Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration withdrew controversial overtime regulations from a meeting of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission Thursday, banking on the House moving a plan to raise the minimum wage--pausing the overtime changes in the process.

But the proposal, which passed the Senate on a 42-7 vote Wednesday night, has been met with a frosty reception in the House, both from conservatives skeptical of any increase and Democrats who are frustrated that the governor backed off his push for a $15 minimum wage.

Pennsylvania is one step closer to a higher minimum wage after lawmakers in the state Senate voted Wednesday night to increase the rate to $9.50 an hour.

 

But as the legislation advances toward the House, progressive lawmakers in the General Assembly say the move still doesn’t go far enough and pledged to fight for more improvements.

The House Education Committee approved Monday a bill which would create vouchers for students in the struggling Harrisburg School District, despite criticism that district officials were not included in the process.

The consideration of HB 1800, authored by House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny), comes just days after news that the district, which was placed in state receivership earlier this year, is facing a $2.6 million budget shortfall. It was approved out of committee on a 13-12 vote, with Rep. Rosemary Brown (R-Monroe) and Rep. Megan Schroeder (R-Bucks) joining Democrats in opposition.

The PLS Reporter joined Rep. Patty Kim (R-Dauphin) to talk about legislation that she plans to introduce that requires correctional facilities to provide a family-centered housing unit where mothers who give birth while incarcerated are able to stay with their babies for up to 18-months.  

These mothers would need to get approved by a board to have their babies with them, which would depend a lot on the crime that they committed and the severity. 

After a series of closed-door negotiations, House lawmakers have unveiled a $33.997 billion spending plan for the 2019-2020 fiscal year that would impose no new taxes and send over $250 million to the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

 

The proposed budget — amended into House Bill 790 — was revealed in a House Appropriations Committee meeting on Monday and includes funding increases for public education, agriculture and school safety.