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Category: Government

Government

Lawmakers hit controversial pricing method with bans, probes

So-called surveillance pricing is drawing scrutiny in Pennsylvania and around the U.S. State lawmakers have introduced bills to ban the practice, and a New Jersey Congressman is demanding answers about it from 25 retailers, including Carlisle-based grocery chain The Giant Co.  What is it: Surveillance pricing refers to the use of personal customer data to set […]

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Energy

Guidelines set for allocating data center grid costs

State regulators finalized a framework for determining the costs data centers should bear when they connect to the electrical grid in Pennsylvania. The centers generally require new power infrastructure due to their relatively high demand for electricity, and regulators want to be sure other customers don’t end up paying for it. The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission unveiled […]

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Government

Court rules state university is exempt from stormwater fee

In a highly anticipated ruling, a divided state Supreme Court last week said West Chester University does not have to pay a stormwater management fee imposed by West Chester borough. The fee is a tax, the court ruled, and state entities are exempt from taxes. The 33-page ruling caps about eight years of litigation over the fee, […]

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Government

Capital-area vape shop prevails in state tax case

A Pennsylvania court has rebuffed state efforts to tax tobacco products made and sold by a Harrisburg-area vape shop In a 13-page ruling last week, a seven-judge panel of Commonwealth Court acknowledged that East Coast Vapor LLC appeared to be exploiting a loophole in state law. But the remedy is to change the law, not side with […]

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Banking/Finance

PA regulators notch win in long-running feud with title lender

State banking regulators have scored a victory in their long-running quest to penalize an out-of-state lender for charging allegedly excessive interest rates. In a 17-page ruling this week, a three-judge panel of Commonwealth Court refused to intervene in regulatory proceedings that could result in a $52.7 million civil penalty for the lender, Carrollton, Texas-based TitleMax.  Efforts […]

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Accounting

Panel OKs bill mandating tax-collection software for tardy taxpayers

A state House panel has approved legislation mandating the use of special software for businesses that are behind on their sales taxes.  The legislation, House Bill 2300, cleared the House Finance Committee yesterday on a bipartisan vote of 23 to 3. The bill would authorize state tax collectors to mandate use of software that enables real-time […]

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Government

Court rejects city tree ordinance in ‘extremely rare’ case

Public notices for a proposed amendment to Lancaster’s shade tree ordinance did not adequately explain what the amendment would change, a state appeals court said yesterday in striking down the measure. The ruling from Commonwealth Court upholds a 2024 decision from a Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas judge, who also found fault with the […]

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Government

Court cancels awards in $17.5B state health insurance program

State officials failed to provide a rational explanation for how they scored insurers aiming to land contracts with a publicly funded health insurance program covering mostly older state residents, a state court ruled last week. Based on that finding, the court canceled awards made under the roughly $17.5 billion program in 2024 but not yet […]

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Education

State childcare bonuses come in higher than expected

Childcare workers in Pennsylvania are in line for larger bonuses than initially projected. Last year, when the Shapiro administration unveiled a $25 million program designed to help retain and recruit people in the historically low-paid industry, officials forecast bonuses of about $450 per worker. Based on the number of applicants to the program, workers can […]

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