Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 14h

PA voters: This fall, three Supreme Court justices — Donohue, Dougherty & Wecht — are on the ballot. Their rulings protect reproductive rights, healthcare access & everyday freedoms.

If you care about the right to choose, make your voice heard.
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Abortion rights at center of case for retaining Pa. Supreme Court justices, supporters say

Three of seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices are on the ballot for retention in November, and the stakes include one of the highest-octane issues in American politics: abortion.

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 14h

100 days. That’s how long Senate Republicans have refused to negotiate in good faith on a state budget. Meanwhile, schools, counties & crisis centers are suffering. @pahousedems.com passed a bipartisan plan AGAIN this evening -- now it’s time for the Senate to act.

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 16h

"The idea that American workers would choose to stay home or abuse a benefit when they have not abused the benefits in the past is absolutely ludicrous.”
-- Rep. Jason Dawkins
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Pa. House again passes bill to give unemployment benefits to striking workers

The idea has proved to be the same wedge issue it was two years ago, clearing the House on Tuesday on a 106-to-97 vote.

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 17h

“When our nation has created the wealthiest men in history, while workers still struggle to put food on the table, providing unemployment compensation for workers who are taking the courageous step of withholding their labor is a necessary intervention."
-- Rep. Rick Krajewski

PA House approves unemployment for striking workers

HARRISBURG, Oct. 7 – Today, the Pennsylvania State House voted 106-97 to pass H.B. 145, providing unemployment compensation to striking workers. Current Pennsylvania statute explicitly bans working…

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 17h

📅 Day 100 without a state budget.

While @pahousedems.com are working to deliver for Pennsylvanians, Senate Republicans continue to stall — leaving schools, municipalities, and community organizations in limbo.

It’s time for the Senate to act.
www.youtube.com/live/ahiGkEC...

PRESS CONFERENCE: House Democrats Mark 100 Day Budget Impasse, Call on Senate to Act

YouTube video by Pa. House Video

www.youtube.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 17h

💉 Pennsylvania is keeping vaccines safe, accessible, and free for Medicaid & CHIP recipients! Governor Shapiro’s Executive Order protects families’ right to make informed health decisions and ensures every Pennsylvanian can stay healthy.
www.pa.gov/agencies/hea...

General Immunization Guidance

www.pa.gov

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 18h

“As a physician, I know how powerful vaccines at all stages of life can be for preventing or mitigating disease.”
@repvenkat.com

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 19h

"Criminalizing individuals or families for being homeless is needlessly cruel ... it is our duty to ensure that every resident of the Commonwealth has the ability to provide for themselves and their loved ones as best they can."
-- Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El

Do local camping bans criminalize homelessness? Pennsylvania lawmaker says they do.

A Pa. lawmaker argues that many communities have adopted rules that essentially punish homeless individuals for being without shelter.

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 19h

Flooding can happen anywhere in PA, & everyone deserves protection. While the Republican Congress fails to extend the NFIP, Pennsylvanians still have private flood insurance options to keep their homes safe. Learn more & stay covered: www.pa.gov/agencies/ins...

Flood Insurance

www.pa.gov

Reposted by Michael Herzing

PA House Majority Policy Committee @padempolicy.bsky.social · 21h

In case you thought it was just rhetoric when we pointed out that Trump's immigration crusade is crushing farmers and making food prices soar:

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis:
prospect.org/politics/tru...

Trump Labor Department Says His Immigration Raids Are Causing a Food Crisis

In a filing in the Federal Register, the Labor Department argues there are “immediate dangers to the American food supply” due to a lack of migrant agricultural workers.

prospect.org

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 21h

Truck drivers are essential to our economy, but too often they’re forced to stop in unsafe places—there’s only 1 parking space for every 11 drivers.

Thanks to the Shapiro Administration, 1,200+ new safe truck parking spaces will be added across PA by 2026.
www.pennlive.com/news/2025/10...

The impossible choice truck drivers face every day is being addressed in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania announced today that in a cooperative agreement with four agencies, it will add 1,200 parking spaces in 133 locations for trucks.

www.pennlive.com

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 21h

The Monongahela River, source of drinking water for 1M people, is at risk from fracking waste dumped in local landfills. Pennsylvania must stop letting radioactive & toxic leachate threaten our water.
www.alleghenyfront.org/mon-monongah...

Along the banks of the Mon, fracking waste in a landfill once again poses a pollution problem

The Westmoreland Sanitary Landfill accepts fracking waste. Some fear fracking contaminants like radium could end up in the Monongahela River.

www.alleghenyfront.org

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 21h

The #RepublicanShutdown is hurting working families.

Federal employees are being forced to work without pay. Landmarks like the Liberty Bell are closed. Flights are delayed.

All because the GOP refuses to negotiate.
www.inquirer.com/politics/phi...

Near the shuttered Liberty Bell, Philadelphia union leaders and lawmakers rally against the government shutdown

The American Federation of Government Employees and the AFL-CIO held a rally railing against the ongoing federal government shutdown in Philadelphia as the White House floats layoffs.

www.inquirer.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 21h

The Trump administration is trying to buy control over America’s universities — tying funding to censorship, discrimination, and political loyalty.
triblive.com/local/region...

Trump's funding offer to colleges sparks debate in Pennsylvania

Jonathan Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, fears for his academic freedom. His concerns are shared by many colleagues as the Trump administration tries to broker deals with uni...

triblive.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 21h

Philadelphia’s shipbuilding revival is exactly what “Made in America” should look like — $5B in new investment, thousands of good union jobs, and strong partnerships with our allies in South Korea.

But Trump's immigration rules are putting it all at risk.
www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Philadelphia’s $5B shipyard dream may hit an immigration iceberg | Opinion

The city that launched America’s first warship just got a $5 billion investment promise. But a recent ICE raid on Korean workers in Georgia may sink that before it sails.

www.inquirer.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

While MAGA Republicans hold our government hostage over Americans’ health care, the same crowd is fine sending $20 billion to bail out Argentina’s far-right “libertarian” government — a deal that undercuts U.S. farmers and working families.
www.pennlive.com/opinion/2025...

Why are we bailing out Argentina while our own government shuts down? | Opinion

Not only are we losing billions from our shutdown over whether or not to keep some U.S. citizens from having their health care premiums double, but we just sent American funds to Argentina

www.pennlive.com

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

Republicans shut down the government — again.

They’re risking paychecks, healthcare, and the economy to protect insurance companies and hurt working families.

Trump and the GOP are playing politics with people's livelihoods.
www.inquirer.com/opinion/comm...

Republicans’ shutdown compounds the damage they have already done | Opinion

Seizing on a contrived impasse to gut healthcare subsidies and cut jobs, the Republican shutdown could worsen an already shaky economy.

www.inquirer.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

LGBTQ+ centers feed families, house teens, and save lives.

But under Trump’s second term, federal funding is being stripped away — not because of budgets, but because of hate.

Democrats believe in equality, dignity, and keeping these doors open, not slammed shut.
shorturl.at/dzHx5

Politics and economic uncertainty put Pa. LGBT centers at risk of closing | WITF

After opening what it called a permanent location on Harrisburg’s Front Street in spring 2024, the LGBT Center of Central PA is struggling to st […]

shorturl.at

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

Thousands of PA students are stuck waiting for financial aid they’ve already earned—because Republicans in Harrisburg refuse to do their jobs and pass a budget.

Students shouldn’t have to take on debt or skip meals while politicians play games. It’s time to fund our future.
shorturl.at/hjOlg

Financial aid for PA students delayed due to budget impasse

Thousands of Pennsylvania college students are stuck waiting for state grant funds as the budget impasse drags into a third month.

shorturl.at

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

It’s time for Republicans to stop playing politics and get to work for our schools, seniors, and communities.
www.abc27.com/pennsylvania...

www.abc27.com

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Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

After this year’s sweltering summer, cooler months are a relief. But for Pennsylvania’s outdoor and indoor workers, heat isn’t just uncomfortable—it’s deadly.

Reps. Fiedler & Haddock introduced HB 1580 to guarantee rest, water, and shade on the job.
www.cityandstatepa.com/opinion/2025...

Feeling the heat: How temperature-specific legislation could keep workers and businesses cool

Two members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are proposing legislation that would protect employees and business owners from tragedy during periods of extreme heat.

www.cityandstatepa.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

“Going on strike is not the same as quitting your job. The decision to strike is not made lightly.”
-- Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler
www.pennlive.com/politics/202...

Pa. House again passes bill to give unemployment benefits to striking workers

The idea has proved to be the same wedge issue it was two years ago, clearing the House on Tuesday on a 106-to-97 vote.

www.pennlive.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 22h

“For millions of Pennsylvanians who choose to receive vaccines, they have come to depend on insurance coverage without cost sharing. House Bill 1828 is absolutely necessary to meet that expectation.”
@repvenkat.com
penncapital-star.com/health/pa-ho...

Pa. House committee vote is the latest move to protect vaccine access amid CDC shakeups • Pennsylvania Capital-Star

The state House Insurance Committee passed a measure Monday to protect vaccine access, regardless of the actions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which has recently hired a number ...

penncapital-star.com

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 1d

“I didn’t dedicate my life to medicine just to watch politicians practice it without a license.” – Dr. Jessica Geida, a Philadelphia obstetrician-gynecologist, during a press call yesterday organized by the Committee to Protect Healthcare
www.wesa.fm/politics-gov...

Abortion rights at center of case for retaining Pa. Supreme Court justices, supporters say

Three of seven Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices are on the ballot for retention in November, and the stakes include one of the highest-octane issues in American politics: abortion.

www.wesa.fm

Michael Herzing @mherz67.bsky.social · 1d

Pennsylvania’s courts protect fair maps, fair elections, and your rights. Don’t fall for billionaire-funded lies. Vote YES to retain Justices Donohue, Dougherty & Wecht — and keep our judiciary independent.

Vote yes to retain Pennsylvania’s judges and support truth, transparency, and democracy | Opinion

Opponents of retaining Pennsylvania's Supreme Court Justices have distributed mailers filled with lies and misinformation. Vote yes to retain them.

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