HARRISBURG, Aug. 10 – State Rep. Patty Kim, D-Dauphin, today announced a $1 million state grant has been awarded to Second Street Associates, LLC for development of the Blackberry Office Center from the state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. “Congratulations to Second Street Associates, LLC for winning this highly competitive grant to help rehabilitate and improve this underutilized land in downtown Harrisburg,” Kim said. “I also want to thank Governor Tom Wolf for investing in our city through this grant. This project will preserve a historic part of the city while creating new opportunities for businesses to succeed.” Second Street Associates, LLC plans to redevelop two contiguous parcels along South 2nd Street. One building is a historic, underutilized six-story office building at 17 S. 2nd St. and the other is a vacant lot at 21 S. 2nd St. Demolition of the former building on this site occurred in 2017. The RACP project proposed will rehabilitate the existing building and construct the new six-story tower on vacant land to connect both new and old buildings for one contiguous office tower. This contiguous office tower will provide a showcase location for a new corporate office headquarters located adjacent to Market Square in downtown Harrisburg. The street-level portion of the building is intended to be occupied by retail tenants. The Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program is a grant program administered by the Read more

HARRISBURG, June 21 – State Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., and colleagues today unveiled a package of legislation that would help incarcerated women and parents in Pennsylvania. "I'm glad that we're having vital, bipartisan discussions about criminal justice reform. I think it's crucial for those discussions to include women and girls of color," said Cephas, chairwoman of the Women and Girls of Color Subcommittee of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus. "Women are the fastest-growing segment of the incarcerated population. Since 1985, the rate of incarcerated women has increased at nearly double the male rate. The ACLU reports that African-American women and women of color are significantly overrepresented in the prison population. African-American women are 30 percent of incarcerated women in the United States, but only 13 percent of the female population. In addition, Hispanic women are 16 percent of incarcerated women but only 11 percent of all women in the U.S." Cephas plans to introduce a bill to create a Women and Girls Committee within the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. "I believe this would aid the commission in its work as it specifically relates to research and programs that will have a direct impact on women and girls." Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., chairman of the PLBC, said, “This package of legislation would help support incarcerated women in the commonwealth’s prison Read more

Raising the Wage will grow our economy and help reduce the burden on taxpayers -- listen to what the people have to say. Read more

Pa. state Rep. Patty Kim is proud to have "The Wall That Heals" on display in Harrisburg this week. The exhibit features a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. and a mobile Education Center that gives visitors a better understanding of the legacy of The Wall and educates about the impact of the Vietnam War. Read more

You are invited to learn more about the new expungement law and the pardon process. Please RSVP here. Read more

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) is warning students and their families to be wary of financial aid scams that could expose them to significant financial loss and identity theft. In one recent example, scammers were fraudulently representing themselves as PHEAA employees in order to collect personal information by claiming that a student had “won” a PA State Grant award. The PA State Grant Program is funded by the Commonwealth and administered by PHEAA. PA State Grant awards are determined by a student’s financial need and can never be offered up as a prize - nor can anyone be promised or guaranteed to receive an award. Submitting an application is completely free and easily accessible, as are the other services provided by PHEAA in support of Pennsylvania students. The most effective way to avoid becoming the victim of a scam is to be alert and vigilant when asked by anyone to provide any form of personal information or when engaging in financial transactions. Recent scams include: Student loan payback scams - Companies or individuals claim to help reduce or eliminate student debt in exchange for money. However, many of these offers are fraudulent, while others are unnecessary and should be avoided when no-cost assistance is available from your loan servicer and other government resources. Tuition scams - These involve someone claiming to work for your school's administrative office. They call to warn that Read more

Scholarships from the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus are now available for high school seniors and first-year college students who will be enrolled in an accredited two- or four-year Pennsylvania college or university. The deadline to submit an application is Monday, April 30. Students applying for the $1,000 scholarships must be a minority student, have a minimum grade-point average of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale, reside in the legislative district of and be sponsored by a PLBC member, and demonstrate leadership qualities. A 500-word essay on the student’s academic plans and career goals also must be submitted. Only the first 250 applications submitted will be considered. To obtain an application and more details about the program, students can visit http://pahouse.com/PLBC/Scholarships . Read more

At a Capitol news conference, Pa. state Rep. Patty Kim addresses sexual misconduct allegations against a sitting House member and demands action to prevent this type of inappropriate conduct. Read more

Pa. state Rep. Patty Kim joined women of the Pennsylvania House and Senate to take a stand against sexual harassment and abuse and discuss proposed legislation to better protect victims. Read more

HARRISBURG, Aug. 18 - Following the events in Charlottesville, Va., the members of the Southeast Delegation released the following statement: “We, the members of the Southeast Delegation of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus, watched in horror the open display of hate and bigotry from neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia this past Saturday, August 12 th . A display that quickly turned violent and deadly. “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Heather Heyer, who was killed in an act of hate-fueled terror, to the family and friends of the officers who died in the line of duty – Lt. H. Jay Cullen and Trooper Berke Bates – and to the many others injured and traumatized that day. “In the aftermath, we are standing together with our families, our communities, and colleagues for support and strength in the face of this inhumane, racist moment. And we rightly look to our leaders, of any party and stripe, to clearly and full-throatedly denounce hate — and to reaffirm our country’s founding principle that all are created equal. “That moral authority that we search for was grotesquely missing in our president. Instead, President Trump displays sympathy for fanaticism; blame for violence on both the purveyors and victims; and an unashamed ignorance. At a time when our country needs a leader who will unite us, this president, again, pushes us apart. “Sadly, this past weekend’s Read more