An Atlanta-based IT staffing company has settled federal claims that it failed to protect confidential health information after Pennsylvania officials hired the company to oversee
Following a flurry of comments from customers and consumer advocates, state utility regulators altered the penalties imposed on electric utility PPL Electric Utilities over billing issues that led to overcharges for some customers, among other problems.In a 3-2 vote on April 25, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission approved a settlement agreement requiring PPL to provide more reporting […]
State officials may be taking another swing at drafting rules designed to make it easier for people with criminal records to earn professional licenses in Pennsylvania.That’s because a regulatory review panel gave the latest version a thumbs down at a meeting last week.Members of the Independent Regulatory Review Commission were concerned about some of the […]
A Harrisburg lobbying firm has formed a business affiliation with a Philadelphia-area law firm.Under the arrangement, lobbying shop The DT Firm and law firm Lamb McErlane will refer clients to each other, said Joel Frank, chairman and managing partner of Lamb McErlane. While many law firms have created in-house lobbying divisions over the last few years, Lamb McErlane has […]
In a series of bipartisan votes yesterday, a state House panel approved a package of four bills designed to tweak the process for selling public water and sewer systems to private companies.The tweaks would amend a state law known as Act 12, which paved the way for greater consolidation of local water and sewer systems. Advocates note […]
Business groups are decrying a recent directive from Gov. Josh Shapiro designed to increase the state’s use of project labor agreements, deals that generally require the use of union labor on public projects.Issued last week, the directive calls on state agencies to review contract solicitations for capital projects to determine which ones would be good fits for […]
A state House panel has passed bills on party-line votes that would strengthen protections against workplace discrimination.One bill would lower the threshold for state anti-discrimination enforcement to businesses with as few as two employees, down from the current threshold of four.Another bill would tweak provisions covering gender-based wage discrimination. It would, for example, bar disparate […]
Disgruntled taxpayers in Pennsylvania would have a new option for disputing their tax bills under legislation approved yesterday by a state Senate panel.Sponsored by GOP state Sen. Tim Hutchinson, the bill would create an independent settlement process, potentially avoiding protracted court battles over tax bills, according to its supporters, which include the Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs and Pennsylvania […]
Appearing March 13 at a Scranton union hall, Gov. Josh Shapiro laid out plans for speeding up Pennsylvania’s shift to cleaner forms of electricity while creating jobs and capping carbon emissions from the power sector.The plans aim to bridge differences that have long divided environmentalists, labor groups, lawmakers and others with a stake in state […]
Earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro rolled out a plan for economic development in Pennsylvania that is expected to unfold over the next decade. Progress is likely to be measured in shorter increments of time.State lawmakers, who are being asked to fund parts of the plan, could start asking for results by next year.And therein […]
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