(The Center Square) - As the federal government weighs cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Pennsylvania House is set to vote on a bill that would charge non-profit organizations with overseeing incentives to SNAP recipients for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables. The Food Bucks bill, which received bipartisan support in committee, would provide SNAP users with 40 cents in additional benefits for every dollar spent on approved items. It mirrors programs currently offere...
May 31, 2025•7 min•Ep. 389
(The Center Square) – Money spent addressing opioid use disorder last year accounts for 5% of Pennsylvania’s GDP, according to a report from Avalere Health. The study used state and national data to analyze costs across federal, state, and local governments, businesses, households, society, and individuals and found that the crisis has cost more than $3.9 trillion nationally. Pennsylvania alone accounted for over $232 billion of that total. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/frankli...
May 24, 2025•7 min•Ep. 388
(The Center Square) - Tuesday’s Democratic primaries proved to be a referendum on Ed Gainey’s leadership in his first term as mayor of Pittsburgh. The incumbent failed to convince voters that more time would help him usher a vision of a revitalized Pittsburgh into reality, and he was unseated by Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor. The victory means O’Connor is on track to win the general election, with Democrats holding the position for most of the last century. Tony Moreno, a former pol...
May 23, 2025•5 min•Ep. 387
(The Center Square) – Lawmakers made another attempt to reform elections in Pennsylvania, though it’s unclear how much appetite exists to deliver the plan to the governor’s desk. In many ways, it’s familiar. Like House Democratic-backed proposals that came before it, the bill establishes early in-person voting, ballot boxes and faster voter registration timelines. House Speaker Joanna McClinton, of Philadelphia, again sponsored it. And again, it passed along party lines – 102-101 in favor, to be...
May 18, 2025•6 min•Ep. 386
(The Center Square) - Central to the debate around bailouts for the Philadelphia area’s mass transit system, SEPTA, has been the long-term sustainability of the agency’s finances. It’s currently set to face a $213 million deficit in July. Republicans in the legislature have resisted bailouts and solutions that would allocate more state dollars toward mass transit, favoring funding road and bridge construction throughout the state and demanding belt-tightening measures. Today, SEPTA announced tha...
May 17, 2025•4 min•Ep. 385
(The Center Square) – A skeptical high court grilled state officials this week about whether the money it wants to collect from a regional anti-pollution pact constitutes a fee or a tax. Only the latter needs legislative approval, which will not happen with a split General Assembly, where the risk of rising utility bills 30% during economic uncertainty weighs heavily. That means it’s up to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to decide if the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative’s effort to limit harmfu...
May 16, 2025•7 min•Ep. 384
(The Center Square) - When used judiciously, some Democrats speculate that tariffs can be a good thing. In Pennsylvania, where steel has been a central component of the state’s economy, they’re arguing for different tactics. “I think it should be easy for us to criticize Donald Trump's tariffs and his trade approach right now, which is hurting a lot of people. A lot of businesses and workers in Pennsylvania,” said Congressman Chris Deluzio, who represents the 17th district northwest of Pittsburg...
May 11, 2025•9 min•Ep. 382
(The Center Square) – Students across 18 public schools in Pennsylvania failed proficiency tests for math and reading. That is, not even 1% of children hit the benchmark. This reality is widening support for school choices beyond assigned districts, as has happened in some form across 34 states. Sen. Judy Ward, R-Hollidaysburg, and Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia, say the commonwealth’s resistance must end. It’s a rare bipartisan alliance, though for Williams, it's deeply personal: the sho...
May 10, 2025•8 min•Ep. 381
(The Center Square) – A 173-page bill that regulates adult-use cannabis in the commonwealth went from introduction to committee approval in less than 24 hours. While Democrats laud the proposal as long overdue and the best amalgamation of many state models, Republicans argue the process was fast-tracked, secretive and potentially dangerous. Critics argued that’s not true. Without comment from law enforcement advocacy groups or those representing children’s health and well-being, they worry the b...
May 09, 2025•7 min•Ep. 383
(The Center Square) - Recruitment and retention were primary challenges for Berkeley Hills Fire Company in Allegheny County. It’s one of the thousands of volunteer fire departments that make up the majority of the state’s network of first responders. It’s not an easy job, and finding those with the time, flexibility, and interest to do it has become increasingly difficult. Some say it’s a shift in values, while others point to the financial strain and life stressors faced by men and women in the...
May 04, 2025•7 min•Ep. 380
(The Center Square) – A recent poll suggests that support for school choice doesn’t hinge on any political affiliation, age, ethnicity, region or 2024 presidential vote. Rather, across all demographics, as many as two-thirds of respondents support the concept of educational scholarships that offer state funding directly to families to fund private school tuition. Support for the policy reached as high as 56% among Democrats and Kamala Harris voters – a significant figure given the party’s histor...
May 03, 2025•11 min•Ep. 379
(The Center Square) - Dozens of organizations across Pennsylvania have taken advantage of tax credits and rebates provided by the federal infrastructure bill to fund projects that support renewable energy and climate resiliency. PennEnvironment and Evergreen Collaborative, both environmental organizations who operate in the commonwealth, have created an interactive map to see which companies have benefited from the tax dollars and the fiscal and environmental impact they’re expected to make. The...
May 02, 2025•11 min•Ep. 378
(The Center Square) – Expanded tax credits that make health insurance cheaper for 24.3 million Americans face expiration at the end of 2025, leaving many in the field fearful about the future of medicine for the working class. In Pennsylvania, that means premiums for 500,000 residents enrolled through Pennie — the state’s health insurance marketplace — could nearly double. As enrollment drops, prices will rise even higher to fill the gap. “We’re very concerned about what we have headed down the ...
Apr 26, 2025•11 min•Ep. 377
(The Center Square) – As the number of independent voters grows, there is broad bipartisan support among Pennsylvania voters for allowing the state’s 1.4 million independents to participate in primary elections, says a new poll. Pennsylvania is one of only 14 states with closed party primaries. Implementing open or semi-open primaries would require changes to state election law, an issue currently being considered by lawmakers in both chambers of the General Assembly. Support this podcast: https...
Apr 25, 2025•9 min•Ep. 376
(The Center Square) – Government unions leverage payroll deductions to funnel money to almost exclusively Democratic candidates, according to a new report in Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative policy group based in Harrisburg, said government unions spent $33 million in 2023 and 2024 supporting political action committees and other causes, of which just 5.2% backed candidates from other parties. Although many membership organizations spend money on political campaigns, cri...
Apr 20, 2025•9 min•Ep. 375
(The Center Square) - Policymakers spoke in no uncertain terms at a hearing in Pittsburgh on Tuesday: both rural and urban regions will suffer if the legislature doesn’t come up with funding solutions for mass transit. The last long-term dedicated funding measure, Act 89, was passed in 2013 and has since expired. Since then, the governor and legislature have battled over short-term solutions for the struggling SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit, or PRT, systems. Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed...
Apr 19, 2025•9 min•Ep. 374
(The Center Square) - Gov. Josh Shapiro provided an update on investigations into the arson that occurred at his Harrisburg residence over the weekend. His update comes after details about the case, and with them about the alleged attacker Cody Balmer, have come to light - including that he was struggling with acute mental illness. A potential motive for the crime was mentioned in a search warrant obtained by PennLive. It stated that in a 911 call following the attack, Balmer said that he “will ...
Apr 18, 2025•11 min•Ep. 373
(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania politics cast a stunning juxtaposition this weekend. On Thursday, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference, a conservative political celebration for state Republicans, began its three-day run while stocks plummeted following the president’s announcement of new tariffs. Meanwhile, Democratic senators Vincent Hughes and Art Haywood of Philadelphia marked 57 years since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., on Friday. They and others used the opportunity to “...
Apr 13, 2025•7 min•Ep. 372
(The Center Square) – The debate over whether children should undergo gender transition treatments has grown in fervor since Election Day, though a pending bill to ban the procedures in Pennsylvania has not. The Senate Majority Policy Committee, filled entirely with Republicans from the upper chamber, will center the issue at a hearing in Altoona next week. Parents, medical professionals, and detransitioned patients will share their perspectives on why the pending legislation, called the Do No H...
Apr 12, 2025•8 min•Ep. 371
(The Center Square) - The Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association joined legislators at the capitol to speak out against the proposed closures of State Correctional Institute Rockview in Centre County and nearby Quehanna Boot Camp in Clearfield County. Their stated concerns are many. The two facilities are major employers in the rural central area of the state, and residents are worried about the economic impact of losing them. Corrections officers are torn with the prospect of eithe...
Apr 04, 2025•9 min•Ep. 370
(The Center Square) - Invoking the state and national history of immigration, beginning with the welcome offered by William Penn, some Pennsylvania elected officials want to pass new laws that counter the federal government’s recent deportation efforts. The PA Welcoming Caucus held a press conference skewering the Trump administration’s immigration policies, of which Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, said are intended to “erect a chilling order of terror and inquisition” across the United States...
Mar 30, 2025•8 min•Ep. 369
(The Center Square) – Democrats in Pennsylvania flipped a reliably red seat in the state Senate on Tuesday by less than 500 votes. East Petersburg Mayor James Malone’s victory over Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons surprised all. In November, President Donald Trump and Republican U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick won the region by wide margins. Malone will replace former Sen. Ryan Aument, R-Lititz, who resigned earlier this year to serve as McCormick’s state director in Pennsylvania. Aument had ...
Mar 29, 2025•8 min•Ep. 368
(The Center Square) - The facts and figures around rural healthcare in Pennsylvania are grave. That’s why it was unsurprising to hear Gov. Josh Shapiro say in a press conference on rural healthcare that Sullivan County, home to just under 6,000 people and falling, did not have a single physician. Dr. Sam Schrack operates the Laporte Health Center where he’s been for three years. “I’ll be in office tomorrow as usual,” he wrote in an email to The Center Square. “If you really want to find out what...
Mar 28, 2025•8 min•Ep. 367
(The Center Square) - House Democrats are once again making the attempt to turn 2021 recommendations from the bipartisan, bicameral Juvenile Justice Task Force into legislative action. Last year, they were successful in passing laws derived from just two of the task force’s 35 recommendations. According to Rep. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, when broken down into action items the recommendations are more than double that. This year, they’re proposing 10 bills to begin to close the gap in what has be...
Mar 22, 2025•10 min•Ep. 366
(The Center Square) - As Pennsylvania grapples with ways to better care for and rehabilitate the tens of thousands of people held in its prison system, a sweeping report shows the nation at a crossroads and taxpayers holding a $182 billion price tag for incarceration. The Prison Policy Initiative, or PPI, is a nonpartisan organization that advocates for criminal justice reform. In its recent view of the ‘Whole Pie’ of mass incarceration, the PPI pulled together data from the thousands of dispara...
Mar 21, 2025•7 min•Ep. 365
(The Center Square) – The Trump administration froze $175 million in federal funds to the University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday, citing its promised crackdown on institutions that support athlete policies permitting men in women's sports. The president’s rapid response team confirmed the move on X, saying “promises made, promises kept” – an oft-repeated refrain meant to connect the administration’s latest policy moves with campaign-era rhetoric. The Ivy League college was thrust into the foref...
Mar 20, 2025•6 min•Ep. 364
(The Center Square) - Chester-Crozer Hospital is the nearest emergency department for thousands of residents, many of whom do not have private transportation. When news broke that it may soon be closing, it shed light on the role of private equity in Pennsylvania’s health care system. For now, doors are staying open thanks to funding from the Foundation for Delaware County, but a new buyer must be found soon. The Senate Democratic Policy Committee met this week to talk about the impact of hospit...
Mar 15, 2025•5 min•Ep. 363
(The Center Square) - Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, signaled an appetite for additional cyber charter reforms this week. At least so it appears, according to an op-ed the No. 2-ranking Republican wrote detailing progress that’s been made and work still to be done. It's also significant given long-standing disagreements on how tuition for cyber charter schools should be calculated. Support this podcast: https://secure.anedot.com/franklin-news-foundation/ce052532-b1e4-41c4-945c-d7...
Mar 14, 2025•9 min•Ep. 362
(The Center Square) – The Shapiro administration’s handling of a sexual misconduct complaint against a cabinet member, and one reporter’s request to know more about the investigation behind it, may cost taxpayers a lot of money. In a court transcript obtained by The Center Square, an attorney representing the Office of the Governor says the state deleted internal emails sent and received over an eight-day period by a deputy aide in its Legislative Affairs Office who reported the inappropriate be...
Mar 13, 2025•7 min•Ep. 361
(The Center Square) - Over 2 million Pennsylvanians receive funds from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Monthly, this brings about 367 million in federal dollars to the state. In budget hearings before the House Appropriations Committee, legislators sought to better understand who that money benefits, how it’s being used, and how it can be abused. According to Department of Human Services Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh, the program largely benefits children in low-incom...
Mar 08, 2025•7 min•Ep. 360
