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Pa. is getting at least $516M from a Meta settlement

HARRISBURG — A political tug-of-war could be looming over a settlement that will bring as much as three-quarters of a billion dollars into Pennsylvania. The state is set to receive anywhere from $516 million to $729 million from Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, over the next ten years as part of a multistate lawsuit. The settlement directs the money to a fund controlled by the Office of Attorney General, led by Republican Dave Sunday, and allows it to be spent on youth crisis hotlines, after-school or summer programs, youth mental health programming, digital wellness ...

House passes bill to regulate and put 12% tax on natural kratom sales

(The Center Square) - The state House on Monday unanimously approved a bill to create first-time regulations and a new tax on the sale of natural kratom - an increasingly popular tree-derived substance that can act as both a stimulant and a sedative - and ban the sale of synthetic kratom. Meanwhile, in a split vote driven by Democrats seeking to address potential electricity shortages, the House acted to require that electric distribution companies acquire battery storage systems. Concerning kratom, lawmakers on both sides argued on the House floor it was time to create ...

Pa. election 2026: What to know about mail ballots

HARRISBURG — The Nov. 3 election is almost here. Pennsylvania voters will see races for governor, Congress, and Pennsylvania House on their ballots. Depending on where they live, they may also see state Senate races. While many voters will head to their local polling places on Election Day, others will use mail ballots. All registered voters in the commonwealth have been able to vote by mail since 2020. Mail voting can be confusing and has been made even more so over the past six years by legal challenges, disinformation undermining public faith in elections, and efforts by many ...

Pa. election 2026: Where Garrity, Shapiro stand on education issues

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania will spend nearly 40% of its $50.8 billion budget on education this year. The size of that obligation, and its impact on children, teenagers, and college students across the commonwealth, make it an enormous part of annual spending talks. Unsurprisingly, it’s a prominent issue in the 2026 race for governor. Incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro has spent his governorship threading a needle on education. He has backed big spending increases, particularly for the commonwealth’s most inadequately funded public school districts. At the same time, he’s supported ...

Giffords PAC backs 9 Pennsylvania candidates

(The Center Square) – A national gun safety organization is backing candidates in several races in Pennsylvania ahead of the 2026 midterm election, which includes an $850,000 advertising investment into a closely watched U.S. House race. Led by former Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011, the Giffords PAC has endorsed nine candidates in Pennsylvania this cycle. The organization is supporting Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in his bid for a second term over Republican challenger Stacy Garrity, the state’s Treasurer. “Governor Josh ...

House committee backs bill sparing communities from ‘fake’ data center proposals

(The Center Square) - More than a hundred data center proposals have popped up like mushrooms on the Pennsylvania map, and a House committee on Wednesday attempted to validate the "real" ones by backing a plan to weed out many others believed to be speculative grabs for money. The House Energy Committee approved a bill that would require a proposer bringing a data center concept to a municipality to also bring proof it had applied for electrical service. It also would have to include proof that it had paid the fees and costs for making that application. "Municipalities are being ...