Sean Kitchen is the Keystone’s political correspondent, based in Harrisburg. Sean is originally from Philadelphia and spent five years working as a writer and researcher for Pennsylvania Spotlight.
Sean Kitchen
Latest from Sean Kitchen
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One Year After Roe Was Overturned, Pennsylvania Advocates Call for Expanding Reproductive Freedom
Saturday marks one year since the Supreme Court’s decision overturned Roe v. Wade and the federal right to abortion care. While access to abortion care is still legal in Pennsylvania, the Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization allowed more than a dozen states to completely or mostly ban abortion in its aftermath.
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Pennsylvania Nurses Demand Lawmakers Vote on Safe Staffing Ratios to Save Lives
Around 100 Pennsylvanians die each month due to unsafe staffing ratios in hospitals across the commonwealth. That’s the statistic former nurse and current State Rep. Tarik Khan (D-Philadelphia) highlighted at a press conference on Wednesday, where he advocated for the Patient Safety Act.
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Pennsylvania’s LGBTQ+ Community Demands a State Senate Vote on Non-Discrimination Protections
It’s been seven weeks since House Democrats passed the Fairness Act, and LGBTQ activists and allies are tired of waiting. On Wednesday, they held a lobby day in Harrisburg demanding a vote on the bill
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PA Democrats Push for Permanent Funding for Home Repair Program Amid Huge Demand
The program, which allows low-income residents and small-scale landlords to apply for government-funded grants to weatherize and make the necessary repairs to their homes, has received so many applications that housing advocates are calling for recurring permanent funding in the Pennsylvania Budget.
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Pennsylvania House Democrats Vote to Raise the Minimum Wage for the First Time Since 2007
House Democrats passed a bill raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage for the first time since 2007. House Bill 1500 raises the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour in three stages by Jan. 1, 2026 and then adjusts it to inflation beginning Jan. 1, 2027.
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Biden Launches Reelection Campaign With Union Members in Philadelphia
During his speech, Biden highlighted his first term accomplishments, which included his response to the pandemic, and passing the American Rescue Plan and Inflation Reduction Act.
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PA House Dems Renew Push to Fix Pennsylvania’s Aging and Toxic School Buildings
House Democrats hosted a press conference on Wednesday asking for increased funding to fix Pennsylvania’s aging and toxic schools. Their budget includes $350 million to fix exposure to asbestos, lead, mold, radon, and weather.
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Pa. House Democrats Advance Compromise Bill to Raise the Minimum Wage
Pennsylvania House Democrats advanced a bill out of the House Labor and Industry Committee to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2026. The bill raises the tipped minimum wage and sets the minimum wage to inflation.
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Popular ‘Solar for Schools’ Bill Held Up by Republican Immigration Amendment
Republican State. Rep. Martina White attached an unrelated immigration amendment to the Solar for Schools legislation, which has bipartisan support from members of the Pennsylvania legislature. Supporters are calling for a clean passage of the bill.
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Pennsylvania House Democrats Pass Bills to Lower Taxes for Working Families
The legislation could help lower- and middle-income families save hundreds of dollars a year on their taxes on average and help reduce the costs of childcare for all families.
