pa. at Least $1M Last Legislative Session
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Just two of the 10 previous sessions — a span of 20 years — saw more special elections than this one.
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Pa. Lawmakers Passed Fewer Laws Than in Other Recent Sessions, but Leaders Say Quality Is Better Than Quantity
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Despite partisan challenges, lawmakers managed to pass some notable bills in 2023 and 2024 including a major education boost.
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Josh Shapiro Wasn’t on the Ballot This Year, but Still Spent Millions Campaigning. Here’s Where the Money Went
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Pennsylvania’s governor traveled extensively as a Democratic surrogate in 2024, spending money on consultants, private flights, ritzy hotels and more.
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Utility Law Will Lapse After Pa. Legislature Deadlocks on Expanding Consumer Protections
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The law was designed to make it easier for utility companies to reclaim unpaid bills while increasing consumer protections. Advocates say it’s not strong enough.
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Four Formerly Undecided Pennsylvanians Tell Us How They Voted
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Ahead of the 2024 election, Spotlight PA spoke to undecided voters. Here’s what four of them decided.
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How Did Pa. Dems Keep the State House During a Red Wave? Meet Frank Burns
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Amid a red wave, a Pa. Democrat held his House seat in a Trump stronghold, and helped his party keep the chamber.