Pennsylvania is approaching four months without having a spending plan. And Senate Republicans are doubling down on their effort to fund the state at last year’s levels. 

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State senators are working toward banning students from using cell phones during the school day. Support for such a ban is building in the Capitol.

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Gov. Josh Shapiro says congressional Democrats are right to withhold their votes for any budget deal that doesn’t extend Obamacare subsidies slated to expire this year. 

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Nearly two million Pennsylvanians won’t receive their November food assistance benefits, as the federal budget standoff continues in Washington.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered states to halt Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments until Congress enacts a spending plan.

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Pennsylvanians are in a unique position. They lack both a state and federal budget as Republican and Democratic lawmakers have reached gridlock in negotiations. Unions representing government workers are raising concerns over staffing. 

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Pennsylvania is now 100 days without a state budget, yet lawmakers appear no closer to reaching a deal. Frustrations are mounting in the Capitol.

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L-G-B-T centers across Pennsylvania are struggling to keep their doors open as federal funding dries up and donors cut support. 

WITF’s Jordan Wilkie reports the national trend is being felt in Harrisburg, where the local L-G-B-T center opened its permanent location just last year.

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Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday is rolling out a new effort aimed at helping people with mental illness avoid jail time — if they commit low-level crimes.

WITF’s Jaxon White reports the program builds off of the state’s Law Enforcement Treatment Initiative, or LETI — originally created to address substance abuse.

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Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is stepping onto the international stage. 

WITF’s Jaxon White reports a partnership among eight U.S. governors and two premiers of Canadian provinces last weekend elected Shapiro to be its leader for a two-year term.

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Critical service providers are still not receiving funding from the state, as lawmakers and Governor Josh Shapiro enter their fourth month without a state budget. 

WITF’s Jaxon White reports these organizations warn that layoffs, service cuts and even closures are looming over their work. 

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