HARRISBURG, April 13 -- State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila, is advocating for formal acknowledgement of the extraordinary work of caregivers of Pennsylvania’s veterans through the Hidden Heroes campaign. “Many times, a veteran’s caregiver is a spouse, parent and other loved ones whose lives are transformed, their goals set aside, and they rearrange their lives to help the ones who sacrificed the most for us,” Rabb said. “We need to recognize that these women and men are heroes and sacrifice more than we currently understand.” The Hidden Heroes campaign is an initiative through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation that seeks to raise awareness of the struggles of these special caregivers. It also seeks to establish a national registry where veterans and their caregivers can access resources available to them. Read more
HARRISBURG, Sept. 30 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., has introduced legislation to empower consumers by creating labeling standards and regulations for Cannabidiol, or CBD. “CBD is everywhere these days,” Rabb said. “We see it for sale in pharmacies, corner stores, grocery stores and online. With CBD’s popularity exploding due to its medicinal uses – treating conditions like epilepsy, chronic pain and anxiety – I believe that its regulation is necessary.” Although CBD has no psychoactive properties, there is currently no legal standard for what constitutes CBD nor are there any labeling standards to inform consumers of exactly what they are purchasing. Since the legalization of hemp at the federal and state levels, there has been some confusion regarding CBD, which is hemp’s most popular extract. “People should be able to make informed decisions about the items they’re purchasing,” Rabb said. “ To address the issue, I have introduced legislation that would legally define hemp extract to include CBD and direct the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to create labeling standards and other regulations to help inform and protect consumers who purchase or are considering purchasing products containing CBD.” Rabb said he believes the legislation would help to end the confusion and mistrust surrounding CBD and the Read more
HARRISBURG, Sept. 30– State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., has introduced legislation to reform sentencing procedures by making pre-trial sentence investigation reports mandatory. “ Under current law, there is no requirement to provide a pre-sentence investigation report to a judge who is issuing a sentence,” Rabb said. “That leaves the door open for judges, who are making critical decisions that will affect a person’s entire life, to make an uninformed and often biased determination. That’s just plain unjust.” While current law “allows” the use of pre-sentencing reports, it’s not required. That inevitably results in the use of pre-trial sentence investigation reports to be used and considered inequitably. “A judge who is issuing a sentence should know a defendant’s potential for rehabilitation and community integration to allow them to tailor sentences accordingly,” Rabb said. “It’s time to take a stand on this issue to allow for the fair and equitable distribution of justice.” ### Read more
State Rep. Chris Rabb, a Democrat from Northwest Philadelphia, called it the “most expansive minimum wage bill in the country.” Read more
HARRISBURG, Sept. 24 – State Rep. Chris Rabb on Tuesday during a Policy Committee meeting urged support for legislation that would remove roadblocks preventing undocumented people from getting driver’s licenses and learner’s permits, making it impossible for them to legally drive. Rabb’s testimony highlighted the crucial nature of the bill. "Undocumented people contribute to our communities in ways we often forget," Rabb said. "Many undocumented people work tirelessly at undesirable and difficult jobs; they contribute income and sales tax; and they make our communities more diverse. In Pennsylvania, they do all this without the ability to get a driver's license. But that needs to change." "We should remove hurdles to prosperity and success for all people who are contributing members of our communities, commonwealth and country," continued Rabb, D-Phila. "Allowing undocumented people to apply for a driver's license in Pennsylvania using documentation that proves the person's name and date of birth, like their federal taxpayer ID number, would allow them to get a driver's license or a learner's permit, and give them the opportunity to contribute more fully to their community and to support themselves and their family." Rabb, along with state Reps. Danilo Burgos, Joseph Hohenstein and Sara Innamorato, introduced H.B. 2835, which would allow people without a Read more
HARRISBURG, Sept. 29 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, in a House Commerce Committee hearing on Sep. 22, emphasized the urgency of the housing crisis in Pennsylvania, highlighting the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s history of working to ensure people have a home and the means to sustain it. Rabb called his colleagues’ and PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Weissman’s attention to the necessity of ensuring that state residents do not lose their homes due to late bills. Rabb further asserted that some applicants have not been allowed to obtain loan modifications because of junior (utility) liens. Rabb noted that PHFA has historically fought for mortgage modifications for homeowners, which help prevent them from losing their homes due to late water, gas, or credit card bills. “Working people struggling to make ends meet during an unprecedented economic crisis caused by the coronavirus must not be forced out of their homes,” Rabb said. He emphasized that Pennsylvanians may lose their homes soon because of outstanding credit card or utility bills and called for “federal requirements for housing-related loans to be made accessible to people at risk of losing their homes. Our foremost priority is to ensure people can keep their homes, despite the unparalleled financial hardship.” Rabb also put a spotlight on the efforts PHFA is making to help homeowners, including providing counseling on and access to Read more
Black troops who served on the front lines were put in harm’s way of this chemical agent. Read more
State Rep. Chris Rabb called for support for legislation that would remove roadblocks preventing undocumented people from getting driver’s licenses and learner’s permits, making it impossible for them to legally drive. Read more
HARRISBURG, Sept. 8 – State Rep. Chris Rabb has introduced legislation to provide relief to college students trapped in a lease agreement if their college cancels on-campus instruction because of COVID-19. Read more
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is everywhere these days. We see it for sale in pharmacies, corner stores, grocery stores and online. Since the legalization of hemp at the federal and state levels, there has been some confusion regarding CBD, which is hemp’s most popular extract. With CBD’s popularity exploding due to its medicinal uses – treating conditions like epilepsy, chronic pain and anxiety – I believe that regulation of CBD is necessary. Although CBD has no psychoactive properties, there is currently no legal standard for what constitutes CBD, nor are there any labeling standards to inform consumers of exactly what they are purchasing. People should be able to make informed decisions about the items they’re purchasing. To address the issue, I will be introducing legislation that would legally define “hemp extract” to include CBD and direct the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to create labeling standards and other regulations to help inform and protect consumers who purchase or are considering purchasing products containing CBD. This legislation would help to end the confusion and mistrust surrounding CBD and the products in which it is used. Read more
The Police Reform Working Group, a collection of local and state elected officials and advocates, issued the following statement in response to a Pennsylvania House Republican Policy Committee hearing on law enforcement interactions with the community:“We appreciate the House Republican Policy Committee shining a light on how law enforcement interacts with communities around the state. This is a necessary discussion that is long overdue and it’s encouraging to hear presenters today acknowledge that police reform is necessary. Read more
The Northwest Philly legislator is introducing a bill that would pay ex-prisoners an annual stipend for each year they wrongly served in prison. Currently they receive nothing. Read more
Aug. 22 email. Read more
Aug. 17 email. Read more
Aug. 7 email. Read more
HARRISBURG, Aug. 5 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., has introduced House Bill 2745, which provides for an annual payment from the Commonwealth to an exoneree for every year that exoneree was wrongfully incarcerated. Read more
July 31 email. Read more
July 24 email. Read more
HARRISBURG, July 23 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., celebrated Thursday after a measure he authored banning police officers from engaging in sexual activity with people in their custody was signed into law, but said more must be done to further protect people in police custody. “It is unconscionable that we needed a law to prevent police officers from sexually assaulting people in their custody,” Rabb said. “But as we are seeing more clearly today than ever before, substantial reforms are needed to protect people who come into contact with police officers, and we cannot take that fact for granted.” Rabb said the legislation signed into law on Thursday banning police officers from engaging in sexual activity with people in their custody was fast-tracked in the state Senate through the tireless advocacy of his colleague, state Sen. Katie Muth. He also praised state Sen. Larry Farnese, who introduced a version of Rabb’s original bill , which was added as an amendment to the legislation that was enacted on Thursday. But further action to pass H.B. 2709 – which would protect people who are being sexually trafficked and end up in police custody from deceitful acts by some law enforcement – is needed, Rabb said. Rabb recently introduced the legislation with state Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Phila. Rabb has credited engaged and passionate community members, especially young people, for the progress that has been made Read more
July 15 email. Read more
In response to Vice President Mike Pence visiting with the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, the Police Reform Working Group, made up of state and county elected officials and advocates, released the following statement:“As members of the Police Reform Working Group, we believe that the path to achieving community safety and racial justice in Pennsylvania must be two-fold. First, we must improve our current system of policing through accountability, oversight, and tangible policy changes that will diminish instances of police brutality against all citizens, but especially against the Black community. Second, we must work with communities to transform and re-envision policing itself through bold systemic changes that center around those most impacted by police violence and structural racism. Read more
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