The House today approved a bipartisan bill sponsored by state Reps. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, and Danillo Burgos, D-Phila., that makes strides toward protecting children and addressing the youth mental health crisis. Read more

HARRISBURG, April 29 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation ( H.B. 2179 ) introduced by state Rep. Christina Sappey that would clarify what subjects must be included in the public notices of proposed ordinances for second class townships. Sappey serves on the House Local Government Committee and introduced the bill after learning about a shade tree ordinance that was overturned in Lancaster County because of ambiguous language in the public notice. Sappey's bill would clarify what subjects must be included in the brief summary of an advertised proposed ordinance. The summary would need to include a description of the following, as applicable: An adoption, amendment or repeal of a tax, fee, charge or assessment. An adoption, amendment or repeal of a regulation that provides for an offense or civil or criminal penalty. A provision or covenant that provides for the payment or disbursement of funds for goods, services or contractual obligation; restricts funds to a specific purpose or obligation; or pledges funds for a specific purpose or obligation. “This legislation also would require advertisements to include references to the township office where copies of the proposed ordinance may be viewed, and to the publicly accessible website where the full text of the ordinance may be viewed, if one exists,” Sappey said. “If a summary meets the obligations outlined Read more

HARRISBURG, April 28 – The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee on Monday unanimously advanced two bills that would protect individuals cooperating with first responders in the event of a drug or alcohol overdose, announced state Reps. Paul Friel and Emily Kinkead, who sponsored the bills. House Bills 1944 and 1945 would protect people, such as college students, from endangerment charges if they are administering aid to a person suffering an emergency overdose. “Strengthening medical amnesty, particularly on college campuses, empowers students to prioritize safety over fear, fostering a community where looking out for one another is the norm, not a liability,” said Friel, D-Chester. “When students trust they won't face punishment for seeking help, they are far more likely to intervene in emergencies, saving lives.” “Every second matters in an emergency. In these critical moments, no one should have to weigh saving a life against the risk of being charged with a crime,” said Kinkead, D-Allegheny. “These bills make it clear that if you render aid to a person experiencing a medical emergency as a result of consuming drugs or alcohol, you should be protected. “Advancing this legislation is a step toward ensuring people, especially young people, are empowered to do the right thing without fear of life-altering consequences.” The representatives heard during a March Read more

HARRISBURG, April 17 – Legislation to strengthen fairness, transparency and accountability in how students are evaluated for special education services in charter schools was introduced on Friday by state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Kathleen C. Tomlinson, D-Bucks. According to the representatives, under current law, charter schools receive additional funding for students identified as needing special education services. While this funding is intended to ensure that students receive appropriate support, the Education Law Center noted in a report that the existing system can create incentives for over-identifying students with mild disabilities while underserving those with more complex or costly needs. According to reports , there are cases in which charter school operators have acknowledged using these funds to support general operations. House Bill 2424 would address this issue by requiring an independent qualified third party – specifically, the student’s school district of residence or an intermediate unit – to perform the initial special-education evaluations for charter school students. “Under the current system, there’s simply too much financial temptation for charter schools to over evaluate their students’ disabilities,” Ciresi said. “By eliminating the funding element from playing a role in evaluations, we will ensure that decisions about a student’s educational needs are made solely in Read more

HARRISBURG, April 17 – Legislation to establish a statewide program providing free annual cancer screenings for firefighters was introduced this week by state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery. 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. “It is morally wrong that our firefighters are being forced to choose between their health and their finances due to the high cost of deductibles, copayments, and other out-of-pocket expenses for work-related preventive care,” Ciresi said. “By removing the financial barriers to annual cancer screenings, my legislation would improve our firefighters’ health outcomes, reduce long-term health care costs, and demonstrate Pennsylvania’s commitment to protecting those who serve and protect our communities.” Read more

HARRISBURG, April 16 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H.B. 586, which would responsibly guide the use of food processing residuals in the state, announced the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester. Food processing residuals, also known as FPR, are the leftover products created by commercial food processing. They can include vegetable peelings, raw meat scraps, and liquid waste from cleaning processes that might contain blood, fat, hair, feathers, and a variety of other vegetable and animal byproducts, as well as chemicals used in processing. Surrounding states have heavily restricted or banned the use of these residuals, making Pennsylvania a target for the cheap disposal of this commercial waste stream. "We don't know what is coming in or how much is being applied,” Friel explained during House debate. “We have more regulation on manure in Pennsylvania than we do on this unknown waste stream coming into our state. We need these guardrails to protect our communities and, most especially, our farms and farmers." The bill passed 172–29, with broad Republican and Democratic support, underscoring just how nonpartisan concerns about noxious odors and water contamination are in Pennsylvania. “I want to thank my many colleagues who have supported this effort, including Rep. Barb Gleim and former Rep. Paul Schemel, who worked with me on this Read more

CHESTER, April 15 –Two Chester City organizations, the Chester Education Foundation and the Make a Change Group, were awarded a total of nearly $1 million to expand their after-school programs for at-risk youth in the city, state Rep. Carol Kazeem, D-Delaware, announced today. Read more

ROYERSFORD, April 15 – The YWCA Tri-County Area was awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its intervention-centered programming outside of school time, and Trellis for Tomorrow received $460,451 for its after-school program, Project Thrive, state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Paul Friel, D-Chester, announced today. The competitive grants, approved today by the School Safety and Security Committee under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, is part of more than $64 million awarded to organizations across the state. According to Ciresi, the YWCA Tri-County Area will use the funds to expand its Youth Community Building and Empowerment initiative, a prevention-centered out-of-school-time program serving approximately 200 middle school youth across Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties in the Pottstown, Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts school districts. Trellis for Tomorrow will expand its existing Garden Club at Pottstown School District into a structured, prevention focused after-school program serving approximately 30 middle and high school students annually. Funds will be used to support employee pay, travel for field-based learning at Trellis garden sites, and equipment needed for garden expansion, grow towers and safe tool usage. “Helping young people thrive requires looking beyond the school day, and this funding will provide our at-risk youth with the educational, mentoring, and peer-led advocacy supports necessary to help them Read more

ROYERSFORD, April 15 – The YWCA Tri-County Area was awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its intervention-centered programming outside of school time, and Trellis for Tomorrow received $460,451 for its after-school program, Project Thrive, state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Paul Friel, D-Chester, announced today. The competitive grants, approved today by the School Safety and Security Committee under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, is part of more than $64 million awarded to organizations across the state. According to Ciresi, the YWCA Tri-County Area will use the funds to expand its Youth Community Building and Empowerment initiative, a prevention-centered out-of-school-time program serving approximately 200 middle school youth across Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties in the Pottstown, Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts school districts. Trellis for Tomorrow will expand its existing Garden Club at Pottstown School District into a structured, prevention focused after-school program serving approximately 30 middle and high school students annually. Funds will be used to support employee pay, travel for field-based learning at Trellis garden sites, and equipment needed for garden expansion, grow towers and safe tool usage. “Helping young people thrive requires looking beyond the school day, and this funding will provide our at-risk youth with the educational, mentoring, and peer-led advocacy supports necessary to help Read more

HARRISBURG, April 15 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed legislation to strengthen mental health awareness for students and provide critical training for coaches and staff at schools across the commonwealth, announced the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Mary Jo Daley. House Bill 1706 would require that coaches receive mental health awareness training like the training required of other school personnel. The bill would also ensure that all students, their parents or guardians, athletic staff and extracurricular advisors are informed of the availability of mental health services within their school and local community. According to reports , nearly 20% of students have seriously considered suicide, while 75% report struggling with anxiety. Furthermore, while a significant number of students express a need for professional mental health support, roughly 65% say that they are uncomfortable speaking to family or friends about their struggles, often turning to coaches and extracurricular advisors for support. Meanwhile, a study surveying more than 10,000 coaches found that only 18% of youth coaches feel highly confident in their ability to link athletes to mental health resources, and 67% say they want more training and information on the subject. “For many students, school isn't just about classes – it's where they grow, socialize and find their sense of belonging,” said Daley, Read more