Pennsylvania
Inside Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s support for private school vouchers – WHYY
In 2015, Shapiro, then a Montgomery County commissioner, gave the Philadelphia Inquirer his assessment of Greenberg’s political and philanthropic work.
“He’s a major employer in the region and he’s wonderfully philanthropic — for Jewish causes, educational causes and other community organizations,” Shapiro told the paper.
Another co-founder of Susquehanna International Group is even more well-known in the world of Pennsylvania school choice advocacy: billionaire Wall Street trader Jeffrey Yass. He’s emerged as a major Republican donor nationally and an inescapable power broker within the commonwealth, despite his nearly nonexistent public profile.
Both Greenberg and Yass have been involved in bankrolling the school choice movement for more than a decade in Pennsylvania.
“We are not in this to run charter schools, to manage charter schools. This is purely altruistic,” Greenberg told WHYY in 2015, when asked about his support for Williams’ mayoral campaign. “We view this as helping kids have a choice who are trapped in failing, oftentimes violent schools.”
Along with fellow suburban Philadelphia billionaire and SIG co-founder Arthur Dantchik, Greenberg and Yass were at one point the main donors to Students First, a political action committee founded in 2010 to support school choice candidates.
Shapiro accepted $175,000 from that PAC between 2012 and 2016, according to campaign finance records. During that time, he was a Montgomery County commissioner and, by 2016, was running for attorney general.
The donations to Shapiro’s attorney general campaign so troubled Philadelphia’s teachers union that it quietly pulled its endorsement at the last minute, multiple news outlets reported.
The union declined to comment at the time, but a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to Spotlight PA that the union pulled its endorsement over the Students First donations. (The Pennsylvania State Education Association, a larger, statewide teachers union, continued to back Shapiro in that election.)
During the 2022 gubernatorial race, PACs connected to Yass spent millions during the primary to oppose eventual Republican nominee state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin). One of those PACs, Commonwealth Leaders Fund, ran anti-Shapiro ads during the general election but scaled back then stopped that spending shortly after Shapiro publicly pledged his support for vouchers.
Once elected, Shapiro sought to create such a program as part of the 2023-24 state budget.
“I believe every child of God deserves a shot here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and one of the best ways we can guarantee their success is making sure every child has a quality education,” Shapiro told Fox News in June 2023, late in the state’s budget process.
The remarks preceded the Republican-controlled state Senate’s sudden passage of a budget deal that included $100 million in taxpayer money to fund private school tuition for students in low-performing public districts.
But once the budget reached the state House, Shapiro received hard pushback from the lower chamber’s new Democratic majority. In a politically embarrassing setback, Shapiro agreed to veto the voucher dollars in exchange for the rest of the plan’s passage. That veto led to a nearly six-month budget impasse as state Senate Republicans claimed betrayal.
In his February budget address this year, Shapiro called on the legislature to again consider vouchers, though a top Republican leader later accused him of being unwilling to use his “bully pulpit” to get such a program across the finish line.
His ongoing support also hasn’t saved him from Yass-funded criticism.
For the past two years, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, which does not have to disclose its donors, has spent prodigiously on ads and other lobbying to criticize politicians who don’t support vouchers.
The group, Commonwealth Action, has received significant dollars from the free market Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, according to that group’s most recent filings to the IRS. Commonwealth Partners runs two political action committees that are among the most active in Pennsylvania school choice advocacy, and both are almost entirely funded by Yass.
Between April 2023 and March 2024 — the last recorded filing — Commonwealth Action reported spending more than $973,000 on indirect education lobbying, which includes advertising and other methods aimed at shifting public opinion.
One video from last summer funded by Commonwealth Action accused Shapiro of “choosing special interests over kids.”
Commonwealth Action is linked to an established conservative organization in Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth Foundation. Since summer 2023, the exterior of the organization’s Harrisburg building, which is across the street from the state Capitol, has featured ads calling for Shapiro to pass the voucher plan. The foundation is now funding a six-figure newspaper and TV ad campaign.
“You lied, and you turned your back on us again,” Printess Garrett, a Harrisburg mother, says in a TV spot. “The only thing we have for our children is our word, and if we can’t trust in your word, we don’t have anything else.”
Moving forward, political sources told Spotlight PA they expect teachers unions and other public education advocates to be among the most skeptical of a Shapiro vice presidency.
On Wednesday, 28 education advocacy groups from across the country sent an open letter to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris arguing that “it is essential that our President and Vice President be wholly committed to our nation’s public education system and willing to fight against school privatization in all its forms.”
But to Payton, not considering Shapiro for backing a policy to aid parents in the hunt for what’s best for their kids is a bad choice.
“To blatantly disqualify somebody over something ideological like that is foolish,” Payton said.
Tomorrow’s front looks weaker with just a few showers early in the morning…
EVENING: Increasing clouds, summer-like. Temps near 80.
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy and warm. Low 68.
THURSDAY: Scattered showers between 6-10am. Clearing, windy and warm for the afternoon. High 88.
Wednesday felt a little more like summer as temperatures reach 85 degrees. The humidity still remains tolerable this evening as clouds increase from an approaching front.
The cold front arrives Thursday morning, leading to a broken line of scattered showers between 6-10am. Once the front clears, gusty winds between 20-30mph will develops with afternoon temperatures near 88 degrees. A little unusual for a post cold front!
The upcoming weekend will be dry with low humidity and lots of sunshine. It should be a great weekend to spend with Dad! We’ll keep you posted, but the next chance for rain will be another front next Monday.
– Meteorologist Eric Finkenbinder
Content on this page may include affiliate links. If you click and sign up/place a wager, we may receive compensation at no cost to you.
A bipartisan package of bills would eliminate certain online gambling deposit methods, limit promotions, and strengthen protections for self-excluded gamblers.
Pennsylvania iGaming operators pulled in a record $2.78 billion in revenue last year, but some lawmakers want more responsible gaming consumer protections. State Reps. Tarik Khan (D-Phila) and Jamie Flick (R-Lycoming/Union) have introduced bipartisan legislation to provide better safeguards for PA online gamblers. Their series of bills seeks to add more protections, such as reduced deposit periods and limits on iGaming marketing.
Restrictions on push notifications, text marketing, credit cards & more
Dubbed Protecting Public Health in Online Gambling, Flick’s and Khan’s legislation breaks down into the following three parts:
- Pennsylvania Online Consumer Protection Act – Would establish “reasonable limits” on the frequency of deposits into online gambling accounts. It would also limit text message solicitations and push notifications involving sportsbook and casino bonus codes, while protecting against youth-targeted gambling ads and expanding responsible gaming programs.
- Prohibiting Funding of Online Gambling – Seeks to prohibit credits from being used to fund accounts at PA online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites.
- Strengthening Self-Exclusion Protections – Would ban online gambling operators from sending promotions, advertisements, or bonuses (e.g., free spins) to gamblers who’ve self-excluded from Pennsylvania’s gambling market.
Protecting young people and problem gamblers
Khan, who’s been a certified nurse practitioner since 2011, views Pennsylvania’s growing online gambling habit as a potential health challenge.
“As a nurse practitioner, I believe we should address problem gambling the same way we address other public health challenges: with prevention, education, treatment and commonsense safeguards,” Khan stated via his website.
“Our bipartisan bill package will help protect young people, individuals and families while supporting responsible gaming.”
Flick is primarily concerned with the number of young Pennsylvanians who are being exposed to ads involving sports betting, poker, and online casino games for real money.
“Too many young people are being exposed to online gambling through constant advertising and unprecedented access from their phones and devices,” said Flick. “These bills are about putting reasonable safeguards in place, promoting responsible gaming and helping ensure that young people and families are protected from gambling-related harm.”
New Pennsylvania online casino revenue record
The amount of revenue that Pennsylvania gambling sites are raking in continues to increase year after year. The $2.78 billion iGaming revenue figure from 2025 was up 27.22% from the previous year, when PA online casinos netted $2.18 billion.
While the Keystone State doesn’t break its iGaming revenue numbers down by game type, we can reasonably assume that the bulk of it comes from real money online slots.
Sports betting also experienced a record year, hitting $602.5 million, up 17.97% from 2025. The vast majority of this amount came via online sports gambling.
While this revenue increase is good for some of the best online casinos and sportsbooks in the state, it can also spell potential underlying problems. Khan and Flick are seeking to reduce some issues through their bills.
Responsible gambling
Bettors must be 21 years or older and otherwise eligible to register and place wagers at online casinos. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, please seek assistance from trained professionals such as the Problem Gambling Help Network at 1-800-MY-RESET.
The state House passed a bill on Tuesday that would make “gas station heroin” illegal in Pennsylvania. Officials say it is a dangerous and highly addictive substance popping up across the country.
Tianeptine is a highly addictive opioid-like drug not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA says the substance has been linked to hundreds of overdoses and deaths, including one overdose death in Fayette County in April.
“Although it’s not approved by the FDA for any medical use, it’s being sold in stores and online, putting Pennsylvanians at risk,” said state Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa on the House floor before the vote.
House Bill 377 would prohibit the manufacture, delivery, or possession of the drug with intent to manufacture or deliver. The bill would make it a felony with up to five years in prison or a fine of up to $15,000.
In April, the Fayette County coroner reported Fayette County’s first accidental overdose death due to tianeptine.
“In his public statement, he warned that this highly addictive substance can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, respiratory depression, seizures and death. He urged lawmakers to act before this problem grows into an epidemic,” Rep. Krupa said.
Rep. Krupa is a co-sponsor of the bill. She spoke on the House floor, urging all members to vote for it.
“Members, this is not a partisan issue. Protecting our communities and saving lives should unite us all,” Rep. Krupa said.
Two Democratic representatives serving Allegheny County, including Rep. Emily Kinkead, were the only ones to vote against the bill. She said she thinks prohibiting tianeptine from being sold or distributed will help, but she thinks criminalizing people for possessing it does not help.
“The Drug Control Act is very much a sledgehammer and not a chisel, and we know that criminalizing substance use disorder is not effective in actually treating it,” Kinkead said. “And the Drug Control Act, the mere possession of a controlled substance that’s covered under the act is a felony, and it’s up to five years in prison. And we know that does not work to address drug issues in our communities.”
She hopes that lawmakers can tackle controlled substances with a more nuanced approach.
“We need to go back to the mere possession portion of the Drug Control Act and actually lighten that sentence and address that piece of it so that we can be treating substance use disorder the way that it should be treated, which is a health problem and not a criminal problem,” said Kinkead.
The bill now heads to the state Senate.
-
World8 minutes agoTaiwan hopes US arms sale package can be approved soon, president says
-
News31 minutes agoAs America turns 250, one museum makes history possible to touch
-
Los Angeles, Ca2 hours agoPolice, DEA agents flood L.A.’s MacArthur Park for narcotics enforcement operation
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoThis Detroit steakhouse used to serve thousands a night in its heyday
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoArtwork quilt unveiled at San Francisco dirt alley that was mistakenly bought at auction
-
Dallas, TX2 hours agoDallas Police Seize Glock Switch in Deep Ellum
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoMiami-Dade brush fire started by lightning strike, officials say
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoBrensley: Craig Ferguson is Boston Strong
