SNAP payment error rates in Pennsylvania and New York are still higher than congressional program requirements - and it could begin costing state taxpayers next year. Pennsylvania's error rate is 9.21% in 2025, with 8.03% of errors coming as overpayments and 1.18% being underpayment errors. ...
The tents seem to pop up overnight. Toward the end of June, you start seeing them in parking lots, busy highways, and outside of shopping centers. The annual fireworks tents appear with their flags and bright signs, signaling the Fourth of July is right around the corner. At the TNT Fireworks ...
With this Fourth of July weekend representing a milestone in America’s history, the Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) is promoting responsible celebrations to prevent injuries and property damage from fireworks. State Fire Commissioner Thomas Cook is urging everyone to celebrate this occasion both smartly and safely. “For many Pennsylvanians, fireworks are a long-standing, enjoyable tradition, but improper use of fireworks can quickly turn tradition into a trip to the emergency room,” said Commissioner Cook. “Every year, preventable injuries and fires ...
U.S. Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA) this week introduced the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act (SAWA), legislation that would provide critical changes to the H-2A guest worker program. “New York Farm Bureau (NYFB) commends Rep. Thompson and the bill’s cosponsors for their leadership in addressing one of the largest concerns facing New York farmers — the shortage and rising cost of farm labor,” said NYFB President David Fisher. “These changes to the H-2A program will make a huge difference in our farms’ ability to hire workers for longer periods of time while ...
Pennsylvania's public-school employees' pension fund is $41 billion short of what it needs to pay promised benefits. Last year, it missed the investment benchmark that officials set, a result they said was "primarily due to performance within private equity." As of Dec. 31, Pennsylvania’s Public School Employees’ Retirement System held $85.3 billion in assets, making it one of the nation's largest public pension funds. PSERS invested $10.1 billion in private equity with a goal of earning a 10.06% return. It returned just 2.59%. According to PSERS, private equity reduced the fund's ...
For the fifth year in a row, state leaders have failed to meet the June 30 deadline for finishing an annual budget - a situation that will have little practical effect in the short term but raises the ugly specter of last year's 135-day impasse. In 2025, even though political leaders spoke in late June and early July of being "close" to a deal, none was reached until November. Billions of dollars in state payments were withheld, counties lost millions of dollars, programs were cut and employees were furloughed. Chances for making the deadline this year ended before 3 p.m. ...
