Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro Raises Direct Care Worker Wages to $15 an Hour With $21 Million Investment

About this episode

Governor Josh Shapiro announces a wage increase for direct care workers in Pennsylvania, alongside various updates on budget, crime trends, and business news.

Governor Josh Shapiro's administration is boosting wages for direct care workers, with a $21 million investment from the 2025-26 budget raising pay to $15 an hour for about 8,500 workers serving over 7,700 adults with disabilities and older Pennsylvanians, retroactive to January 1, 2026, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services. Workers and their clients must submit forms by May 8 to access the increase, which also covers personal time off and health insurance costs. Shapiro's proposed 2026-27 budget renews the call to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 starting January 1, 2027. In a win for consumers, PECO withdrew its proposed rate hike after Shapiro's intervention, saving 1.7 million customers $510 million and cutting future bills by up to $34 monthly, as reported by HMS Legal. Crime trends show progress, with Pennsylvania experiencing a 21% overall drop from 2013 to 2023, though rural areas saw rises in violent crime and DUIs, per a Center for Rural Pennsylvania report cited by PennLive and Fox 43. Business updates include Breeze Airways delaying its Pittsburgh-to-Los Angeles flight relaunch from May 7 to June 2 due to fuel costs, according to the…

People in this episode

Host: Josh Shapiro

Topics covered

• direct care worker wages
• Pennsylvania budget
• minimum wage
• consumer savings
• crime trends
• business updates
• lottery

Keywords

• direct care workers
• wage increase
• Pennsylvania budget
• minimum wage
• PECO
• lottery jackpot
• crime trends
• Breeze Airways

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, PECO, HMS Legal, Center for Rural Pennsylvania, Keep America Beautiful, Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful

Places: Pennsylvania

More episodes of Pennsylvania State News and Info Tracker

• # Pennsylvania Faces Major Shifts in Election Law, School Funding, and Economic Growth · June 11, 2026 · 3 min
• Pennsylvania Faces Budget Battles, Election Security Push, and Economic Cooling Amid School Funding Crisis · June 9, 2026 · 3 min
• Pennsylvania Budget Negotiations Heat Up as Lawmakers Push School Funding Reform and Economic Development · June 7, 2026 · 3 min
• Pennsylvania Budget Talks, Housing Policy Changes, and Infrastructure Work: What You Need to Know This Spring · June 4, 2026 · 3 min
• Pennsylvania Spring Update: Democrats Target Four House Seats While Shapiro Invests in Housing and Cybersecurity · May 21, 2026 · 4 min
• Pennsylvania Politics and Crime Dominate News Cycle: Pivotal Election Year, Major Fentanyl Bust, and Public Safety Concerns · May 19, 2026 · 4 min