HARRISBURG, July 23 – This week, state Reps. Stephen Kinsey, Jordan Harris, and Malcolm Kenyatta, all D-Phila., announced they will be introducing a resolution honoring Congressman John Lewis, who died on July 17. “Congressman Lewis was an integral part of the Civil Rights movement and a leading voice in the advancement of economic and social justice. His life was devoted to activism and advocacy for equal justice in America, and his actions have inspired so many today,” Kinsey said. “The next generation of leaders will continue to follow his legacy and help us achieve the equality that Congressman Lewis pictured.” “Congressman John Lewis was truly a giant of the Civil Rights movement and, beyond that, a moral compass in the United States House of Representatives,” Harris said. “Few have been able to have such a profound effect on the centuries-long struggle for equality and dignity for our Black and brown communities, but Congressman Lewis was a beacon of hope and righteousness that shined through very dark clouds in our nation’s history. It’s an honor to be fraternity brothers with Congressman Lewis in Phi Beta Sigma, and we will ensure his legacy will not be forgotten and, instead, will continue to energize and mobilize generation after generation that will carry on the mantle of this fight.” "The life and service of John Lewis was immensely influential in my own Read more
State Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., House Democratic Whip, praised House Bill 440, legislation that passed the House today and will open Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate program to hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians. Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 1 – Following a second positive COVID-19 test by a Republican representative who has been regularly present in Harrisburg, House Democratic leaders issued the following statement decrying the continued political gamesmanship, disregard for CDC guidelines and hypocrisy of House Republicans putting members, staff and the communities they go home to at risk: “We wish the representative a speedy recovery as he battles this serious virus. “It’s unfortunate, however, that once again House Republicans brought members and staff to the Capitol to continue the charade of working for Pennsylvania while doing nothing to truly help our state. In the past few weeks we have done hardly anything legislatively to increase the pay for essential employees, work to fix our election code as we speed toward the upcoming General Election, provide PPE for frontline workers or provide funding for grants to help struggling small businesses. “Among other things, Republican leadership did find time to continue their purely political attacks on Governor Tom Wolf and hold a hearing today, which ironically ended early due to the positive COVID-19 test, to attack Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine over her successful mitigation tactics that have saved thousands of lives in Pennsylvania. “They also passed bills to name multiple bridges and authorize transfers of several pieces of state-owned land and positioned a resolution for a final Read more
Following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, supporters of the Affordable Care Act across the U.S. have become incredibly anxious about the federal law, which has been argued several times in court in attempts to deem it unconstitutional. Read more
HARRISBURG, Sep. 25 – This week, PA House Democrats reacted to the relentless attack on the Affordable Care Act by President Trump and Republicans in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. by publicly calling for a vote on four bills to make sure people don’t lose their access to health care and insurance – coverage that’s more vital than ever in the era of COVID-19. “While Republicans are focused on nothing more than trying to force working people back into dangerous situations by undoing the virus mitigation efforts that have saved thousands of lives, we are focused on people’s safety, jobs and health,” House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny/Westmoreland, said. “President Trump has had the Affordable Care Act in his sights since Day One, and now he and congressional Republicans are looking to tilt the Supreme Court right before a decision that could end the ACA. Nothing matters more than making sure people can afford to see a doctor when they get sick, and it’s time for the majority party here in Pennsylvania to join us and put those people first.” “Now, more than ever, people need to know they can continue to see their doctor and get the care they need without having to worry about insurmountable medical bills,” House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris, D-Phila., said. “Unfortunately, we can be called back to Harrisburg at the drop of a hat to play political games, but not to deal with this Read more
Stay updated with Rep. Harris' Summer 2020 Newsletter. 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
HARRISBURG, Aug. 25 – House Democratic leaders released the following statement on the fall legislative agenda outlined by Gov. Tom Wolf, which responds to the needs of Pennsylvania families for economic relief and government reform and includes many ideas brought forward by House Democrats: “As we continue to move forward in Pennsylvania’s path to recovery, we stand united with Governor Wolf in his efforts to protect the health and welfare of all Pennsylvanians in the face of a continuing global pandemic. “Much of the governor’s legislative agenda is shared by House Democrats, as we’ve pushed for paid parental leave, increased access to personal protective equipment for frontline workers and removing special interest influence from our elections, among other proposals outlined by the governor. These goals are aimed at creating a safe, healthy and prosperous Pennsylvania that works for all of its people. “Unfortunately, we’ve spent far too much time with a Republican-led legislature determined to pick fights that only undermine the health and safety of our state. Rather than face this public health crisis head on, Republicans have taken it upon themselves to ignore science and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and pretend the pandemic is over. Instead of authorizing hazard pay for frontline workers or providing housing and utility assistance to struggling Pennsylvanians, valuable Read more
HARRISBURG, July 27 – House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody, Democratic Whip Jordan Harris and Democratic Appropriations Chairman Matt Bradford welcomed the decision by Gov. Tom Wolf to let an open records measure become law and said the legislature should pass other pending bills to bring additional transparency to Pennsylvania government. More than a year ago, House Democrats proposed bills to add new dimensions of openness to state government, including: Comprehensive campaign finance reform, including better disclosure of groups or individuals responsible for independent expenditures made in support of candidates (H.B. 795 sponsored by Dermody). Tighter limits and better reporting of gifts to public officials and employees from special-interest lobbyists seeking to gain unfair advantages (H.B. 1291 sponsored by Rep. Tina Davis). Improvements to voting and election processes (more than a dozen bills were introduced by multiple Democrats, including a comprehensive omnibus measure, H.B. 1560, sponsored by Rep. Chris Rabb). A bill to prohibit lobbyists from also working as paid campaign consultants (H.B. 1421 sponsored by Rep. Tina Davis). “At the start of the pandemic, under truly extraordinary circumstances, the Wolf administration had to delay responding to Right-To-Know inquiries,” Dermody said. “However, since May they have again been responding to these requests. “Governor Read more
This week on Face the State we are taking a deeper dive at the reopening of Pennsylvania schools, as part of our Project Education Initiative. Later in the show, Rep. Jordan Harris joins the program with what’s next in the state’s response to COVID-19 and police reform. Read more
HARRISBURG, July 15 – Pennsylvania House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody, Democratic Whip Jordan Harris and Democratic Appropriations Chairman Matt Bradford, on behalf of the entire Pa. House Democratic Caucus, today sent a letter to U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., urging them to support the HEROES Act. The U.S. House of Representatives in May passed the HEROES Act to provide much-needed continued relief to Americans through the COVID-19 pandemic, and the U.S. Senate has failed to take action. The full letter is as follows: Dear Senator Casey and Senator Toomey: It has been nearly two months since the U.S. House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act to support Americans as they weather the unprecedented health and economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the Senate has failed to take action on this important legislation. With cases rising across the country and again in Pennsylvania -- creating an even more serious strain on our health care systems and testing capacity as we move toward fall -- federal leadership is desperately needed to help Pennsylvanians get the care they need and the protections they deserve. In May, the Pennsylvania General Assembly worked with Governor Tom Wolf to pass an interim, partial budget, but the fate of many essential services depends on your actions to provide additional support to states. The budgetary challenge caused by the coronavirus pandemic is 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
For almost 36 straight hours, Justin Stineman said, he lived and partied like a rock star.Stineman, 23, a local rapper from Lititz, Lancaster County, who performs under the name Nexus The League, said his parents were away in Italy. So he decided to play a show and host an after-party, which finally wrapped up on Jan. 22, 2018.Next, Stineman said, he and others dropped his friend off at work in Harrisburg at 7 a.m. Stineman said he was falling asleep on the way back. Later, he said, he went to take a 10-minute nap in the car, which was parked across from his home on East Lincoln Street. Read more
In response to the Pennsylvania Senate passing H.Bs. 1841 and 1910, state Reps. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., House Democratic whip, Joanna McClinton, D-Phila., House Democratic chair, Jason Dawkins, D-Phila., Philadelphia Delegation chairman, Dan Miller, D-Allegheny, Allegheny Delegation chairman, Dan Williams, D-Chester, Summer Lee, D-Allegheny, and Chris Rabb, D-Phila., released the following statement:“In Harrisburg, the legislative process can often be slow and grinding. However, in times of crisis, slow and grinding is unacceptable. The passage of these two police reform bills in only a month’s time reflects the fact that when people take to the streets and demand action from their elected officials, we as a General Assembly are capable of working deliberatively and quickly. Read more
Starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, the window opens for applications from Pennsylvania small businesses to tap a $225 million grant program that is intended to help them recover their losses from the COVID-19 pandemic and reopen their doors.The COVID-19 Relief Statewide Small Business Assistance program announced earlier this month by Gov. Tom Wolf, will accept applications for 10 days before closing until the second of four rounds of grant distributions begins in early August. Read more
Pennsylvania lawmakers endorsed bills Wednesday that would overhaul law enforcement hiring, training and use of force procedures in the wake of a national reckoning over police brutality and systemic racism.House Bills 1841 and 1910 sailed through the lower chamber with unanimous support after several impassioned speeches from members of the Black Legislative Caucus – whose floor protest two weeks ago put legislative action into motion. Read more
Pennsylvania is taking a first step toward responding to cries for police reform. The bipartisan action comes amid the unrest over the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police.The calls for police reform and accountability are being heard loud and clear as thousands of protesters continue to demonstrate in Philadelphia and throughout the commonwealth. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, June 18 – Philadelphia lawmakers today held a virtual news conference to lay out the steps the Pennsylvania legislature must take to create a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the calls for racial justice demanded by Pennsylvanians across the state are acted on. State Sen. Vince Hughes and state Reps. Jordan Harris and Jason Dawkins each addressed aspects of a plan to ensure a living wage and a fair return to work for all Pennsylvanians, great schools and a superior education for all from pre-school through college; career and technical training; access to quality health care and testing; a roof over every head; tax cuts for working families to ensure no one is taxed into poverty; and safe voting options and integrity to guarantee every voice is heard and every vote is counted. The lawmakers said all of these things should be available to all Pennsylvanians, especially marginalized communities that have suffered most during the COVID-19 pandemic and at the hands of a systemic system of bigotry and racism in not just law enforcement, but also in education, health care, housing, wages and working conditions. “The current crisis, both the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest stemming from systemic racism, have shown that the way things were simply wasn’t working for too many Pennsylvanians,” Harris said. “We can’t go back to a broken system. Instead, we must reform nearly all aspects of our Read more
Citing the disproportionate damage being done to minority communities in Pennsylvania by excessive use of force, state Rep. Jordan Harris, D-Phila., House Democratic Whip, will soon be introducing the Ending Immunity for Excessive Use of Force Act that would eliminate blanket qualified immunity for the use of unjustified or excessive force that results in serious bodily injury or death. Read more
The Police Reform Working Group, a collection of elected officials and advocates working to bring accountability and transparency reforms to law enforcement, released the following statement in response to Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney’s commitment to police reform: “To bring about true and meaningful law enforcement reform, we must work together with leaders at all levels of government so the voices of those we represent can be heard and forward-thinking change achieved. We’ve already had several conversations with Mayor Kenney’s administration and those discussions have been promising. We appreciate the mayor’s willingness to listen and believe that his announcement today is the first step in what will be a long, but productive, journey to reform. Read more
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