HARRISBURG, June 10 – In a clear demonstration of bipartisan support for the commonwealth’s first responders, the House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee today overwhelmingly approved state Rep. Joe Ciresi’s legislation to establish a statewide program providing free annual cancer screenings for firefighters. House Bill 2394 would ensure that firefighters can access annual cancer screening examinations at no cost when those services are not fully covered by their health insurance. The program would apply to both career and volunteer firefighters across the Commonwealth. According to Ciresi, firefighters’ repeated job-related exposure to cancer-causing chemicals has led the disease to become one of the leading causes of line-of-duty deaths. Studies by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer diagnoses, and a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths, compared to the general population in the U.S. “Today’s vote shouts out loud and clear to our firefighters that we recognize the health risk of occupational cancer they uniquely face and that we have their backs,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery. “Currently, many of our firefighters must choose between their health and their families’ finances. That is a moral outrage. My legislation would improve our firefighters’ health outcomes—and shield them from crushing health care Read more

The state House today approved on a bipartisan vote a bill sponsored by state Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, to protect prospective parents’ rights to fertility treatments in Pennsylvania. Read more

HARRISBURG, June 9 – Legislation that would significantly expand access to low-interest financing for Pennsylvania farmers to grow and modernize their operations advanced unanimously from the state House Commerce Committee on Monday, announced the bill’s prime sponsors. State Reps. Paul Friel and John Lawrence said that their H.B. 2207 would help augment critical agricultural operations and keep Pennsylvania competitive in an increasingly challenging economic environment. Pennsylvania farmers face rising costs for land, equipment, buildings and other investments necessary to sustain and expand their operations. While the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority's Small Business First Fund provides valuable financing opportunities, agricultural businesses are limited to loans of $400,000, far below the $2 million cap available to non-agricultural enterprises. "Our farmers are small business owners, job creators and essential contributors to Pennsylvania's economy," said Friel, D-Chester . "As costs continue to rise, access to affordable capital is more important than ever. This legislation would ensure that farmers have the same opportunities as other businesses to invest in their operations, create jobs, and strengthen our agricultural economy." “I’m grateful for the strong bipartisan support to modernize agricultural lending at PIDA,” said Lawrence, R-Chester . “This Read more

Legislation allowing Green Star Service Banner on state property advances Read more

Legislation establishing penalties for CEOs of insurance companies responsible for harm Read more

HARRISBURG, June 4 – House Communications & Technology Committee Majority Chair, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, is taking a stand to protect Pennsylvanians’ security and privacy by introducing legislation that would require all smart glasses manufactured, sold, and used in Pennsylvania to have a visual indicator that shows when the device is recording video or audio. “My legislation, H.B. 2603, would establish common-sense privacy safeguards for smart glasses to help protect Pennsylvanians from potential misuse of this emerging technology,” Ciresi said. “Smart glasses are an innovative technological advancement, but their design also allows them to easily record or stream without anyone noticing. Considering the implications this has for individual privacy and surveillance, we must take thoughtful, proactive steps to address those risks. The same features that make these devices appealing—the ability to communicate, capture audio and video, and share information instantly—can also be exploited by bad actors to secretly record individuals; help facilitate stalking, harassment or intimidation; or potentially employ real-time facial recognition technology without a person’s knowledge or consent.” According to Ciresi, the legislation would fall under Pennsylvania’s current wiretapping laws and would have similar requirements in line with existing laws regarding recording people. The legislation would require Read more

HARRISBURG, June 3 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives Children & Youth Committee on Tuesday reported out legislation ( H.B. 434 ) by state Reps. Gina Curry and Carol Kazeem’s that would establish an Ebony Alert System in Pennsylvania dedicated to finding missing Black and Brown youth, including young women and girls. According to the two Delaware County legislators, Black children accounted for 40% of all children under 18 reported missing in the United States in 2023, despite Black Americans comprising only 14% of the nation’s population. Similarly, Black women and girls represent approximately 18% of all missing persons cases while making up just 7% of the population. The lawmakers argue that cases involving missing children of color—particularly Black children—often receive less attention because they are disproportionately classified as runaways . That designation can prevent AMBER Alerts from being issued, reducing the law enforcement and public resources devoted to recovery efforts and limiting media coverage of their disappearances. Lack of media coverage of missing Black children -- just 7% according to one study -- has a devastating impact on the chances of recovery of missing Black children. Media attention raises public awareness and puts law enforcement on alert , resulting in them contributing critical resources to finding children. “Despite making up a significant percentage of missing child cases, Read more

HARRISBURG, June 3 – Legislation to direct the Office of Attorney General to conduct a public education campaign about artificial intelligence and to improve AI consumer literacy in Pennsylvania overwhelmingly passed the House today (198-3), said the bill’s prime sponsors, House Communications & Technology Committee chairs Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Jason Ortitay, R-Washington/Allegheny. “AI safety starts with informed users,” Ciresi said. “As AI becomes increasingly common in across our daily life, it’s important that we know how to interact with AI safely and responsibly and be educated consumers of online content. Informed public awareness of the risks of AI—from misinformation and hallucinations, emotional dependency, to potentially harmful advice, and more--is essential as we enter this new technological age.” Ciresi believes that while AI has an incredible potential to increase productivity and lead to breakthroughs across countless fields, it is also a Pandora’s box of risks—including bias in outputs, data collection and privacy issues, and “deepfakes” and misinformation—that requires greater public awareness. “Many people don’t yet have a full understanding of AI,” said Ortitay. “As it is becoming a part of everyday life, this legislation will help improve public awareness. Although AI offers significant benefits, it can also be misused. Read more

HARRISBURG, June 2 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed state Rep. Carol Kazeem’s H.B. 1045 , which would require school nurses and staff to complete training approved by the state Department of Health to help them recognize the signs and symptoms of a seizure and how to provide first aid treatment. Currently, state law makes epilepsy training optional for school staff. “More than 129,000 Pennsylvanians have epilepsy, and many of them developed the brain disorder during childhood,” said Kazeem, D-Delaware. “Some even had their first seizure during the school day, far from the safety of their homes and their parents’ loving care. My legislation would increase the safety of our students and give their parents peace of mind by requiring that school nurses and other school personnel have the training that would enable them to quickly identify the signs of an epileptic seizure and provide the correct treatment.” Kazeem noted that incorrect treatment of a seizure can result in serious injury and even death. Kazeem’s legislation, developed in collaboration with the Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania, would ensure that school nurses and school professional employees who have direct contact with students complete training approved by the state Department of Health every two years to identify the signs of epileptic seizures and provide seizure first aid. The bill is with the state Senate Read more

State Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, today joined officials from the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission and the Pennsylvania American Legion to unveil dedicated parking spaces for veterans at turnpike service plazas. Read more