Pennsylvania in Focus

First responders diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder moved one step closer to qualifying for workers compensation in Pennsylvania. The state Senate approved a proposal on Wednesday to expand the program to cover those living with the condition. Twenty-five other states have already done so, according to Rep. Jenn O'Mara, D-Springfield, who sponsored similar legislation in the House.

A package of bills that enshrine federal insurance mandates into Pennsylvania law passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday. Supporters say doing so guarantees the coverage expectations residents have grown accustomed to since the Affordable Care Act became law in 2010 will exist, even if Congress or the Supreme Court make changes. Two bills ban annual and lifetime limits and preexisting condition exclusion policies. The third stipulates that dependents can keep parental health insurance coverage through age 26.

In the contentious race for Pennsylvania treasurer, candidates campaign against each other’s money management, or lack thereof. It’s not an unsurprising strategy given the office’s primary role as keeper of the state’s multi-billion dollar taxpayer-funded bank accounts. The vitriolic messaging, however, stands apart from other statewide office campaigns.

The growth of data centers has been good news for nuclear power in Pennsylvania. But meeting growing demand in the future could be a struggle for the electric grid. Local political support stood behind reviving Three Mile Island in the commonwealth and Constellation Energy announced a deal in late September to bring it out of retirement and supply power for a Microsoft data center, keeping the plant running through 2054.

Another poll shows that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are neck and neck in Pennsylvania. This one, from Emerson College Polling and Real Clear Pennsylvania, found a 48-48 tie between the two candidates, while half of voters expect Harris to prevail and 49% expect Trump to pull it off. Conducted in late September, the poll asked 1,000 likely voters in the commonwealth and has a margin of error of three percentage points.