House Republicans unveiled their survey of the state’s infrastructure needs Wednesday, calling for a cycling down of transfers from the Motor License Fund to bankroll State Police, as well as a consolidated permit process for major building projects and other items to help boost road and transit construction.

The Republican Transportation Infrastructure Task Force, chaired by Rep. Martina White (R-Philadelphia), was rolled out in July, at a time when PennDOT has notified municipalities that the existing pot of transportation dollars is set to shrink.

We get it, session weeks are busy. That’s why we put together a list of the bills being discussed in committee and on the floor of the General Assembly that are worth devoting your precious time to tracking. From manufacturing tax credits to volunteer fire departments, here are five bills to watch for the week of September 16.

With budget talks continuing in Harrisburg, members of OnePA and other advocacy groups held rallies across the state to demand a minimum wage increase be included in whatever passes the General Assembly this month.

Introduced with the budget earlier this year, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) offered a bump up to $12 an hour from the current $7.25 and then incremental raises to $15 an hour by 2025. Supporters point to the wage increases by all of Pennsylvania’s neighbors as proof workers need a boost.

Amid all the floor debates, press conferences and committee hearings, the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s newest co-sponsorship memos can get lost in the shuffle. That’s why The PLS Reporter rounds up some of the most noteworthy co-sponsorship memos each week — so you can stay informed of what’s going on in the Capitol.

 

In this week’s feature are memos for proposals that would censure Rep. Brian Sims (D-Philadelphia) for recent conduct, reform vehicle emissions testing in Pennsylvania and replace in-person voting with mail-in voting.

Pennsylvania State Police leadership defended a new policy limiting how they can interact with federal immigration authorities before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday in response to concerns from both conservative lawmakers and civil liberties groups.

Starting in January, PSP policy bars troopers from stopping residents for the sole purpose of determining their immigration status. It also prohibits detaining people based on non-binding administrative warrants issued by federal Immigrations and Customs Enforcement.