What’s Happening in Pennsylvania?
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Long-delayed “REAL ID” licenses coming to PA
From post-gazette.com After more than 13 years of delay, Pennsylvania will begin complying with the federal REAL ID Act in March. That will give residents a year and a half to get the new IDs, or potentially face inconveniences when traveling or visiting federal facilities. The state will begin issuing harder-to-forge driver’s licenses and ID…
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Wanting to get things done, Gov. Wolf prepares for a second term
From triblive.com Gov. Tom Wolf, who introduced himself at his first inauguration as an unconventional governor and then unveiled an ambitious blueprint to transform Pennsylvania’s tax structure, is returning for a second term with big plans, although with perhaps a more sober view of what is possible. Wolf, a Democrat, faced huge Republican legislative majorities…
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Pa. State House makes a number of serious rules changes on opening day
From pennlive.com On an otherwise ceremonial swearing-in day, the Pennsylvania State House passed a new set of operating rules Tuesday that carry new language on sexual harassment, criminal convictions and – in a late surprise – another tool to provide legislative oversight of the executive branch. The changes passed 142-58 with significant bipartisan support, including…
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Wave of newcomers reshapes PA legislature
The Pennsylvania General Assembly underwent a major transformation Tuesday with twenty percent of its members taking office for the first time.Forty-three new representatives took the oath in the state House of Representatives and seven new senators took the oath in the Senate in the ornate legislative chambers of the Capitol.That’s 50 freshmen out of a…
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Gov. Wolf says students need more real-world learning
From abc27.com Governor Tom Wolf says Pennsylvania students should be spending less time preparing for tests and more time getting real-world experience. The Democratic governor was asked about his plans for improving education during the Rotary Club of York’s weekly lunch meeting on Wednesday. Wolf said he also wants to reform the report card system, and…
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Congress approves $400B for agriculture subsidies, conservation programs and food aid
From pennlive.com After months of debate and negotiation, Congress voted final approval Wednesday to a massive farm bill that will provide more than $400 billion for agriculture subsidies, conservation programs and food aid. The House voted 369-47 for the legislation, which sets federal agricultural and food policy for five years, after the Senate approved it…
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Two-thirds of Pa. high schools are falling short of state’s 2030 graduation goal
from pennlive.com A third of Pennsylvania’s public schools that serve high school students met or exceeded the graduation rate goal that the state has set for them to achieve 12 years from now. In the accountability plan that the state submitted to the federal government, it set a 92.4 percent as the minimum rate it…
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State court tentatively sets date for landmark Pa. school funding case
From whyy.org The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court has tentatively scheduled a hearing in a landmark education funding lawsuit for the summer of 2020, according to a trial schedule released Thursday. It took four years of legal battles for the plaintiffs to get to this point, but it appears this lawsuit will finally receive a trial on the…