PA Could Require Paid Family Leave with Passing of New Bill

A new paid family leave bill was passed by the state House in late March, the first time in Pennsylvania that a policy has cleared the chamber after seven years of debate on the issue.

Sponsored by Representative Jennifer O’Mara, the bill would require employers to provide 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents, victims of violent acts, and individuals facing or recovering from a serious health condition, including illness, injury, and pregnancy, including employees caring for a family member with a serious health condition.

The bill itself doesn’t include a funding proposal, meaning the legislature would later need to find a source of money for the grants and approve it.

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Four Key Takeaways from the WHYY Civic News Summit

Last week, media content creators and experts, journalists, news consumers, and students, gathered at WHYY headquarters Saturday for the WHYY Civic News Summit.

Panels discussed how to develop meaningful community engagement journalism, the importance of journalism programs in schools, tips for creating podcasts, and the role of collaborative journalism and content creators in the news and media ecosystems.

This article explores four key takeaways from the News Summit.

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North Philly Has New Program to Invest in Community Development

North Philadelphia’s Finanta Credit Union’s branch is supporting a guaranteed income pilot run by the nonprofit Xiente, which gives participating low-income households a safe, accessible place to receive and manage monthly payments.

By direct-depositing $500 stipends into credit union accounts, this pilot program helps families—many of whom were previously unbanked—build financial stability while connecting them to community-rooted banking services.

This article discusses how mission-driven financial institutions and nonprofits can work together to turn income support into longer-term community investment and wealth-building for residents.

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A Framework for Evaluating Innovation in Federal Economic Statistics

In the United States, federal economic statistics are essential to evidence-based and informed policymaking.

However, challenges such as constrained budgets, declining survey response rates, and data expectations can present obstacles for creating sustainable frameworks.

Brookings Research examines how economic statistical data is produced across its full six-phase life cycle, as well as how to understand and utilize each phase. 



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The Evolution of Residential Transition Lending

The United States is facing a persistent shortage of affordable and workforce housing, especially in established neighborhoods close to jobs, transit, and infrastructure.

Despite the variety of zoning and land-use reforms enacted or proposed to enable increases in housing density, construction remains a challenge.

The Urban Institute explains residential transition loans (RTLs), the contemporary version of “hard money” lending, and how these short-term, asset-based, business-purpose loans can restore aging homes or construct new multifamily properties. 

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Where Do Americans Get Health Information and What Do They Trust?

During the rise of generative AI and websites such as WebMD, Americans are increasingly exposed to conflicting medical information.

Approximately half of Americans say it is at least somewhat difficult to judge if health information is accurate, and a similar share has a hard time knowing what to trust when they come across conflicting health information.

The Pew Research Center details where Americans are currently getting their primary health and healthcare information and what they determine is a trustworthy source. 



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