Michael Herzing

Higher gun ownership rates lead to more gun homicides of pregnant women, new study says • Pennsylvania Capital-Star Homicide rates among pregnant women increase with the rate of firearm ownership.

This study is heartbreaking but not surprising. Pregnant women, especially Black women, are at higher risk of gun violence. Lax firearm laws are putting mothers and babies in danger.

Workers are standing up for fair wages, better benefits, and safe staffing—Starbucks can’t keep dragging its feet.
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Nothing says ‘I’m above suspicion’ like accusing everyone else of the exact same crimes you’re accused of.

The 2025–2026 PA budget is now passed. And it puts our Commonwealth on a stronger path forward. House Democrats delivered a spending plan that strengthens our schools, invests in public safety, expands access to affordable housing, provides real tax relief for working families.

Why Medicare Recipients Should Check Their 2026 Drug Plans Now Fall enrollment is on. Some plans are raising premiums for Part D, which covers prescriptions, by $50 or more per month, while others are lowering them.

Seniors shouldn’t be blindsided by skyrocketing #Medicare Part D premiums. President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act capped out-of-pocket costs—but more must be done to keep prescription drug plans affordable and predictable for retirees.

Protecting whistleblowers and public safety shouldn’t be punished.
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Pennsylvania Inadvertently Making Drivers' License Data Available to ICE In a letter to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Democratic lawmakers are letting the Commonwealth know that a digital loophole could be making drivers' data available to U.S. immigration authorities.

Democrats are standing up for Pennsylvanians’ privacy: drivers’ data should not be an open door for ICE or Trump-era federal overreach.
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) SNAP, formerly known as food stamps, provides food assistance to eligible low-income Pennsylvanians, offering EBT Cards to purchase fresh, healthy foods. Check your eligibility and apply online.

Thanks to DHS & Gov. Shapiro, Pennsylvanians hit hardest by the Trump shutdown finally have the SNAP benefits they were promised. Swift state action prevented hunger—but federal inaction caused unnecessary fear and hardship.
www.pa.gov/services/dhs...

Affordable Child Care // MAJORITY POLICY POINT

State says SNAP payments are again being issued for 2 million people in Pa. The state Department of Human Services said it has restarted issuing full November SNAP benefit payments and is working quickly to get payments to some 2 million recipients.

Pennsylvanians should’ve never had to worry about feeding their families during a manufactured shutdown.

Judiciary Committee advances cornucopia of bills HARRISBURG, Nov. 13 – The House Judiciary Committee Wednesday advanced a series of bipartisan measures aimed at strengthening Pennsylvania’s justice system, protecting victims of abuse, and expanding…

Supporting our veterans means supporting their full return to civilian life.
@repwebster.bsky.social

Cyber charter reforms are coming to Pennsylvania. What does that mean? School districts will pay less per student to cyber charter schools. Some are celebrating the reforms, but cyber charter operators say the legislation will hurt their ability to educate students.

Cutting inflated cyber charter payouts means $175M back into PA's public schools—where it belongs.

Literature is supposed to teach life, not bubble-wrap it.

Feeding Pennsylvania | Partner State Association of Feeding America We help thousands of organizations serve more than 1,500,000 Pennsylvanians each year to access nutritious food for all Pennsylvanians.

#SNAP benefits are being fully restored in PA after the Trump Administration tried to block life-sustaining food aid during the federal shutdown. Thanks to DHS & our food banks for stepping up—no Pennsylvanian should go hungry.
www.feedingpa.org

Nothing like a little self-delusion to go with your defeat.

Pa. lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro have approved a $50.1 billion state budget, officially ending monthslong impasse Pennsylvania lawmakers formally approved the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, ending the impasse that had for months stalled payments to counties, schools, and nonprofits.

Both Republican and Democratic leaders celebrated the budget’s passage as a “true compromise,” noting that neither party got everything it wanted in the final deal.
www.inquirer.com/politics/pen...

135 days late, $50.1 billion Pennsylvania budget earns bipartisan support • Pennsylvania Capital-Star The budget, Shapiro’s third, increases overall spending by 4.7% compared to the previous year but represents a $1.4 billion reduction from his proposal in February.

“This budget represents us coming together to recognize that while everyone may not have gotten everything, that we can work together collectively…” - @repharris.bsky.social
penncapital-star.com/government-p...

National school bus driver shortage persists, despite recent gains • Pennsylvania Capital-Star School districts have made some progress in addressing the national shortage of school bus drivers, but there still aren’t as many drivers as there were in 2019, according to a new study.

Raising wages helps, but Congress must invest in school transportation and support bus drivers—our kids’ education and safety can’t wait.

Pa.’s public schools are getting $665 million in new money with the state budget deal The deal also includes reforms for cyber charter schools that will represent a savings of hundreds of millions to school districts across the state.

Runaway property tax increases come from Harrisburg Republicans shorting public schools. Thanks to @pahousedems.com, schools are getting the money they need:
www.inquirer.com/education/pe...

After a painful four-month delay that left schools and nonprofits scrambling, Pennsylvania finally passes a budget that invests in education and social services—proof that @pahousedems.com standing firm can deliver for communities that need it most.
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Fully Funding Schools & No New Taxes // Majority Policy Point

Pa. House Judiciary committee greenlights slate of criminal justice bills • Pennsylvania Capital-Star The panel tackled — and ultimately advanced — criminal justice bills related to veteran post-conviction relief and juvenile offender fees.

Democrats on the #PAHouse Judiciary Committee are standing up for fairness — advancing bills to give justice to veterans with PTSD and to end excessive fines that trap kids in the system, while Republicans stall with excuses about “not ready for prime time.”
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Pa.’s public schools are getting $665 million in new money with the state budget deal The deal also includes reforms for cyber charter schools that will represent a savings of hundreds of millions to school districts across the state.

After months of gridlock, lawmakers finally delivered $665M to public schools—most of it targeted to close funding gaps in low-wealth districts—proving that fair, constitutional education funding isn’t optional, it’s a promise kept.
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Pa. lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro have approved a $50.1 billion state budget, officially ending monthslong impasse Pennsylvania lawmakers formally approved the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, ending the impasse that had for months stalled payments to counties, schools, and nonprofits.

After months of gridlock, Pennsylvania finally has a budget — @pahousedems.com secured major wins for public schools, working families, and fairer funding, even as Republicans forced an end to RGGI and blocked new transit investments.

‘Immense relief and gratitude’: Philadelphia organizations react to state budget Education leaders are applauding new funding increases that promise to bridge the divide between high- and low-income school districts.

“I would’ve loved to have stood here in this room with all of you on June 30.” – Gov. Josh Shapiro, upon the state Legislature coming to an agreement and the #PAbudget impasse coming to an end
whyy.org/articles/pen...

At long last, Pennsylvania has a balanced, bipartisan budget that invests in every kid, protects vital services, creates jobs, and makes life more affordable for working families—without raising taxes or touching the Rainy Day Fund. #PABudget

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No one who kills, assaults, or harasses on the job should wear a badge again—Act 111 lets bad cops dodge accountability and keeps justice behind closed doors.

US Supreme Court maintains temporary freeze on full SNAP benefits for November • Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. Supreme Court has extended through Thursday a pause on lower courts’ orders that the Trump administration authorize a full month of benefits for a food assistance program that 1 in 8…

The Supreme Court’s delay puts millions of families’ food security on hold—once again showing how Trump’s policies and court appointees prioritize politics over people who rely on SNAP to eat.

Epstein Files Live Updates: G.O.P. Lawmakers Release Thousands of Files

House Republicans just dropped 23,000 pages of Epstein documents—but only after Democrats exposed emails suggesting Trump knew more than he admits; transparency or distraction?
www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...

'This is everyone’s win': Striking PG workers celebrate a big victory - Pittsburgh Union Progress Monday started out as one of those cold, dreary Pittsburgh Mondays that you have to plod through as if it were sticky and slick with mud. The previous night’s Steelers’ game, a loss, made it worse.…

After three long years, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette workers proved what solidarity can do — when workers stand together and refuse to back down, justice wins.