Have a nice weekend everyone.
The unemployment rate in Pennsylvania was 3.8% in Junematching the lowest rate recorded in 1976, according to state data released Friday.
The unemployment rate in June is down by two tenths of a percentage point since May rate 4%According to the Department of Labor and Industry.
Commonwealth of Nations June 2023 the unemployment rate is half a percentage point below his June 2022 rate 4.3%As government data shows.
The unemployment rate nationwide was 3.6% in June there was a slight decrease 3.7% in May.
Pennsylvania saw an boost in nonfarm payroll jobs 7300 in a month to a record level 6,131,900 in June.
As usual, here are the five most critical news stories from this week.
1. Innamorato resigns from Pennsylvania House of Representatives ahead of Allegheny County Executive election
Pennsylvania Rep. Sara Innamorato, D-Allegheny, the Democratic candidate for Allegheny County Executive, announced Wednesday that she is resigning from her seat in the House of Representatives.
The move will give Democrats the same number of seats in the House of Representatives as Republicans, at least until a special election on Sept. 19. House Speaker Joanna McClinton sent a writ of election Wednesday to Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt and the Allegheny County Board of Elections, ordering an election to replace Innamorato.
2. Amid state budget impasse, PASSHE board approves tuition freeze for fifth consecutive year
For the fifth straight year, tuition at Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools, normally $7,716 for in-state students, remains unchanged.
The PASSHE Board of Governors voted unanimously to freeze tuition and technology rates for the 2023-24 academic year on Thursday, hoping that the $585.6 million included in the state budget — currently at an impasse and nearly a month past its June 30 deadline — will remain in the final spending plan.
For out-of-state students, tuition ranges from $9,600 to $19,290.
3. As SNAP enrollment in Pennsylvania hits record high, advocates call for minimum wage hike
In June, Pennsylvania reported its highest ever number of people using food assistance — nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians — raising alarm about already strained charity food pantries and growing concerns among researchers and hunger advocates.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services reported that 5,000 more residents signed up for SNAP, the federal social assistance program, in June. Supplemental Food Assistance Programbringing the total number of Pennsylvanians collecting benefits to 1,982,872.
The record boost comes just months after the end of expanded emergency programs that boosted monthly benefits to lend a hand those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. President Joe Biden Takes ‘Bidenomics’ Tour to Philadelphia Shipyard
In his sixth visit to the City of Brotherly Love this year, President Joe Biden toured a Philadelphia shipyard on Thursday to tout his achievements on manufacturing and neat energy jobs, as well as the overall health of the economy.
“I’m here today to talk about what we’re doing to invest in America, to invest in Pennsylvania, to invest in our clean energy future, and to talk about the progress we’ve made building the economy from the middle and from the bottom up,” Biden said.
This is Biden’s second visit to the Keystone State this week: First Lady Jill Biden stopped in Pittsburgh on Tuesday as part of her Investing in America tour. Pittsburgh is one of five regional workforce hubs the White House identified in May, along with Augusta, Columbus, Baltimore and Phoenix, that will be used to train workers for in-demand positions.
5. Pennsylvania lawmakers unveil Abortion Protection Package, proposing safeguards for patients and providers
Less than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court gave state lawmakers the authority to decide whether abortion is legal, two Pennsylvania Democrats are advancing a package of bills aimed at protecting reproductive care.
Senators Amanda Cappelletti, Democrat of Delaware, and Judith Schwank, Democrat of Berkshire, plan to introduce a six-part proposalThe Abortion Protection Package, which provides protections to in-state and out-of-state providers and patients seeking to access reproductive care, including abortion, in Pennsylvania.
“This legislation will strengthen Pennsylvania’s commitment to legal abortion while also making clear to neighboring states that we will not be intimidated,” Schwank said in a statement.
And that’s the end of the week. See you back here next week.
