Information on the invasive Spotted Lanternfly Read more

HARRISBURG, July 12 – Chester County’s Democratic state Reps. Carolyn Comitta, Kristine Howard, Melissa Shusterman, Dan Williams, Christina Sappey and Danielle Friel Otten announced that housing programs in Chester County will receive $3.08 million through the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement fund. The PHARE fund is managed by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, and funds are sourced from Marcellus shale fees, realty transfer taxes and the national housing trust fund. Awardees within Comitta’s legislative district will receive the following: Housing Authority of the County of Chester’s Locust Court Windows: $100,000 Charles A Melton Arts & Education Center; Melton Center Expanded Services Program: $200,000 Melton Center Apartments (LIHTC); The NRP Group LLC: $875,000 Safe Harbor of Chester County, Inc.: $150,000 Housing Locator Program through the Housing Authority of the County of Chester: $100,000 Friends Association for Care & Protection of Children’s Homeless Prevention Program $75,000 Gaudenzia Concord Place: $50,000 Chester County Department of Community Development’s Decade to Doorways System Prioritization and Realignment: $350,000 “I am absolutely thrilled to see state funds directed to such incredible programs in our community. These funds will allow our local organizations to continue providing their critical services, as well as expand in order to Read more

HARRISBURG, June 27 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a state spending plan Tuesday which is expected to gain Senate approval and be sent to the governor’s desk today. State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester, commented on her opposition to the final proposal: “I can embrace many items that are part of this budget, notably the strong support for continued progress in educational funding, Comitta said. “The plan invests more money in pre-K programs and early childhood education, basic and special education, public universities like West Chester, Cheyney and Lincoln, community colleges and PHEAA. “Even in Harrisburg where partisanship is so common, I’m glad to see there’s a bipartisan agreement that investing education is worthwhile for the future of Pennsylvania. “But looking at the entire package on balance I cannot support it because of the damage it does to several crucial environmental funds that are supposed to be kept safe from raids like this. At a time when our clean air and water are at stake, this plan would pull millions of dollars from dedicated environmental funds to help fund the general costs of government operations. “Given the constitutional right we have to a clean environment here in Pennsylvania, I think it’s very likely that diverting money from these special funds, including the Environmental Stewardship Fund and the Recycling Fund, will be found unconstitutional. Read more

HARRISBURG, June 14 – Chester County’s Democratic state Reps. Carolyn Comitta, Melissa Shusterman, Kristine Howard, Danielle Friel Otten, Dan Williams and Christina Sappey announced that $1.2 million worth of grant funds from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency will be distributed across the county to increase safety and help crime victims. Within Comitta’s legislative district, Domestic Violence Center of Chester County will receive $531,835 to provide direct services for domestic abuse survivors. Additionally, the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc. will receive $624,328 to meet the needs of crime victims. “I am grateful for the grants awarded to the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County and the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County. These local organizations have a tremendous impact across our county, and they deserve our full support to continue to provide critical services to residents,” Comitta said. Represented by Shusterman, Phoenixville Borough will receive $7,685 to install security cameras at their police department’s impound lot. “I’m proud to work with my colleagues to bring state money back to Chester County,” Shusterman said. “I’m confident that this initiative will make our communities safer by curtailing crime in and around the impound lot.” Howard’s district, including West Pikeland and Easttown townships, will receive grants Read more

WEST CHESTER, June 10 – State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester, has been appointed West Chester University’s political science department’s Legislative Fellow for the 2019-20 academic year. “The Department of Political Science is especially pleased that Representative Carolyn Comitta has accepted an invitation from the department to serve as our Legislative Fellow for the next two-year cycle,” said Professor of Political Science John Kennedy. “All of us are very excited about the vast knowledge and expertise that she brings, and her willingness to share these insights with our students.” During the upcoming fall semester, Comitta will actively participate in WCU’s Pennsylvania Government and Politics course taught by Kennedy. “As a West Chester University alum, I am delighted to serve as Legislative Fellow. I look forward to sharing experience and insights about the legislative process in Pennsylvania with the students in this program,” Comitta said. According to officials at WCU, the Legislative Fellow Program was established in 2001 along with other colleges within the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to help build bridges between lawmakers and the faculty, staff and students who are part of these universities. The goal of the Legislative Fellow Program is to foster communication and understanding by working directly with a state legislator on both classroom and extracurricular projects. ### Read more

Thank you to all who attended my informational panel discussion on Lyme disease. For your convenience, you can access presentations from the evening below as well as other information on resources pertaining to Lyme disease. Free tick testing by East Stroudsburg University. Diagnosing and Treating Tick-Borne Diseases by Amanda Mehall on Scribd Public Health's Role in Lyme Disease by Amanda Mehall on Scribd Lyme Overview by Amanda Mehall on Scribd Read more

HARRISBURG, May 10 — State Reps. Carolyn Comitta and Christina Sappey welcomed Bayard Rustin High School’s Golden Knights ice hockey team to the House chamber on Wednesday, commemorating their Pennsylvania Cup State Championship victory. This is the Golden Knights’ seventh Class A Pennsylvania Cup State Championship win, and it also marked their sixth consecutive championship win, which broke the state’s record. In the 11-to-3 victory against Montour High School’s Spartans, team captain Matt Owens had a hat trick and an assist, teammate Nicholas Ferraro contributed a goal and four assists and goalie Joel Keller stopped 29 out of the 32 shots he faced. “I’m happy to recognize the Golden Knights in the House chamber. Their demonstrated dedication and commitment continually leads them to victory, and our community is very proud of their record-breaking accomplishments,” Comitta said. The Golden Knights have also earned nine Flyer Cups, breaking the regional record by winning six of them in a row, and also won first place in nationals in 2017 and placed third this year. “I’m extremely proud of these young athletes,” Sappey said, “They constantly strive for perfection, and when they work together as a team under incredible coaches, they achieve exactly that. It’s admirable how they embody persistence, dedication and determination year after year on the ice.” Read more

HARRISBURG, May 1 – State Rep. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester, announced today that two school districts in her legislative district have been awarded Pennsylvania school safety and security grants totaling $448,450. The funds will be provided through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s School Safety and Security Committee. This committee is the result of Act 44 of 2018 , and is responsible for establishing the standards schools must meet when performing school safety and security assessments. Grant recipients in Comitta’s district are: Unionville-Chadds Ford School District, receiving $48,400. West Chester Area School District, receiving $400,050. It will be the choice of the school districts to determine how exactly the funds will be used. Eligible purposes include, but are not limited to: safety and security assessments, emergency preparedness, violence prevention, intervention training programs, training of school police officers and counseling services for students. “These grants serve as an investment benefitting our children’s education and well-being,” Comitta said. “I’m proud to support our schools and students in every way that I can to foster the safest learning environment possible.” Further information about the grants can be found here: https://www.pccd.pa.gov/schoolsafety/Pages/default.aspx . Read more

HARRISBURG, April 17 — At a Capitol news conference, state Reps. Carolyn T. Comitta, D-Chester, and Steve McCarter, D-Montgomery, joined state Sens. Art Haywood, Thomas H. Killion and Steven J. Santarsiero to call attention to climate change, its grave impacts and the urgent need to modernize the commonwealth’s renewable energy standards. Comitta and McCarter are both members of the bicameral, bipartisan Pennsylvania Climate Caucus. Comitta is vice chair; McCarter is its founder and chair. Their bill and a Senate companion bill introduced by Haywood, Killion and Santarsiero both seek to implement stronger renewable energy goals within the commonwealth to create good jobs, cut pollution and ensure a sustainable and prosperous Pennsylvania for future generations. “I am proud to join the calls for modernizing the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards,” Comitta said. “Our state has already made important investments in alternative and clean-energy technologies, but we must do more. Adjusting our electrical energy requirements to 30 percent by 2030 will solidify our path to reducing our carbon footprint and advance Pennsylvania toward becoming a national energy leader.” The Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act was a forward-looking policy when it was enacted in 2004. But in the intervening years, Pennsylvania has fallen behind neighboring states like New Jersey and Maryland, which have enacted stronger energy standards, creating Read more

EXTON, March 22 – Mariner East Town Hall: Know Your Rights! will take place from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 in the Shamona Creek Elementary School Gymnasium, 501 Dorlan Mill Road in Downingtown. State Reps. Danielle Friel Otten, Kristine Howard and Carolyn Comitta organized the town hall to help ensure that residents know how to protect their homes and property during pipeline construction. As Mariner East construction continues, temporary workspace easements are beginning to expire. Uwchlan Township Solicitor Mark Freed will explain property rights and easement agreements. Friel Otten, Howard and Comitta will hear and address concerns from their constituents. The three state lawmakers are members of the General Assembly’s newly formed Pipeline Safety Caucus, whose mission is to keep Pennsylvanians safe as pipeline infrastructure grows across the commonwealth. All community members are invited to attend. For more information, contact Friel Otten’s office at 484-200-8259. Read more