Jaxon White | LNP / LancasterOnline

Lancaster city state Rep. Mike Sturla withdrew his candidacy for reelection on Monday, leaving Democrats less than two weeks to find a candidate to replace him on the ballot.

Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler on Friday proposed a special committee of the Legislature to investigate how a 20-year-old man with a rifle came within inches of killing former President Donald Trump during a rally last Saturday in Butler, Pa.

The legislature recently passed a bill banning PennDOT from planting along state highways any species designated as invasive by the National Invasive Species Information Center.

It’s unclear whether lawmakers will put up the money to fund a new literacy program as the June 30 deadline for finishing next year’s budget approaches.

Initiatives like the Homeless Assistance Program would receive a $10 million increase in the House’s current budget proposal for the 2024-25 year.

The events Cutler specifically questioned were a rally on the Capitol steps with two police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot and the launch of the Black Pennsylvanians for Biden-Harris Coalition.

While lawmakers agree that Pennsylvania’s higher education system needs to change, Republicans and Democrats this month have advanced conflicting proposals on how to do it.

Chants of “Vouchers are a scam by Pa.’s richest man,” and “Jeffrey Yass, we’re no fools. We won’t let you ruin our schools,” could be heard in the Senate side of Pennsylvania’s Capitol building Monday as dozens of protesters gathered to demand that lawmakers stop taking money from the leading financial backer of the school choice movement.

The oil paintings, 24 in all, hang in gold-colored frames, honoring the lawmakers’ public service as the elected presiding officer and central figure of the state House of Representatives.

On Monday, Republican State Senate Appropriations Chair Scott Martin echoed his past reservations about Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget proposal for next year.