WASHINGTON, March 4, 2026 — Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, the bipartisan government relations and communications affiliate of international law firm Cozen O’Connor, today announced that Alexandra DeRiso has joined the firm as a principal on its health care team.
Editor’s note: The Pennsylvania Perspective will be taking a break for Presidents’ Day. Regular updates will resume on Thursday, February, 19, 2026.
Governor Josh Shapiro signed six bills into law Wednesday, addressing issues ranging from school curriculum to law enforcement recruitment. Highlights include HB17, which requires Pennsylvania schools to teach cursive handwriting, and HB710, which mandates PennDOT to create an online, real-time verification system for automobile insurance. The package also featured HB1934 to protect state agencies from excessive discovery requests, SB327 to streamline professional transfers for Fort Indiantown Gap police officers, SB467 to facilitate a land swap between the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Borough of West Mifflin, and SB1036 to update administrative codes for First Class Townships. abc27 has more.
Governor Josh Shapiro announced the Pennsylvania Housing Action Plan on Thursday, a strategic roadmap featuring nearly 30 initiatives designed to address the Commonwealth’s critical housing shortage and close a projected 185,000-unit gap by 2035. The plan lays out five core goals: building and preserving Pennsylvania’s housing stock, expanding housing opportunity for all Pennsylvanians, providing pathways to housing stabilization and sustainability, modernizing the Commonwealth’s housing development regulations, and improving coordination and accountability. The plan follows the Governor’s announcement of a $1 billion Critical Infrastructure Investment Fund laid out in his 2026-27 proposed budget. The plan also includes legislative recommendations, like a statewide cap on rental application fees, that would require support from the General Assembly. View the full press release from the Governor’s Office here.
Governor Josh Shapiro visited Dickson City on Tuesday to recognize the first responders who safely evacuated 77 patients during last week’s fire at the Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City Orthopedic Institute. During the visit, Governor Shapiro announced funding for volunteer fire departments across the state, including an additional $30 million in his proposed 2026-27 budget. Chief Richard Chowanec of the Dickson City Fire Department emphasized the importance of this support, noting that local fundraising efforts cannot keep pace with the high costs of fire apparatus. Governor Shapiro also shared that hospital officials are aiming to reopen the emergency room by Friday, provided the facility is deemed safe and sound. WNEP has more.
The Pennsylvania Joint State Government Commission released a report outlining critical recommendations for the adoption and regulation of artificial intelligence (AI) across the Commonwealth. The report suggests implementing strict data protections, including a “private right of action” for residents whose biometric data is used without consent and a registry for data brokers. Key transparency measures proposed include mandatory disclosures for AI use in political campaigns and high-risk decision-making like hiring and healthcare. The commission also addressed the physical impact of the AI boom by recommending that municipalities retain strong zoning authority over data center developments and requiring these facilities to report annual energy and water usage. City & State Pennsylvania has more.
State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski (D-121-Luzerne) announced that he will not seek reelection this year, ending a nearly 20-year career in the Pennsylvania House representing the 121st Legislative District. Representative Pashinski, who currently chairs the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee and has been a prominent advocate for healthcare reform and public education since 2006, endorsed Wilkes-Barre City Council Chair Jessica McClay to succeed him. McClay, a 51-year-old lifelong Wilkes-Barre resident and workers’ compensation adjuster, confirmed her candidacy for the Democratic nomination, emphasizing her desire to transition her local community leadership to Harrisburg. Times Leader has more.
The Independent Fiscal Office (IFO), the state agency responsible for providing revenue projections and impartial analysis for state legislators, has released its long-term budget outlook update, providing updated IFO deficit projections through FY 2029-30. The IFO projects the FY 2025-26 underlying structural deficit of $3.9 billion to expand to $8.4 billion by FY 2029-30. View the report here.
Six candidates vying to succeed retiring U.S. Representative Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) debated federal and local policy at a congressional forum. Democrats State Senator Sharif Street (D-3-Philadelphia), Ala Stanford, David Oxman, Pablo McConnie-Saad, and State Representative Morgan Cephas (D-192-Philadelphia) called for the abolition of ICE, citing concerns over agency culture and recent use-of-force incidents, while Republican Alex Schnell argued for reform rather than elimination. State Representative Chris Rabb (D-200-Philadelphia), another Democratic candidate, was absent from the forum. The discussion also focused on Philadelphia’s housing shortage, proposing affordable units and federal restrictions to prevent private equity firms from purchasing residential homes. PoliticsPA has more.
District Attorney Larry Krasner has officially dismissed speculation that he intends to challenge Mayor Cherelle Parker in the 2027 Democratic primary, stating his focus remains on his role as the city’s top prosecutor. Rumors of a potential challenge intensified following reports of Mayor Parker’s record-breaking $1.7 million fundraising haul, leading some insiders to suggest District Attorney Krasner as a progressive alternative to the centrist mayor. While some observers believe District Attorney Krasner’s electoral strength among Black voters and progressives makes him a viable candidate, allies suggest his political future may instead lie in a potential 2028 federal run for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Senator John Fetterman (D-PA). The Philadelphia Inquirer has more.
Pittsburgh City Council advanced two pieces of legislation Wednesday aimed at regulating and licensing short-term rentals like AirBnB and VRBO. The proposed rules would require owners to obtain licenses, mandate that a local contact person be located within 25 miles of the property, and explicitly ban parties defined as public assemblies or hospitality activities. The zoning portion of the bill would also implement unit caps, allowing no more than two short-term rentals in buildings with 20 or fewer units and five in larger buildings. Final votes have been postponed for 12 weeks to allow for a Planning Commission report and to avoid disrupting the city’s housing capacity ahead of the upcoming NFL Draft. WESA has more.
A federal grand jury in Washington D.C. has refused to indict six Democratic lawmakers, including Pennsylvania Representatives Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-6), over a video urging military and intelligence personnel to refuse unlawful orders. The indictment, pursued by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office, was viewed by legal experts as a threat to First Amendment protections and the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution. Representative Deluzio stated he would not be intimidated by the administration’s actions, while Representative Houlahan called the grand jury’s decision a victory for free speech protections. The failure to secure an indictment is a rare “no true bill” in a federal case and follows previous unsuccessful attempts by the administration to prosecute perceived political opponents. NBC News has more.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a ruling that requires Pennsylvania to count undated and misdated mail-in ballots. The RNC argues that the state’s dating requirement is a commonsense safeguard and that the current appeals court ruling transforms courts into “weapons of political warfare.” The petition urges the justices to review an August 2025 decision which found that rejecting ballots for lacking a proper date imposes an unconstitutional burden on the right to vote. This latest legal challenge centers on the outsized role of disputed mail ballots in Pennsylvania as a key swing state. The Hill has more.
Governor Josh Shapiro and 17 other Democratic governors have announced they will not attend the annual bipartisan White House dinner hosted during the National Governors Association meeting later this month. The boycott follows reports that the administration disinvited Maryland Governor Wes Moore and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, breaking a longstanding tradition of inviting all state leaders regardless of party. Governor Shapiro’s office confirmed he will only attend if all governors are welcome, echoing a joint statement that accused the administration of prioritizing politics over bipartisan collaboration. The White House defended the decision, stating that the president may invite whomever he chooses. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more.
U.S. Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) stated this week that requiring a photo ID to vote is not “unreasonable,” a shift from his 2021 description of such mandates as “insidious and unnecessary.” Senator Fetterman explained that his previous opposition was voiced “out of deference” to former Governor Tom Wolf, who had vetoed Republican election reforms. While he maintains that provisions in the SAVE America Act to curtail mail-in registration are a “nonstarter,” his openness to voter ID was quickly celebrated by Senator Dave McCormick (R-PA) and Elon Musk. The SAVE America Act passed the House on Wednesday by a vote of 218 to 213, with Senator Fetterman dismissing comparisons of the requirement to “Jim Crow 2.0” and suggesting the issue is a “strange hill for Democrats to die on.” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more.
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Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies, an affiliate of the international law firm Cozen O’Connor, is a bipartisan government relations practice representing clients before the federal government and in cities and states throughout the country. With offices in Washington D.C., Richmond, Albany, New York City, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Chicago, and Santa Monica, the firm’s public strategies professionals offer a full complement of government affairs services, including legislative and executive branch advocacy, policy analysis, assistance with government procurement and funding programs, and crisis management. Its client base spans multiple industries, including healthcare, transportation, hospitality, education, construction, energy, real estate, entertainment, financial services, and insurance.
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