The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from Pennsylvania

Should States Get Out of the Booze Business?

Pennsylvania is as close as it has ever come to privatizing liquor sales following a House vote in March. Tricky questions await the Senate as it considers whether to modernize or dismantle the state’s multifarious system.

30 Cities: An Introductory Snapshot

Pew recently updated its 30-city snapshot interactive, with new data on population, home values, income and unemployment. Pew's American Cities Project focuses on the biggest city in the nation's 30 largest metro areas.

Should Judges Be Forced To Retire?

Judges in 33 states are forced to retire at a certain age. State legislators are not so sure this is a good idea.

States Struggle To Keep Online Schools Accountable

As concerns grow about performance in the booming online education sector, some states are working to define their oversight role.

Pennsylvania State of the State Address 2013

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania -- Feb. 5 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Tom Corbett's 2013 State of the State Address:

Gas Tax Loses Favor as Governors Look for New Transportation Money

In the search for more transportation money, governors and state lawmakers are largely avoiding one of the most obvious and straightforward funding sources: state gasoline taxes.

Pennsylvania Governor Wants State to Exit Liquor Business, Use Proceeds for Schools

Corbett on Wednesday unveiled a plan that would remove Pennsylvania from liquor business and funnel to schools proceeds from the sale of alcohol licenses.

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: Pennsylvania

How well is Pennsylvania protecting kids from tooth decay?

Revisiting Provisional Ballots in Philadelphia, PA

Following the November election, we featured the significant increase in the use of provisional ballots in Philadelphia as compared with 2008. Preliminary analysis by city officials has shed some light on what happened.

Best of #StateReads: California Leads U.S. Pay Giveaway

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

State Legislators on Sentencing and Corrections Reforms

Six state legislative leaders reflect on how they successfully enacted comprehensive sentencing and corrections reforms using a bipartisan, interbranch working group and focusing on data and research to craft policies that met their unique challenges.

Provisional Ballots Increase in Philadelphia, PA

In 2008, more than 12,600 provisional ballots were issued in Philadelphia. In 2012, the figure doubled to more than 27,000 provisional ballots, even though, overall, nearly 40,000 fewer ballots were cast for president this year.

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: Pennsylvania

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

In Some States, Election Season Could Linger Long After Tuesday

Here’s a look at several states whose elections may remain undecided long after Tuesday night.

After Sandy, Some Homeowners Spared from Costly Hurricane Deductibles

Governor Tom Corbett added Pennsylvania to the growing list of states — including Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and New York — where governors and insurance regulators have told insurers to spare homeowners from the costly deductibles after the superstorm whirled across the East Coast, causing heavy wind and flood damage to property and leaving millions without power.

Voter ID Rulings Vex Administrators Ahead of Election Day

Recent court rulings and ongoing lawsuits have prompted widespread concerns about whether election laws can work smoothly next Tuesday.

Sandusky Case Influences Pennsylvania Contest for Attorney General

Neither candidate for Pennsylvania’s top law enforcement post has anything to do with the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse case. But it’s the main thing they talk about.

Pa. Legislature Passes Bill Modifying Juvenile Sentences

The Pennsylvania Legislature has sent a bill to the governor that would dramatically reduce sentences for juveniles convicted of murder, seeking to bring the state in line with a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Poll Worker Pay

New research from the Pew Center on the States examines poll worker stipends from the country’s most populous election jurisdictions—Pew researchers looked at these counties’ election websites and contacted their elections offices—and found significant variation.

Best of #StateReads: Special Interests, Politics Delay Changes After Sandusky Scandal

This week’s collection of #StateReads includes an examination at what derailed child advocacy improvements in Pennsylvania following the Jerry Sandusky scandal, an investigation into the 15 percent of homicides in Washington, D.C. that have gone unsolved and a look at a region in Utah that contains as much as 80 percent of the state’s homeless population.

Federal Court Clears South Carolina Voter ID Law

A federal court has cleared the way for South Carolina’s voter ID law to be in place in 2013, despite the Justice Department’s decision to oppose the law.

Are Voter ID Opponents Winning the Battle but Losing the War?

Voter ID opponents have won high-profile court battles, but may be losing ground on the longer-term legal fight against the laws.

Still Risky: Checking Accounts in Pennsylvania

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Six of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in Pennsylvania and hold 40 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in Pennsylvania may be paying.

Pa. Supreme Court Spares Man From Execution

In a two-sentence order released hours before Terrance Williams’ originally scheduled death by lethal injection, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied the request of state prosecutors to go ahead with the execution, punishment for robbing and murdering a man who allegedly sexually abused Williams.

Pa. Voter ID Law Blocked Before Election

A state judge Tuesday blocked the GOP-backed requirement that Pennsylvania voters present photo identification at the polls, landing the latest blow to the party's efforts to tighten voter eligibility across the country.

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Unlikely to Apply in November

Wisconsinites this November won’t likely need to show photo identification at the polls. That’s because the state Supreme Court says it won’t immediately consider whether to reinstate a voter ID law blocked in a lower court.

Public Safety in Pennsylvania

Learn more about public safety in Pennsylvania.

Sponsor of Pa. Voter ID Law Says Only “Lazy” People Would Lose Chance to Vote

The sponsor of Pennsylvania’s voter identification law says only “lazy” people would be disenfranchised this November by requirements to show photo identification at the polls.

Pa. Board Denies Clemency For Death Row Inmate Allegedly Abused by Victim

The majority vote wasn’t enough to spare Terrance Williams from his pending execution. Now, his life depends upon a last-ditch court effort in court Thursday (September 19). The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons on Monday voted 3-2 to grant clemency to the convicted murderer who was allegedly sexually abused by his vi

How Governors Govern Higher Ed

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett are the latest governors to play a role in resolving crises at their state universities.

Amid Lawsuits and Controversy, States Prepare for Voter ID

Identifying and verifying hordes of extra voters will be a daunting task for many states ahead of Election Day.

Alabama’s Largest County Faces Bankruptcy Without State Help

History, a fear of raising taxes, dissuaded Alabama from helping its largest county avoid insolvency

Pennsylvania Judge Refuses to Halt Voter ID Law

A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday refused to block the state’s controversial voter ID law, smoothing the way for its use during the November election.

Pennsylvania Voter ID

The Pennsylvania Departments of State and Transportation compared databases and found that approximately 9 percent of the state’s registered voters do not a photo ID, such as a drivers’ license, from the state Transportation Department that can be used at the polling place to meet the state’s recently enacted voter ID requirement.

Farmers, Frackers and Scarce Water

Hydraulic fracturing by energy drillers may not be the heaviest consumer of water on parched land. But environmentalists and some farmers are starting to worry about it.

Pennsylvania Ends its General Assistance Program

Budget cuts force an end to Pennsylvania’s General Assistance Program

With Drillers at the Door, Some Towns Say ‘Keep Out’

As oil and gas development moves into more populated areas, many municipalities are trying to exert control over where drilling takes place. State regulators and energy companies aren’t happy.

States Reconsider Juvenile Life Sentences

The Supreme Court ruled that mandatory life without parole for juveniles convicted of murder is unconstitutional. But the court left little guidance for states on what to do next.

The Semi-Private Lottery

With budgets still tight, states are asking lotteries to bring in more money. In some cases, that means hiring a private operator to reinvent them.

Voter Identification in Pennsylvania

While the recently enacted law requiring photo identification at the polls in Pennsylvania continues to generate controversy, a June Quinnipiac University poll found 66 percent of the state's voters approve of the new rule and 32 percent oppose it.

As States Debate Medicaid Expansion, Maine Governor Looks to Cut Rolls

Maine Governor Paul LePage appears poised for a head-on collision with the Obama Administration over the issue of Medicaid eligibility. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s health care ruling last month — the federal government cannot take away existing Medicaid funds to penalize states that refuse to expan

After 2 Years of Declines, Philadelphia Prison Populaton Rises

Philadelphia's prison population is on the rise again. The Pew Chartiable Trusts Philadelphia Research Initiative reported Thursday that 8,732 people were behind bars in June, an 8.5 percent increase from the same point last year.

Pennsylvania Struggles to Help Its Weakest Cities

Pennsylvania has an ambitious program aimed at fixing the finances of troubled cities. In most cases, it doesn’t accomplish a lot.

Pennsylvania Bars Harrisburg Bankruptcy

Disagreements between Pennsylvania and its capital city have at least temporarily deprived Harrisburg of a fiscal tool it would like to use.

With New Fiscal Year Looming, Government Shutdowns Unlikely

A year after Minnesota’s three-week shutdown, New Jersey is the state that appears at greatest risk of starting the fiscal year without a budget.

Widening Gap Update: Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania failed to consistently pay its full annual pension contribution from 2005 to 2010. The system was 75 percent funded in fiscal year 2010 and faced a $29 billion funding gap. Most experts agree that a fiscally sustainable system should be at least 80 percent funded. The state also had a $17 billion bill for retiree health care costs, less than 2 percent of which was funded, well below the 8 percent national average in 2010.

Best of #StateReads: Getting Aggressive With Pension Investments

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Facing Off Over Funerals

A Federal judge last month ordered the Pennsylvania state board of funeral directors to rewrite their “outmoded” regulations that limited the numbers of funeral homes any one director could own, restricted the naming of homes, and prohibited funeral homes from serving food. Industry experts say the ruling could have broad implications for other states.

Time Served in Pennsylvania

The average offender in Pennsylvania released in 2009 served 3.8 years in custody, 32% more than the average offender released in 1990.

State Could Save Millions on Prison System, Report Says

Pennsylvania could save tens of millions of dollars a year by keeping low-level offenders out of the prison system and instead reserving state prison beds for criminals convicted of the most serious crimes and serving longer terms, consultants said in a report released today.