Pa. House caps 2025 with lengthy debate, passage of proposed abortion rights referendum

On a near-party-line vote, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would put a referendum before voters on adding specific abortion rights language to the state constitution. The bill — and the more than two hours of floor remarks that accompanied its passage — capped off 2025 for the state legislature, with neither the House nor Senate expected to take votes until January. Wednesday’s action was a fitting end for another year of divided government between the state’s Democratic-majority House and Republican-majority Senate, featuring a lengthy debate over an emotional issue that will almost certainly go...