Concerns about the disclosure of confidential information could be a hiccup to the progression of a key piece of pipeline safety legislation, although the bill’s co-sponsors remain optimistic a deal can be reached.

Rep. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) and Rep. Chris Quinn (R-Delaware) are proposing the creation of a pipeline safety board, which would be charged with collecting and disseminating information related to planning, siting and construction of pipelines so as better to inform the public of potential safety risks and better coordinate state agency response.

Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester) hosted a press conference Friday morning to discuss bringing commonsense gun laws to Pennsylvania to ensure gun owners are aware of the safety measures. 

The legislators were remembering Bianca Roberson, a teenage girl who was shot two years ago in a road rage incident. 

A wide-ranging Fiscal Code bill was sent to Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk Thursday, bringing the 2019-2020 budget one step closer to enactment.

The legislation, which helps outline specifics of the annual spending plan, passed the House and the Senate on Thursday, setting in place procedures that could affect environmental policy, energy costs, and the state’s preparedness for emergencies.

The House Appropriations Committee moved to approve $90 million in bonding Wednesday night to help counties underwrite the costs of new voting machines, ending a protracted string of negotiations on the issue.

The Department of State last year issued a mandate requiring counties to purchase new election equipment, citing security concerns ahead of the 2020 presidential election. Gov. Tom Wolf asked for $75 million over five years to help local governments with those costs but Republicans removed that funding from the budget, in part as a rebuke of the Wolf administration’s edict.

At a time when their state support is precipitously declining, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education officials are pinning their hopes on a new, less restrictive tuition policy to help play a part in turning their fortunes around.

Earlier this month, the PASSHE Board of Governors approved a measure to delegate tuition-setting responsibilities to the 14 individual universities, as long changes are approved by the board.