skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, March 31, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Wisconsin AG seeks to stop Elon Musk's $1M payments at rally giveaway; Rural advocates urge CA lawmakers to safeguard banking protections; Federal, state job cuts threaten FL workers' rights, services; Alabama counties lack high-speed internet and health access.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Trump says there are ways for him to take a third term. New tariffs are scheduled for this week, but economists say they'll hurt buying power. And advocates say the Trans Day of Visibility is made more important by state legislation.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural folks face significant clean air and water risks due to EPA cutbacks, a group of policymakers is working to expand rural health care via mobile clinics, and a new study maps Montana's news landscape.

PA Democrats push school funding, new revenue sources

play audio
Play

Friday, January 31, 2025   

Pennsylvania lawmakers return to Harrisburg on Monday, facing renewed pressure to address long-standing issues, including improving the economy and education.

Advocates said it is a crucial opportunity to make meaningful progress on many policies.

Gillian Kratzer, deputy director of the advocacy group Better Pennsylvania, said one key priority Democrats are focused on is improving school funding.

"Making sure that we are equipping schools to do the best that they can for every child in every school district," Kratzer emphasized. "Obviously last year, we had the court case that laid out, finally, that Pennsylvania does not have fair funding for schools, which is part of our state constitution."

Kratzer noted her group anticipates Gov. Josh Shapiro's third budget address on Feb. 4. In the last budget, Shapiro made the largest investment in Commonwealth history for K-12 public education, at just over $1 billion.

Medical marijuana is legal in Pennsylvania but not for recreational use. In the face of a budget shortfall, Kratzer acknowledged it will take bipartisan support, especially from the Republican-controlled state Senate, to secure new revenue sources, which could include legalizing recreational marijuana use.

"Something that we will hopefully see get done this year is doing something on recreational marijuana," Kratzer observed. "As a state, we have to find new sources of revenue, because we are either going to have to dip into our rainy day fund or raise taxes."

She added the state minimum wage remains stagnant at $7.25 an hour. A bill to raise it will be reintroduced. And she stressed the need for lawmakers to consider paid family leave, as the U.S. falls behind globally on the family-friendly policy.

Disclosure: Better PA contributes to our fund for reporting on Civic Engagement, Health Issues, and Livable Wages/Working Families. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Nearly one in eight Mississippi residents relies on the food assistance program, which faces $230 billion in proposed federal cuts. (Pixabay)

Social Issues

play sound

For nearly one in eight Mississippians, monthly SNAP benefits provide a critical lifeline, one now at risk as congressional Republicans propose $230 …


Social Issues

play sound

Today, Montanans will gather outside the Statehouse to observe International Transgender Day of Visibility, during a legislative session that has …

Health and Wellness

play sound

To pay for the priorities of President Donald Trump's administration, like mass deportations and tax cuts, Republicans in Congress are considering …


Social Issues

play sound

Today is the International Trans Day of Visibility, to recognize the contributions of transgender people in society -- and raise awareness of the …

Smoke hovers above Los Angeles as seen on January 8, 2025, as a result of wildfires. (Zack Hughes)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Wildfires are creeping closer and closer to health care facilities in California, including hospitals and nursing homes, according to a new study…

Social Issues

play sound

President Donald Trump's administration has targeted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, so advocates for people in rural communities are …

Social Issues

play sound

A strike set to begin today has been averted at Western Michigan University's Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, known as WMed. Its resident …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021