Rep. Tim Mahoney, D-Fayette, held a news conference this week to unveil legislation designed to give residents of Pennsylvania easier access to government records at the state, county and local level.

The legislation (H.B. 443) would give the public access to a greater number and variety of records, create a state office to assist the public in obtaining government records and set up an appeals process for people who are denied access to public records.

"There has to be an uncomplicated process for citizens of Pennsylvania to examine officials' public records," Mahoney said. "The people want to change the way we do business in Harrisburg and I am a participant in the state's reform process."

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Cohen aims to prevent new form
of workplace discrimination

Rep. Mark Cohen, D-Phila., has introduced legislation (H.B. 486) that would bar employers from making hiring decisions or otherwise discriminating against potential or current employees based on genetic information.

"Genetics is by no means a perfect science; it can provide a probability of health and other issues, but by no means is it a certain forecast," Cohen said. "Employers wanting to conserve resources may think hiring certain people based on this information will save them money or problems in the long term, but that is not a smart or a just hiring practice."

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Bishop proposes trigger locks for safer guns

Rep. Louise Williams Bishop, D-Phila., has introduced legislation that would require gun manufacturers to equip weapons with trigger locks and ballistic identifiers. Under the bill (H.B. 277), the manufacture or sale of handguns without trigger lock devices in Pennsylvania would be punishable by a civil penalty of between $7,500 and $15,000 and a fine of between $500 and $1,000 for each handgun.

"I am trying to reduce gun accidents and gun crimes from happening in Philadelphia and across the state by decreasing the number of unsecured weapons," Bishop said. "Too many unsecured guns are getting into the wrong hands and being used in crimes."

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Wojnaroski measure would require certification
for Alzheimer's caregivers

Rep. Edward Wojnaroski Sr., D-Cambria, has introduced legislation that would ensure quality health-care services for patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

The measure (H.B. 464) would certify long-term care facilities, adult daily living centers and personal care homes that provide services to cognitively impaired patients, which could include those suffering from dementia, long-term memory loss or Alzheimer's disease. To be certified for cognitive support services, facilities would have to meet specific admission, transfer, program facility, training and staffing criteria.

"With this certification, families would be assured that their loved ones receive quality care because the facilities would be required to meet certain criteria in terms of training, staffing and programming," Wojnaroski said. "And only certified facilities would be able to advertise these support services."

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Pa. House Democrats urge no change to
Family and Medical Leave Act

Democratic members of the Pennsylvania House Labor Relations Committee have written to the U.S. Department of Labor to urge that no changes be made to provisions in the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

Rep. Robert E. Belfanti Jr., D-Northumberland/Montour/Columbia, the committee's majority chairman, said a request for comment on the law by the Labor Department has led to fears that the Bush administration may be seeking to change the law to make it more difficult for workers to take extended leave for illness or to care for a family member.

"The Family and Medical Leave Act has been one of the most successful and helpful laws ever passed by Congress with regard to U.S. working men and women and their families," Belfanti said. "More than 2 million workers each year are able to take the time they need to deal with a serious health problem or that of a family member without worrying that they won't have a job to come back to. Making requirements for FMLA stricter will only make it harder for workers with legitimate health issues to take the leave they need. Such changes could be particularly devastating for workers whose employers do not provide sick leave in the first place."

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