PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 16 – State Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald, D-Phila., announced she will host a housing conference and job fair for constituents of the 203rd Legislative District. The events will take place from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 at the West Oak Lane Charter School, 7115 Stenton Ave., 19138. Fitzgerald said constituents can attend workshops on various aspects of home buying and ownership, including how to obtain good credit, tangled titles and reverse mortgages and more. “Everyone should have the opportunity to become a home owner, so it’s crucial they get as much information as possible,” Fitzgerald said. “This event will provide some great tools for those people thinking about buying a home in order to help them make informed discussions.” Fitzgerald added there will also be a job fair with dozens of employers looking to hire. “I encourage everyone to bring copies of their resume and dress to impress,” Fitzgerald said. For more information, constituents can call Fitzgerald’s office at (215) 549-0220. Read more

HARRISBURG, Sept. 27 – Several members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus have responded to Facebook comments made by former Cecil Township Volunteer Fire Department No. 2 Chief Paul Smith. Chairman Jordan Harris, D-Phila., released a joint statement with state Rep. Jason Ortitay, R-Washington/Allegheny, earlier today calling Smith’s behavior out of step with the values of average Pennsylvanians. Harris said, “Unlike athletes, celebrities, or even other citizens, he is a public servant who has held the trust of the general public in the capacity in which he serves them. That capacity came under question, due to his behavior, and he did the right thing by resigning.” State Reps. W. Curtis Thomas, James Roebuck, Isabella Fitzgerald and Stephen Kinsey, all D-Phila., also commented on Smith’s actions. Roebuck said, “His comments were inappropriate and brought into question his ability to do the job he was delegated to perform.” Thomas said, “The actions of Fire Chief Smith were way out of line. I am glad that he has removed himself from a public institution. Now is the time for us to stand together, not apart from one another.” Fitzgerald said, “Hate speech is unacceptable anywhere especially when one has the duty of protecting all citizens.” Kinsey said, “Mr. Smith’s comments are unacceptable and should never be tolerated. This is yet another unfortunate reminder that although Read more

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PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 17 – State Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald, D-Phila., today announced she is inviting residents to discover if they have any unclaimed property waiting for them. The representative will host an Unclaimed Property Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 in her district office at 7178 Ogontz Ave., 19138. Fitzgerald said her staff will search the database for residents to see if they have unclaimed property belonging to them. Residents can also get assistance with filling out their claim forms. “My staff is happy to help residents go through the process to find out if they have any property that rightfully belongs to them,” Fitzgerald said. "It’s a good idea for residents to check annually if they are owed money as the Treasurer's Office estimates that roughly one in 10 Pennsylvanians has unclaimed property." The Pennsylvania Treasurer's Office reports it is currently holding $2.3 billion in unclaimed property, which includes things such as closed bank accounts, uncashed checks, lost stocks and bonds, contents of safe deposit boxes, and unexpired gift certificates and gift cards. Read more

HARRISBURG, July 25 – State Reps. Isabella Fitzgerald, D-Phila., and Thomas Murt, R-Montgomery/Phila., announced they introduced legislation to enact a “Homeless Bill of Rights” to protect fundamental civil and human rights of homeless people. “Homelessness continues to be an issue in many communities across the Commonwealth. Local codes that outlaw loitering, vagrancy, sitting or lying on the sidewalk, begging, eating in public, and other behaviors disproportionately affect homeless people,” Fitzgerald said. Fitzgerald said House Bill 1664 would protect the homeless population’s rights to move freely in public spaces, and receive equal treatment by all government agencies, employers and health care providers. The legislation would also shield their right to vote and the confidentiality of personal records and information. “Homelessness involves not only individuals but entire families. On any given day, over 15,000 Pennsylvanians are known to be homeless. During one school year, our education system serves approximately 13,000 homeless children,” she added. Murt emphasized there are key rights the homeless population needs to have protected. The Homeless Bill of Rights would establish that no person should suffer unnecessarily, be denied basic rights or be subject to unfair discrimination based on their homeless status. “As the burdens of joblessness grow and the pressures on public resources increase, we have Read more

PHILADELPHIA, July 18 – State Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald, D-Phila., released the following statement urging Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny, to call the House back to Harrisburg to wrap up the 2017-18 state budget: “On June 30, I voted for a budget that would increase education funding in Philadelphia by $34 million. While I have worked with my colleagues to find a way to pay for it, House Republican leaders have failed to come up with any clear solutions. However, Democrats have presented several solutions to generate new and more reliable streams of revenue our Commonwealth needs. “We can start by raising the minimum wage and implementing a shale tax on wealthy gas drillers. A minimum wage worker in Pennsylvania would have to work 83 hours a week in order to rent a modest one-bedroom home without any assistance. Not only would increasing the minimum wage give Philadelphia families more money in their pockets, but it would even save our Commonwealth about $50 million. “I am ready to get back to work and fight to balance our budget and make sure that Pennsylvanians receive the services they need. The Republican leadership needs to return to Harrisburg and let us do our jobs. Because if they don’t, our children who need that $34 million will be hurt the most.” ### Read more

PHILADELPHIA, July 18 – State Rep. Isabella Fitzgerald, D-Phila. today announced she will host a National Night Out event for residents of the 203rd Legislative District. It will be held 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 1 at Masjidullah, Inc., 7433 Limekiln Pike, 19138. Fitzgerald said there will be games and activities, food, information about state and local resources and a chance to meet with officers from the 14th and 35th police districts. “Public safety is one of my top legislative interests, so I felt it was fitting to host this event,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s great to have the community come together and have some fun while getting to know the law enforcement in their neighborhood. “This event is a great way for everyone to work together and help crack down on crime.” National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness; generate support for, and participation in, local anti-crime programs; strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships; and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. Read more

HARRISBURG, June 27 – State Reps. Stephen Kinsey and Isabella Fitzgerald, both D-Phila., today applauded the passage of a bill in the House of Representatives that would address the issue of nuisance establishments that sell alcohol and disrupt communities. House Bill 1547 would allow the state Liquor Control Board to designate saturated nuisance market areas, where violations would be subject to enhanced penalties, fines and suspensions, and allow the board to remove licenses from those areas. Kinsey, who held a public meeting in March with Fitzgerald on the issue of these nuisance establishments, said this legislation is a major step in addressing how these stores disrupt local communities. “The residents of Philadelphia deserve to have the best quality of life possible without the problems caused by stop-and-go issues,” Kinsey said. “I applaud Rep. Jordan Harris and my fellow colleagues from Philadelphia for joining forces to combat this issue head-on with this legislation. “I am encouraged to continue the conversation and bring an end to these unwanted businesses.” Fitzgerald echoed her colleague’s comments. “Between the public meetings and the tireless work by my colleagues, we are moving forward to take action and eliminate the problems with these nuisance establishments,” Fitzgerald said. “I remain committed to working with state and local agencies to reverse the negative trend of consequences Read more

The Pennsylvania Turnpike is offering a 28-day partial amnesty program if you have outstanding violations, including all tolls and fees. If you have outstanding violations and do not make amends or seek amnesty, you are risking suspension of your vehicle registration. A new law that takes effect Aug. 4 allows PennDOT to suspend the vehicle registration of any Pennsylvania motorist who has state toll violations, including tolls and fees, totaling $500 or more or six or more separate instances of violation. Once a driver’s registration has been suspended, violators will owe all outstanding tolls and fees to the turnpike and an additional $91 fee to PennDOT for registration reinstatement. Under the partial amnesty program, toll violations that are newer than 60 days can be settled by paying in full the outstanding toll amount. All other fees will be forgiven. Toll violations older than 60 days that have been referred to collections may be settled by paying in full the outstanding toll amount and a portion of the outstanding fees. In certain situations, payment plans may be available. Please call 1-877-736-6727 to take advantage of the program from July 5 through Aug. 4. Not sure if you have outstanding violations? Please click here for unpaid tolls, but you will need your license number to check. More information about the amnesty program is available by clicking here . Read more