Latest news with #Capital-Star
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sunday hunting proposal passes Pa. House. What's next?
A hunter walks across a field. (Getty Images) For the second year in a row, a proposal to repeal Pennsylvania's Sunday hunting prohibition passed the state House in bipartisan fashion this week. After Wednesday's vote, a bevy of organizations have weighed in with some arguing it's past time to end the ban, while others say it would be a step backwards for the outdoor experience in Pennsylvania. As the debate moves to the Senate, a key committee chair told the Capital-Star he's still evaluating House Bill 1431, but the legislation advancing seems like good news. Senate Game and Fisheries Committee Chairperson Greg Rothman (R-Cumberland) said he expects to have a debate and vote on it in the near future. 'I think it's an idea that's time has come,' Rothman told the Capital-Star on Thursday. 'Other states allow it. What we want to be doing as a state government is to promote hunting and make it as accessible as possible, especially to working families and to younger people.' 'And I think Sunday (hunting) gives them more opportunities,' he added. 'So the more opportunities to hunt gets more hunters, and helps us keep this great tradition alive in Pennsylvania.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The sale of hunting licenses generated more than $59 million in revenue for the Game Commission last year. Rothman said he supports Sen. Dan Laughlin's (R-Erie) proposal to end the ban and believes that proposal would have the support in the chamber. Rothman said state Rep. Mandy Steele (D-Allegheny) assured him the language in her proposal is the same in Laughlin's. While the bill proposed by Laughlin also has the support of Sen. James Malone (D-Lancaster), the minority chair of the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee, Rothman wants to go over the details of Steele's proposal to see if it can also pass the chamber. Steele described the state's ban as 'archaic' and 'not based in the reality of today.' Pennsylvania expanded Sunday hunting in 2019 when Gov. Tom Wolf signed a law to allow hunting on three Sundays each year: One during archery season, one during rifle season, and one Sunday selected by the Game Commission. Laughlin also led that effort. Prior to the 2019 expansion, hunting had been mostly illegal on Sundays for over 200 years under the state's Blue Laws, which stem from the Quaker foundations of the commonwealth and barred certain activities on the sabbath. 'It's a law that most states have eliminated long ago,' Steele said during debate on the House floor, noting that with a Monday to Friday workweek, most people only have Saturday to hunt. 'Not being able to hunt on Sundays creates major hurdles for busy families. It's a significant barrier for working people.' Steele described herself as 'not a typical hunter' and someone who did not grow up learning to hunt. But she spent a lot of time outdoors and later picked it up as an adult and mother of four children. She said she's been welcomed into the hunting community wholeheartedly. 'It has been a gratifying experience,' Steele said. Her proposal is backed by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists, Hunter Nation, Hunters United for Sunday Hunting, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The Game Commission celebrated the bill advancing Wednesday, issuing a statement referencing a number of reasons that it backs the measure. 'Though hunters play an active role in helping to manage wildlife populations through the purchase of their licenses and other revenue they generate, they also fund wildlife conservation at a larger scale, for all species,' Game Commission Executive Director Steve Smith said. 'For those reasons and others, it's important to keep hunters engaged and providing the valuable service they do. These bills would help accomplish that.' 'One of the biggest reasons hunters stop hunting is a lack of time,' he added. 'While no one can add hours to the day or days to the week, removing the prohibition on Sunday hunting holds the potential to add significantly more time to the hunting calendar and keep hunters hunting.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Pennsylvania Farm Bureau said expanding hunting could help reduce crop damage across the state by better managing deer populations. The bill would require at least one member of the Game Commission's Board of Commissioners to have an agriculture background. The bill passed by a 131-72 vote on Wednesday, with support from most Democrats. Republicans were more divided on the matter. The House unanimously approved an amendment to H.B. 1431, to restore the hunting rights of people charged with trespassing immediately upon their acquittal or dismissal of the charges. Other amendments were rejected, including one defeated along party lines that would move the first day of deer hunting season to the Monday after Thanksgiving. The debate around Sunday hunting in Pennsylvania is far from new. Last session, the House passed Steele's bill to repeal the Sunday hunting ban by a 129-73 vote. That bill did not advance in the Senate. Rep. David Maloney, minority chairperson of the House Game and Fisheries Committee, opposed H.B. 1431 and argued that it is 'not a simple Sunday hunting piece of legislation.' Touting his experience with hunting from a young age, Maloney said the bill would have 'unintended consequences.' The problems Maloney had with the proposal included the language regarding trespassing penalties, the requirement for a member of the agriculture community to be on the Game Commission Board, the power given to farmers to hunt deer, and negative impacts on waterfowl hunters. He also said he doesn't buy the supporters' argument about free time. Maloney said since he began hunting at age 12, the opportunities to hunt throughout the year have more than doubled. Maloney also said he believes the bill is unconstitutional because it violates the requirement that legislation must be limited to a single subject. For that reason, Maloney said he doesn't believe the Senate would consider it or Gov. Josh Shapiro would sign it. Rep. Greg Vitali (D-Delaware), one of the three Democrats who did not vote in support of H.B. 1431, said the Pennsylvania chapter of the Sierra Club, the Keystone Trails Association, and the Pennsylvania Parks and Forest Foundation oppose the bill. Jen Quinn, legislative and political director for the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Sierra Club, told the Capital-Star the organization supports hunting and effective management of the deer population, but cited a number of concerns she has with the proposal. 'Our concern is that when people know there are hunters in the woods, are they going to stay out?' Quinn said. She noted that it is relatively safe to be in the woods with hunters, but there are people who may decide to stay home instead of enjoying the outdoors when hunters are out. Quinn also said she doesn't think the legislation would address the problem of deer overpopulation and the decline in hunting licenses. 'I doubt adding one more day will fix this, because the state did add three Sundays a few years ago, and it didn't reverse that trend,' Quinn said. She also said that the organization supports phasing out lead ammunition, arguing that it is harmful to wildlife. Brook Lenker, executive director of the Keystone Trails Association, said the organization was disappointed that H.B. 1431 passed the House, even though it anticipated it might move on to the Senate. He's holding out hope that the Senate won't pass the bill. 'We just feel that additional Sundays open to hunting has the potential to erode quality hiking opportunities on Pennsylvania's trails … a lot of hiking occurs on weekends,' Lenker told the Capital-Star. Steele or Laughlin's proposal would have to receive a vote in the Senate Game and Fisheries Committee before it could advance to a full vote in the chamber. The Senate is slated to return to session on Monday, June 23. Earlier this year, both Steele and Laughlin, who are leading the efforts in their respective chambers again this session, told the Capital-Star that they were optimistic the bill could get across the finish line.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pa. House passes bill to raise the minimum wage
The state Capitol in Harrisburg. (Capital-Star file) The state House voted along party lines Wednesday to raise the minimum wage to $15 for most Pennsylvanians, and to $12 for those working in smaller, rural counties. It's a significant step in the latest effort by Democrats to get it above the federal rate of $7.25. Pennsylvania's minimum wage has not been hiked since 2008 and is lower than all surrounding states — New York, Ohio, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The measure's sponsor, House Labor and Industry Committee chair Jason Dawkins (D-Philadelphia), said the bill is in an attempt to compromise with Republicans who have long warned about the potential impacts on businesses, especially in smaller counties with a lower cost of living. 'Since I've been chair, we've been trying to figure out a different approach to get this done,' Dawkins told the Capital-Star. 'This time around, we had a little bit more insight into where our challenges lie, one particularly being that some of our counties were worried about moving too quickly, and some were not comfortable going over $12.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE A previous bill sponsored by Dawkins passed the House in 2023, but died in the Republican-controlled Senate. And in 2019, the Senate passed a Democratic-led bill to raise it to $9.25, which died in the then-GOP-controlled House. Dawkins' latest bill would see the minimum wage rise gradually each year, reaching $15 in most counties on Jan. 1, 2028. It would also raise the tipped minimum wage from $2.83 to 60% of the minimum. Counties with populations below 210,000, with the exception of Centre, Monroe and Pike counties, would only see the minimum wage rise to $12 in the same timeframe. A spokesperson for the House Democratic Caucus said the three smaller counties were put in the $15 bracket at the request of Democratic members who represent them. One exception to the gradual rise to $15 would be Philadelphia County, which Dawkins represents. There, the minimum wage would rise to $15 on January 1, 2026. 'Philadelphia has the highest population of folks who are in what we call deep poverty levels,' Dawkins said. He added there is particular urgency given the possibility some of those people may lose access to federal benefits like Medicaid and food assistance under a proposed bill moving through the GOP-controlled U.S. Congress. 'We wanted to have some type of safety net there because we know those folks might be losing benefits and other services,' he said. But Dawkins' attempt to offer an olive branch to GOP lawmakers in the form of gradual wage hike and a lower target in small counties appears to have failed in his own chamber. Every House Republican voted against the bill, and many criticized it during a two-hour debate on the floor Wednesday afternoon. 'Not every wage is designed to be a livable wage,' Minority Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford) 'My 16-year-old son is not working for a livable wage. Someone who is retired and is helping out part-time, that is not necessarily a livable wage.' He also warned that raising the minimum wage could result in the elimination of low wage jobs and harm small businesses in particular. Others opposed the very provisions Dawkins said were intended to earn bipartisan support. Rep. Kate Klunk (R-York) warned that creating different minimum wages across counties could lead to confusion for businesses that cross county lines, or encourage business owners to set up shop where the wage is lower. 'This county-based patchwork of minimum wages is going to be a mess,' Klunk said. She used examples of businesses with locations in York and Adams counties as examples, including golf courses that straddle the border between them. 'This bill is truly unworkable,' she said. 'It is a compliance nightmare.' Rep. Mike Jones (R-York) was one of few Republicans to signal openness to raising the minimum wage during debate, but said he could not support Dawkins' bill. 'I do commend the majority chair for what I think is a good faith attempt at a reasonable compromise,' he said. However, he added that he would want to see exceptions to the minimum wage for nonprofits and high-school aged employees. 'Potential to find middle ground' To become law, the bill will have to pass the Republican-controlled Senate. Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-Indiana) said that there may be room for compromise on a minimum wage increase, especially if paired with Republican-backed deregulation efforts he said could help grow 'maximum wage jobs.' 'Making sure working families have access to good, family-sustaining jobs is key to helping our commonwealth grow and thrive,' Pittman told the Capital-Star in a statement. 'There is potential to finding [sic] a middle ground for an increase, but any possible action would need to be a commonsense adjustment, and sensitive to the impact changes would have on small businesses and non-profit organizations.' Republican Sen. Dan Laughlin (R-Erie), who has previously introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15, commended the House's effort, but said he would not support a bill with a county-by-county approach. 'While I appreciate that the House is trying to advance the conversation, I do not support HB 1549 in its current form,' Laughlin said in an emailed statement. 'A minimum wage tied to county size just deepens the economic divides we're supposed to be addressing. If we're going to get serious about raising the minimum wage, we need to do it uniformly across the state, not with a patchwork approach that leaves people behind based on where they live.' Laughlin was an early Republican supporter of raising the minimum wage to $15 in Pennsylvania. But national trends may indicate more openness from members of his party this time around. On Tuesday, conservative U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) introduced a bill to raise the minimum wage to $15 for all Americans. He told NBC News, 'If we're going to be a working people's party, we have to do something for working people. And working people haven't gotten a raise in years. So they need a raise.' His comments reflect an openness to his party's increasing appeal to working class voters that was made apparent in the latest general election, which saw them move away from their traditional support of Democrats. Dawkins, the Pennsylvania bill's sponsor, is also aware of the shift, and hopes that it will help the bill earn the support that it needs to pass. 'I'm excited by the prospects, but I'm also disappointed that there could be a federal minimum wage that's gonna be higher than the state minimum wage — and it's being offered by one of the most conservative members of Congress,' he joked. 'But I'm hopeful it'll help folks come around to the idea.' 'This is what I believe we got elected to do,' he added. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Meet the Harrisburg pastor bringing ‘church' to ‘state'
An ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in America, Zeigler has worked in the Pennsylvania Capitol since March 2024 with the goal of providing religious and spiritual guidance through 'prayer, discipleship and evangelism.' (Capital-Star/Vincent DiFonzo) The Rev. Ron Zeigler has a proposition for Pennsylvania lawmakers: Take a minute from your busy day, sit with him and let him pray for you. Amid the busyness of the Pennsylvania Capitol as the legislature scrambles to pass the state budget on time, Zeigler frequents the East Wing cafeteria with a sign that invites all who pass by to sit down and talk with him. The reverend possesses a unique title — state Capitol minister — in which he provides pastoral services to Capitol denizens — lawmakers, civil servants, staff and just about anyone working in the building. By providing a 'political free zone' to talk with him, Zeigler says he's able to connect with state employees and lawmakers across the political spectrum. 'I tell folks if I'm a lobbyist of any kind, it's for Jesus Christ,' he said. 'What's most important to me is not the Republican or Democrat agenda, but the kingdom of Christ.' An ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church in America, Zeigler has worked full time in the Capitol since March 2024 with the goal of providing religious and spiritual guidance through 'prayer, discipleship and evangelism.' He works for Ministry to State, a Washington, D.C.-based Presbyterian ministry that reaches 10 state capitals and Washington, entirely funded by donations. Founder Chuck Garriott was inspired to create the organization after tragedy shook the nation. He was a pastor in Oklahoma City in 1995 when a powerful truck bomb detonated outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 167, including 19 children, and injuring more than 600 others. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE The Oklahoma City bombing remains the deadliest domestic terrorist attack in American history. 'In the aftermath of this tragedy, Chuck and the elders at [their church] recognized a profound reality: Those serving in government face unique spiritual and personal challenges, and the church is uniquely positioned to offer them the care and support they need,' according to the organization's website. 'Motivated by this conviction, [they] began a ministry to the Oklahoma state capital, hosting a weekly luncheon Bible study that soon grew to more than 80 regular attendees,' the site says. In 2003, Garriott moved to Washington to establish Ministry to State, with the goal of replicating its Oklahoma City ministry in state capitals around the country. It maintains its position as a nonpartisan source of spiritual guidance for civil servants and elected officials. Steve Bostrom, the minister in Montana's Capitol, got involved after moving to Helena from North Carolina to start a church. Soon after, he began ministering to state legislators, leading to his full-time Ministry to State position. Bostrom sees precedent for Ministry to State's mission in the Bible, pointing to the missionary work of the apostle Paul, who, 'in his travels went to many capitals.' 'He was strategic, trying to reach leadership,' he said. Zeigler, a former public school teacher turned clergyman, said he was initially intimidated when Ministry to State's associate director for state capitols, Thomas Eddy, offered him the Harrisburg ministry 'I'm just a regular guy. I pastor small churches, and not that many people know me outside of my smaller circles,' Zeigler said. 'These are some significant people that work here in many ways. So I was a bit intimidated.' Zeigler initially told Eddy he didn't think he was the right fit, but '[Eddy] was really convinced that this ministry was for me,' he said. He told Eddy that 'the main gift God has given me is that I see people.' Eddy replied with a question: What is a group of people in American culture 'most people would rather not see and don't think well of?' Eddy's answer: civil government leaders. 'You're exactly the kind of person we need here,' Eddy told him. In his role, Zeigler makes himself available for discussion or prayer with 'anyone who could use someone,' with the goal of building personal, long-lasting connections. 'I'm here to see people not get eaten up by working here, it's a challenging place to be,' he said. 'I pray that they are able to stay faithful to their oath of office and just encourage them.' From 'long theological conversations' to simply listening to people talk about what troubles them, he said his conversations can vary wildly in topic. 'If there's anything I can do, I can pray, and I can just be available. And that's where this got started,' he said. During one particularly busy session day in the Capitol, Zeigler greeted a custodian in the hallway: 'I just said, 'Hello, how you doing?' She said, 'I'm feeling pretty sick, but today, it's all hands on deck.' He asked if he could pray with her. She agreed. 'I prayed that she'd be able to get through the day and that maybe once things settle down, that she might be able to get off early,' he said. 'When I was done, she was in tears, and she reached over and just gave me a big hug.' As an ordained minister, Zeigler holds his conversations in confidence, which he compared to the confidentiality of a priest or lawyer. 'The most rewarding parts of my ministry at the Capitol are talking with people about what it's important to them, and praying with them and for them,' Zeigler said. 'Simply caring for them as people is very rewarding.' Although Zeigler is Presbyterian, he works to connect with people of different religious beliefs. He says he is not present in Harrisburg to convert, but to minister, although he is not shy to preach when it's asked for. 'I'm here as a Christian minister, but I'm not pressing on anybody,' he said. 'I make sure it's clear that I'm here to talk about what's important to you. If you want to hear what I think about something I'm glad to tell you, and I'm glad to talk, but I will never press and say 'you got to believe what I believe.'' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
McCormick brings praise for Philly Mayor Parker, optimism about 'Big Beautiful Bill,' U.S. Steel
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) touring University of Pennsylvania's Marshak Dairy barn in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania on June 6, 2025. (John Cole/Capital-Star) KENNETT SQUARE — Following his tour of Pennsylvania's only veterinary school, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) spoke to the Capital-Star about the U.S. House narrowly passing the 'Big Beautiful Bill' and U.S. Steel's impending merger. But he also had praise for Democratic Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker's efforts to combat addiction in the state's largest city. 'I was very impressed with what the mayor is doing,' McCormick said about Parker's initiative to address addiction, following his tour of the University of Pennsylvania's Marshak Dairy barn in Chester County on the outermost fringes of the Philly suburbs. McCormick said he met earlier Friday with Parker to tour Riverview Wellness Village, a substance abuse recovery center in northeast Philadelphia that aims to help people in the final stages of recovery. According to Billy Penn, the facility, which opened in January, has 336 beds and will provide housing, healthcare, job counseling and other services to people who have completed an initial drug treatment program and have moved to the next stage of their recovery and may live there for up to one year. They already have over 100 patients there, McCormick said. He described the campus of the recovery center, which is built in renovated city-owned buildings, and spans approximately 19 acres along the Delaware River, as 'incredible.' 'This is a facility that gives people dignity, respect and helps them to the next phase,' McCormick said. 'It's a big project for the mayor.' He said he discussed with Parker ways he may be able to support the center and credited her and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel's approach to addiction in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. Kensington has been at the forefront of the opioid crisis, garnering international attention for its open-air drug market in recent years. 'You need to crack down on the law and lawlessness and disorder in Kensington,' McCormick said. 'The mayor has done that.' During Parker's successful bid to become Philadelphia's 100th mayor in 2023, a key focus of her campaign was addressing the issue of drug abuse and quality of life in the Kensington neighborhood. Parker said she would end the open-air drug market for good and stabilize the neighborhood throughout her bid for office, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. 'I think she's off to a great start on this,' he added. 'But you can't just treat … this problem narrowly. You have to have addiction recovery, which is what this program is meant to support.' The U.S. House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation package on May 22, which President Donald Trump dubbed the 'Big, Beautiful Bill.' The 1,116-page omnibus, combining 11 bills and many of Trump's policy goals, is now being reworked in the U.S. Senate. McCormick, an ally of Trump, described it as a 'good start,' but said he believes the spending package needs more work. Among the things the bill gets right, McCormick listed the permanent renewal of Trump's first term tax cuts and eliminating tax on tips, Social Security and overtime. He applauded the bill's increased funding of border security, border patrol, and national defense. McCormick also highlighted the efforts in the package to 'bend the curve on costs.' 'Some of these programs are spiraling out of control,' McCormick said. 'Medicaid is the one that has all the controversy.' 'It doesn't cut Medicaid spending. It slows the growth from 5% a year to 3% a year,' he said. 'And it does that by taking people out of the program, particularly working age men without dependents, takes them out of the program, [which] was never designed for them.' The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the House version of the bill would lead to 10.9 million more people being uninsured in 2034, with 7.8 million of those due to the bill's Medicaid changes and the rest due to changes in the Affordable Care Act, according to McCormick said the government needs to reduce spending, saying the current spending rate is 'not sustainable.' Some adjustments he'd like to see included a phasing out of a number of subsidies and tax credits, instead of an immediate ending. 'I think those should be phased out in a way that's not too disruptive to some of the investment in projects that's already been made,' McCormick said. He also made the case the Senate should add a proposal that would add $10 billion towards school vouchers. Trump broke the news last month that a $14 billion merger deal between Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel and Japan's Nippon Steel was nearing a conclusion after 18 months in limbo. Details of the tie-up remain secret and company officials have declined comment. Bloomberg News on Thursday cited sources close to the talks who spoke on condition of anonymity because they're confidential who said the deal is on track to meet a June 18 deadline. McCormick said he's 'very optimistic' that the deal, for which Trump took credit, will ultimately benefit western Pennsylvania's Monongahela Valley, where U.S. Steel operates three plants. 'It's $14 billion of investment in the domestic steel industry, $2.4 billion in the Mon Valley,' McCormick said on Friday. 'It guarantees and protects 10,000 jobs in the Mon Valley, but it also promises a new arc furnace, which is going to create 14,000 new jobs building that furnace.' McCormick also touted that in addition to remaining Pittsburgh-based, U.S. Steel will have a CEO and majority board from the United States, while the government would have control over the appointments of 'a couple key board members.' McCormick argues that this will 'protect U.S. interest.' McCormick also acknowledged that Trump previously 'had some real reservations' about the deal before the latest adjustments were made, but said the current deal 'supports working people' in that region. 'My first encounter with these steel workers was in Latrobe at a rally for the president, and they're out there. They wanted the deal because it protects their livelihoods,' McCormick said. USW International President David McCall said last week that the union still had concerns about the effects the proposed merger would have on national security, its members and the communities where they work. However, McCormick said he doesn't share those concerns. 'I'm focused on the steel workers in Pennsylvania — 4,000 of them in the Mon Valley. They're all in,' McCormick said. 'You watch that rally when President Trump came. Those are all steel workers going crazy.' 'This is great for Pennsylvania. It's great for the Mon Valley,' he added. 'It's great for domestic steel production. It's great for national security. I feel very confident in that.'
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pa. pharmacists demand state action to regulate PBMs, curb pharmacy closures
A shuttered independent pharmacy in Harrisburg. (Capital-Star photo by Vincent DiFonzo) Last month, pharmacists from across the state travelled to Harrisburg for an urgent meeting with lawmakers. Their goal was to communicate a simple message — pharmacies are closing at an alarming rate, eliminating one of the few places customers can receive free, unscheduled consultations with medical professionals. They warned they're being driven out of business by middlemen in the pharmaceutical supply chain called pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs. Lawmakers took aim at this problem last year by passing the Pharmacy Benefit Reform Act, which sought to decrease the costs of prescription drugs and regulate PBMs. The legislation was touted by Gov. Josh Shapiro as an example of successful bipartisan reform while he was being considered for the vice presidential nomination. Nearly a year after the law's passage, pharmacists say it has failed to prevent closures. Since January 2024, at least 200 pharmacies have closed across the state. Now, they're asking lawmakers to act again. 'The current PBM system is aptly harming our local pharmacies, jeopardizing patient access to care and threatening the very fabric of our community health infrastructure,' Victoria Elliot, CEO of the Pennsylvania Pharmacist Association, told lawmakers during the meeting last month. Pharmacy benefit managers are companies hired by insurance providers to administer prescription drug benefits of a health plan. They negotiate drug prices, decide what drugs are covered under insurance plans and reimburse pharmacies for drugs dispensed. Theoretically, PBMs secure lower drug prices for patients by streamlining communication between insurance companies, drug manufacturers and pharmacies. Pharmacy advocates insist the opposite is true — that PBMs are raising drug costs and driving them out of business through anticompetitive practices that force them to dispense prescriptions at a loss. Prescription for trouble: Pennsylvania pharmacists say PBMs are driving pharmacy closures The three largest PBMs — CVS Caremark, OptumRx and ExpressScripts — control about 80% of the market and are owned by companies that also own national pharmacy chains and insurance companies. That means pharmacies that don't agree to accept the reimbursement rates they set are likely to lose customers whose insurance plans rely on them. E. Michael Murphy, senior advisor for state government affairs at the American Pharmacists Association and assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at Ohio State University, says low dispensing and reimbursement fees paid to pharmacies by PBMs are a leading cause of closures. 'Oftentimes, when pharmacies dispense a medication for a patient, they're taking a loss on that medication, either in the reimbursement for acquiring that medication from a wholesaler or in the professional dispensing fee,' Murphy said. 'And unfortunately you can only do that for so long before the business model crumbles. That's one of the big reasons that we've seen community pharmacies closing across the country.' Murphy said community pharmacy closures not only hurt small business owners, but also impact the ability of patients to access medications as they have to travel further to pick up prescriptions. 'When a community pharmacy closes, it can have a pretty dramatic impact on the health outcomes of that community,' he said. 'There's concern that can disproportionately affect patients in more marginalized or socioeconomicly vulnerable communities.' Murphy voiced support for ensuring state agencies have the resources to enforce existing laws and regulate 'anticompetitive' PBM practices. Greg Lopes, a spokesperson for the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, a D.C.-based trade group that represents the country's largest PBMs, says PBMs help, not harm, Pennsylvania pharmacies. 'PBMs recognize that pharmacies provide access for patients to get drugs, so it makes no sense to blame PBMs for pharmacy closures in Pennsylvania,' said Lopes. 'PBMs aren't trying to put pharmacies out of business, in fact, PBMs are supporting community pharmacies in Pennsylvania through programs that increase reimbursement and advocating to allow them to expand the additional clinical services they can offer.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE He pointed to 'customer preferences for online options and changing demographics,' as factors driving pharmacy closures. PBM reforms passed with bipartisan support in last year's Act 77, which expanded the Pennsylvania Insurance Department's regulatory power and created new transparency requirements for PBMs operating in the state. But pharmacy advocates say the law didn't go far enough, and pharmacies are still closing at an alarming rate. Rob Frankil, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Retail Druggists told the Capital-Star that out of approximately 225 pharmacies represented by his organization, 12 have closed since January and 25 closed in 2024. He pointed to low reimbursement as the primary cause. 'Eleven of the 12 pharmacies that my association lost this year are in Philadelphia,' he said. 'They all went out of business because they're not being paid enough for the prescriptions they're filling.' He wants legislation that addresses reimbursement rates directly. One proposal is to require PBMs to reimburse pharmacies based on the average national cost of the medication they're dispensing, plus a fee set by the state that accounts for a pharmacist's time and materials used. Neighboring West Virginia passed a similar law in 2021. A spokesperson for Shapiro, asked if the governor would support further PBM reforms, responded with a quote from the governor's February budget address, highlighting last year's PBM reform law. 'We knew it was a problem that shady middlemen could jack up the cost of prescription drugs while driving our community pharmacies out of business,' the statement said. 'So we came together to pass landmark reforms that bring transparency to how pharmacy benefit managers operate, keep more money in Pennsylvanians' pockets, and protect the small and independent pharmacies we rely on in our communities.' The primary sponsor of that PBM reform law, Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny), told the Capital-Star that further PBM reform is necessary, but said, 'We are somewhat limited on the state level with what we are able to do.' Benham added that understanding the full impact of Act 77 will take time. She noted the bill required the state Insurance Department to conduct a study on the impact on consumers and pharmacies of future legislation to set a standard dispensing fee of $10.49. They will also study the impact of patient steering and spread pricing on prescription drug costs and pharmacy access. Patient steering is a practice in which PBMs drive customers to their preferred pharmacies, often owned by the same parent company as the PBM. Spread pricing occurs when a PBM pays one price for a drug and reimburses a pharmacy less, profiting off the difference. An Insurance Department spokesperson said the study requires 'specialized expertise.' The department will procure a vendor 'to assist with the development and implementation of the study,' but have not begun this process yet. 'We will have to wait for the results to then move forward on further legislation,' Benham said. As it stands, a number of PBMs are contracted by individual Medicaid providers, and are allowed to set their own reimbursement policies. Frankil told lawmakers last month that dispensing fees can be as low as a dollar. A 2020 study commissioned by a community pharmacy advocacy group found the average cost of dispensing a prescription for a pharmacy is $12.40. One proposal Benham said she supports would have the Department of Human Services, which oversees state Medicaid, use a single PBM to administer Medicaid benefits, an action pharmacy advocates are demanding that has precedent in other states. In 2022, the Ohio Medicaid Department moved to a single PBM to administer Medicaid, with one entity overseeing prescriptions covered by Medicaid. This forced Medicaid managed care organizations to work with a single PBM contracted through the state's Medicaid Department, rather than procuring their own. A 2025 study found this move saved Ohio's Medicaid Department $140 million, saved the state $333 million in administrative costs and allowed $700 million dispensing fees to be paid to pharmacies in the two years since its implementation. Murphy, an Ohio resident, praised this move. 'Oftentimes, when I talk to pharmacists in Ohio, they'll say that Ohio Medicaid is the best and most stable source of revenue for their businesses, which is just indicative of how positive this program has rolled out,' he said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
