Aug. 25, 2021HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia InquirerRepublican leaders reject Wolf’s call to pass school mask mandateby Jamie Martines and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAFew school districts are requiring masks inside classrooms, something Gov. Tom Wolf said is needed to ensure safety. GOP leaders countered that those decisions are best left to local communities.
Aug. 11, 2021Tim Tai / Philadelphia InquirerPennsylvania Senate plans first step to enhance public access to expense informationby Brad Bumsted and Sam Janesch of The CaucusFollowing reporting by The Caucus and Spotlight PA, the Pennsylvania Senate said it will post expenses online, though it's unclear in what format.
Aug. 6, 2021ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia InquirerTheft charges brought down a state lawmaker. But Pa.’s taxpayer-funded system for perks was already ripe for abuse.by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Sam Janesch, Mike Wereschagin, and Brad Bumsted of The CaucusPer diems allow legislators to collect flat-rate payments intended for food and lodging without turning over any receipts.
July 23, 2021Courtesy Charlie GerowPa. GOP strategist running for governor being investigated for fatal crash on Turnpikeby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAA spokesperson for Charlie Gerow said he was the driver and is now “cooperating fully with the investigation and will continue to do so.”
July 22, 2021ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia InquirerPa. state lawmaker from Delaware County charged with theft after years-long investigationby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Vinny Vella of The Philadelphia InquirerProsecutors said Democrat Margo Davidson allegedly requested overnight reimbursements for time she did not actually spend in Harrisburg.
July 21, 2021JOSE F. MORENO / Philadelphia InquirerPa. Republicans are bringing their election bill back after Gov. Tom Wolf said he’s open to voter ID changesby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Jonathan Lai of The Philadelphia InquirerWolf had said changes to the state’s voter ID rules were a nonstarter. But he shifted that position this week after vetoing the Republican-passed bill.
July 20, 2021Leise Hook / For Spotlight PAWATCH: A live reader Q&A on how lawmakers spend millions of taxpayer dollars on perksby Spotlight PA StaffReporters from Spotlight PA and The Caucus discussed their investigation into how the legislature spends taxpayer dollars then obscures those expenses from the public.
July 19, 2021Dan Nott / For Spotlight PAPa. requested $340 million in emergency contracts in 2020 with little oversightby Jamie Martines of Spotlight PAPennsylvania agencies turned to the emergency procurement process that avoids public scrutiny 483 times last year. In years prior, they made on average 135 requests annually.
July 12, 2021ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia InquirerPa. House GOP commits to public meetings, vows ‘most transparent’ congressional redistricting process everby Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PARep. Seth Grove (R., York) said his committee will hold at least eight public meetings across the state and accept suggestions for the map through a new website.
July 9, 2021TIM TAI / Philadelphia InquirerQ&A: Meet this summer’s Capitol reporting internsby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PATwo Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association interns talk about the ups and down of political journalism and whether it's as glamorous as the movies make it look.
July 7, 2021Natalie Kolb / Commonwealth Media ServicesWhy a funding boost for the office that exposes Pa. puppy mills stalled againby Lindsay Weber for Spotlight PAThe legislature departed for the summer without voting on bills that would raise dog licensing fees, a proposal unpopular among House Republicans, according to a key committee chair.
July 6, 2021Dan Gleiter / PennLiveEthics panel closes investigation into former Pa. Victim Advocate Jennifer Stormby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAStorm agreed to two technical violations, closing out an inquiry she believes was instigated by political enemies as payback for her outspoken advocacy in high-profile cases.
July 5, 2021TIM TAI / Philadelphia InquirerPa. lawmakers are on summer break. Here are 5 issues they’ll face this fall.by Lindsay Weber for Spotlight PADemocrats and Republicans recently recessed until September without resolving key issues including election reform, cocktails to-go, lobbying reform, and more.
June 30, 2021JOSE F. MORENO / Philadelphia InquirerPennsylvania governor vetoes GOP-led election overhaul citing voter ID restrictionsby Marie Albiges of Spotlight PARepublican lawmakers are likely to use the constitutional amendment process to take the issue to the voters.
June 29, 2021HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia InquirerPhiladelphia and Pittsburgh move ahead with plastic bag bans as Pennsylvania’s preemption nears its endby Lindsay Weber for Spotlight PAThe Republican-controlled legislature did not renew a statewide preemption on single-use plastics, opening the door for cities and municipalities to institute their own bans.
June 25, 2021CHARLES FOX / Philadelphia InquirerPa.’s $40 billion budget includes more money for poorest school districts, saves bulk of federal relief fundingby Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA and Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PARepublicans said squirreling away $5 billion in federal money was smart planning for the future, while Democrats lamented the investments that might have been.
June 22, 2021TYGER WILLIAMS / Philadelphia InquirerAs Pa. House advances doomed election overhaul, Senate GOP charts different course to voter ID, other changesby Marie Albiges of Spotlight PAVoter ID has emerged as a partisan sticking point in Harrisburg, with Gov. Tom Wolf vowing to veto any measure that includes stricter requirements.
June 22, 2021Madhuri Shukla / For Spotlight PAPanel agrees to put guardrails on how Pa. lawmakers draw congressional maps, but not their ownby Marie Albiges of Spotlight PAThe decision diminished anti-gerrymandering advocates’ hopes of preventing Pennsylvania’s most powerful lawmakers from drawing maps that unfairly benefit one political party.
June 22, 2021Tom Cherry / Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans AffairsHow one Pennsylvania lawmaker billed taxpayers $1.8 million in expensesby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Brad Bumsted, Sam Janesch, and Mike Wereschagin of The CaucusMileage, meals, lodging, travel, and a special perk called per diems are part of the hidden costs charged to taxpayers to support Pennsylvania’s legislature.
June 18, 2021Courtesy Sen. David Argall's officeKey Pennsylvania state senator backs Arizona-style election auditby Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA and Marie Albiges of Spotlight PAState Sen. David Argall said he did not know why his constituents were so distrusting of the results, as former President Donald Trump and allies continue to falsely claim the election was stolen.
June 18, 2021TYGER WILLIAMS / Philadelphia InquirerMoney, power, scandal: The PSERS saga, explainedby Colin Deppen of Spotlight PAThe Public School Employees’ Retirement System, or PSERS, saga is sprawling and complicated. Here’s a quick rundown of what you need to know — and why you should care.
June 15, 2021ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia InquirerWolf, Pa. Democrats again push for passage of LGBTQ discrimination protectionsby Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PA and Colin Deppen of Spotlight PASimilar legislation has failed to move out of Republican-controlled committees, and it's unclear if this year will be any different.
June 15, 2021JESSICA GRIFFIN / Philadelphia InquirerGOP’s major election overhaul advances in Pa. House as Democrats call it a ‘farce’by Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA and Jonathan Lai of The Philadelphia InquirerThe bill — dubbed the Voting Rights Protection Act — includes stricter voter ID, signature verification requirements, and limits on drop boxes.
June 11, 2021Commonwealth Media ServicesWolf again vows to veto any bills that limit abortion access in Pa.by Shaniece Holmes Brown for Spotlight PAHouse Republicans this week passed a bill that would ban abortions on the basis of a prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis as well as one on the handling of fetal remains.
June 10, 2021TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia InquirerPa. GOP proposes major election overhaul, including stricter voter ID and in-person early votingby Marie Albiges of Spotlight PA and Jonathan Lai of The Philadelphia InquirerThe bill comes as Republican-controlled state legislatures across the country seek to tighten voting laws.
June 10, 2021CHARLES FOX / Philadelphia InquirerLegislature votes to immediately end Pa.’s coronavirus disaster declaration while keeping waivers in placeby Sarah Anne Hughes of Spotlight PARepublicans said terminating the emergency order was what Pennsylvanians demanded when they granted the legislative branch new powers during the May primary.
June 10, 2021Tom Gralish / Philadelphia InquirerActivists target top Republican in Pa. Senate as they push for gift banby Shaniece Holmes Brown for Spotlight PAFour protesters were arrested and charged with trespassing during the peaceful demonstration at the Capitol.
June 9, 2021Kalim A. Bhatti / For The InquirerIn a revolt, dissidents on PSERS board lobby colleagues to fire the fund’s leaders and set a new investment strategyby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Craig R. McCoy and Joseph N. DiStefano of The Philadelphia InquirerA growing band of board dissidents says PSERS leaders must go immediately to fix “an irrevocable loss of trust and confidence that is a consequence of persistent underperformance."
June 9, 2021Commonwealth Media ServicesWolf sticks by $1 billion plan to close Pa.’s education gap, minus his proposed tax increaseby Shaniece Holmes Brown for Spotlight PAWhile Democrats say the state should put some of its $3 billion revenue surplus into education, Republicans counter Pennsylvania's financial picture isn’t that rosy.
June 7, 2021Shaniece Holmes BrownWith $10,000,000,000 to spend, advocates press Wolf, Pa. lawmakers to prioritize poor peopleby Shaniece Holmes Brown for Spotlight PABuoyed by $3 billion in excess tax revenue and more than $7 billion in stimulus dollars, Democrats want the state to go big, while Republicans are wary of huge new spending.
