Congress Letter re: ICE Read more
In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic affecting Pennsylvania, we wanted to provide you with the following resources and information to help you and your family in the days ahead. Please note that this webpage will be updated as needed with additional information and resources. State Services and Resources The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has created a COVID-19 guide to assist everyone. It includes information on social distancing, mental health resources, unemployment, food assistance, changes from PennDOT and resources for small business: https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/ For individuals : https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/#ForIndividuals For families : https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/#ForFamilies For businesses : https://dced.pa.gov/resources COVID Support for PA Businesses : The following provides information and and links to federal, state, local and private resources. https://www.pahouse.com/News/?id=113388 **Self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers: Apply here for federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits .** https://www.pa.gov/guides/responding-to-covid-19/#ForBusinessesUtilities Information from the PA Dept. of Labor and Industry on the federal CARES Act: https://www.uc.pa.gov/COVID-19/CARES-Act/Pages/default.aspx The following link provides you with Read more
HARRISBURG, March 9 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, is urging the passage of legislation designed to strengthen democracy by improving access to voting, reducing the power of big-money corporate special interests, and ensuring lawmakers put the people’s interests first in Pennsylvania. “A democracy is only as strong as its people, and the people show their strength at the polls,” Howard said. “The people are made up of more than deep-pocketed special interest groups. We must ensure everyone has access to the polls, and that everyone’s voice is heard. Otherwise, ‘a government of the people, by the people, and for the people’ is an empty phrase.” Howard’s sentiments echoed those of House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody, D-Allegheny: “Nothing breaks down the people’s trust in their government and their elected officials like seeing deep-pocket donors get what they want while regular working families are left with nothing but the bill to pay. “It’s time Pennsylvania took a leading role when it comes to honest elections, getting more people to the polls and making sure your voice counts more than special interest dollars.” Dermody noted the Citizens United decision first opened the floodgates of hidden money into U.S. elections 10 years ago, and a combination of partisan gerrymandering, attacks on voting rights and foreign influence on elections has Read more
Malvern, March 4 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, today announced Historic Sugartown Inc. and Historic Yellow Springs received a combined $13,270 in state grant funding. The funds were awarded by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s Cultural and Historical Support Grant Program. The program provides general operating support to Pennsylvania museums and official county historical societies that are not directly supported by other state agencies operating support programs. “To know who we are today, we must know who we were,” Howard said. “To know where we are going, we must know where we came from, and I’m glad to see this money will help these villages preserve and educate the public on Chester County’s rich historical roots.” Preserved by Historic Sugartown Inc., Historic Sugartown is a restored and preserved 19 th century rural crossroads village that allows visitors to experience how life and business were conducted. Historic Yellow Springs is a living village that preserves 275 years of American history and focuses on the village’s history and promotes the arts, education and the environment. Historic Sugartown Inc. received $4,000 and Historic Yellow Springs received $9,270 in state funding. For more information about this program, visit https://www.phmc.pa.gov/Preservation/Grants-Funding/Pages/Museum-Support.aspx . Read more
Winter 2020 NL Read more
Quiet and deadly, people from all walks of life are afflicted by opioid addiction. Every day, 192 American lives are lost to opioid overdose. These victims have families, friends, communities. This epidemic affects more than those who abuse the drugs – it devastates the lives of everyone in its orbit. Sadly, our society is alarmingly susceptible to this deadly habit. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , Pennsylvania has one of the highest overdose-related death rates in the country, behind only Ohio and West Virginia, as of 2017. That same year, Chester County alone saw 107 deaths as a result of the horrors of this epidemic. And the deaths are only a part of the picture. Since the start of 2018, there have been more than 21,000 ER visits in Pennsylvania alone for opioid overdoses. Solving this crisis requires “all hands on deck.” A united, bipartisan effort is essential to treating those currently addicted and to implementing preventative measures that will halt this epidemic. We must collaborate with law enforcement, healthcare providers and our schools to provide a holistic solution. Profit-obsessed pharmaceutical manufacturers have created a line of products that undercuts patients’ wellbeing, all too frequently replacing existing problems with new ones. It is my personal mission to continue fighting this crisis on behalf of those battling addiction, as well as their loved ones. Along with other Read more
NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Rep. Kristine Howard D-Chester www.pahouse.com/Howard Howard to host Policy Committee hearing on opioid epidemic Monday in Exton, followed by constituent listening event at 6 p.m. EXTON, Feb. 18 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, will host a House Democratic Policy Committee public hearing on the opioid epidemic in Pennsylvania. The hearing will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24 at West Whiteland Township Building, 101 Commerce Drive. Howard will also hold a listening session for constituents at 6 p.m. at the same location. Discussion will center on what Pennsylvania has done and plans on doing to address the ongoing opioid crisis. Howard will be joined by fellow legislators from across the state, including Policy Committee Chairman Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster. The current agenda is: 2 p.m. Welcome and opening remarks 2:10 p.m. Panel One: Nathan Schenker , first assistant public defender, Chester County Vince Cocco , assistant district attorney, Chester County 2:45 p.m. Panel Two: Vincent H. Brown , executive director, Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services Jamie Johnson , deputy director, Chester County Department of Drug and Alcohol Services Karen Archambo, clinical Read more
For many, the phrase human trafficking conjures images of elsewhere. They may have heard that the U.S. Department of State estimates some 12 million victims of human trafficking worldwide. But not here, surely. Not in my backyard. Yet sadly, terrifyingly, it is here. The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape estimates over 100,000 U.S. citizens are victims of human trafficking each year, plus tens of thousands of undocumented citizens are suffering forced labor within our borders. More shockingly still, the Philadelphia area has been identified as a major American hub for human trafficking. Traffickers profit from abusing and exploiting others, most often through forced labor and sex crimes. These traffickers wield immense power over their victims by forcing them into extreme dependency. That these appalling acts happen today, in our own community, is mind-boggling. Something must be done, and I am happy to say that my fellow legislators – on both sides of the aisle – and I recently voted nearly unanimously on the following bills to support victims and to toughen penalties for human trafficking: H.B. 161 – Would amend the Crimes Code to increase the grading for a conviction for dealing in infant children from a first-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree felony. H.B. 2174 – Would amend the Crimes Code to ensure it affords victims of human trafficking the same protections contained Read more
With pipelines crisscrossing my district, I was very happy to hear Gov. Wolf include pipeline safety and oversight initiatives in his 2020-21 budget plan. Pipeline safety and accountability are enormous concerns in Chester County, and I have worked to ensure those concerns are heard in Harrisburg. In addition to meetings with Energy Transfer Partners, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and the Public Utility Commission, I also met with Gov. Wolf multiple times to discuss my concerns – and those of my constituents – regarding this issue. Additionally, at my invitation, the governor visited Chester County to tour pipeline sights. The seeds of these meetings bore fruit this past week, as evidenced in the governor’s budget address. The governor has displayed a deeper insight in these matters, and I am very enthusiastic about his prioritization of pipeline issues and his call for immediate legislative action to address glaring gaps in existing law: As it stands, no state agency has authority to review intrastate pipeline routes, essentially allowing pipeline operators to site through densely populated high-consequence areas. Pipeline operators are not currently required to provide pertinent information to schools and childcare centers located near pipelines. Operators are not required to provide residents and municipalities with notification regarding drilling activities at least five days in Read more
HARRISBURG, Jan. 17 – State Rep. Kristine Howard applauded Gov. Tom Wolf today for awarding PAsmart Targeted grants worth $35,000 apiece to Great Valley and Tredyffrin-Easttown school districts to help expand computer science classes and teacher training. “I’m proud that the Great Valley and Tredyffrin-Easttown school districts will be able to deepen and enrich their STEM education programs,” Howard said. “Over the next 10 years, 71 percent of new jobs in PA will require employees to use computers and new technologies. It’s critical that we prepare technologically savvy students who can thrive in the 21 st century workplace.” The grants help schools introduce and expand computer science programming, and to provide pre-kindergarten through grade 12 educators with CS training. The targeted grant awardees from across the commonwealth have prioritized expanding access to computer science for underrepresented students, such as students of color, girls, low-income students and students in rural communities. For more information about PAsmart grants, go here . Read more
MALVERN, Jan. 16 – State Rep. Kristine Howard said she congratulates Immaculata University on being awarded a state grant to combat sexual assault on campus. Governor Tom Wolf announced $1 million in “It’s On Us” grants today for 36 colleges and universities statewide. Immaculata University was awarded $29,172. “I’m glad to see Immaculata University working to address sexual assault on campus. Students must feel safe and protected in order to pursue their education,” said Howard, D-Chester. “I support the state’s efforts to highlight the role we all must play in ending sexual assault, and I congratulate Immaculata for earning financial support.” More information on the program is available here . Read more
MALVERN, Jan. 14 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, today expressed her dismay at the Trump administration’s proposed changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the benchmark environmental protection law signed by President Richard Nixon in 1970. Howard sent a letter to U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, D-Pa., and U.S. Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., imploring them to oppose the changes. The proposed changes would narrow the scope of NEPA, making the approval process easier for major energy and infrastructure promises by eschewing detailed environmental reviews. “The changes are reckless, plain and simple,” Howard said. “The Trump administration is stripping away existing legal constraints because their oil and gas friends think that the review process is long and cumbersome. Tough.” As it stands, major projects must be assessed for potential environmental impacts before receiving approval, and the public must be involved in the process. This allows environmentalists, tribal activists and other concerned citizens to have a voice, she said. However, by redefining “major federal action,” the new version of NEPA would exclude privately financed projects with minimal government funding from these requirements, including several controversial pipeline projects in Howard’s district. “By proposing arbitrary deadlines and page limits for environmental reviews in the name Read more
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MALVERN, Jan. 3 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, expressed hesitant support for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection's oversight of Energy Transfer Partners, the Texas-based company that owns the Mariner East 2 pipeline. The DEP issued a $30.6 million civil penalty to ETC Northeast Pipeline , a subsidiary of Energy Transfer Partners, for violations related to the 2018 Revolution Pipeline explosion and fire. The DEP also lifted a permit ban, which has been in place since 2018. “I am pleased to see the DEP holding drillers to account,” Howard said, “yet can’t help but feel underwhelmed. Fines like this are little more than the cost of doing business for multi-billion-dollar companies like Energy Transfer Partners. And the lifting of the longstanding permit ban is a tremendously unwarranted leap of faith in a company that has consistently shown itself a bad actor.” The DEP suspended all reviews of permit applications and approvals for ETC after the Revolution pipeline explosion. ETC has “demonstrated its intention to correct its unlawful conduct to DEP’s satisfaction,” according to the regulatory agency. “No amount of money can make up for the devastation ETC has caused,” Howard said. “The DEP’s fine is a symbolic gesture, but I am worried the lifting of the permit ban is an invitation for ETC to resume dangerous, uncaring business as usual. I will Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 16 – Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, this morning joined Gov. Tom Wolf, justices and fellow legislators at a news conference with Pew Charitable Trusts on the creation of a Juvenile Justice Task Force, which will develop a report on steps the Commonwealth can take to strengthen the juvenile justice system. “This task force is a great step towards a safe, healthy and well-educated future for the children of Pennsylvania,” Howard said. “When it comes to the welfare of Pennsylvania’s youth—and to improving our communities across the commonwealth—there is much work to be done. This data-driven task force is the way forward, and I look forward to taking up its recommendations. “I am committed to supporting the membership of this task force in any way I can to develop and pass evidence-based recommendations that will ensure that our systems are fair, equitable and responsive to all youth.” Joining Howard and Wolf were Rep. Bryan Cutler, R-Lancaster, the Hon. Kim Berkeley Clark, the Hon. Douglas Reichley, Sen. Anthony Williams, D-Philadelphia/Delaware, Sen. Larry Farnese, D-Philadelphia, and Sen. Mike Regan, R-Cumberland. Read more
Imagine a butcher being invited to sit on an advisory board for longhorn steer safety. It’s an absolute farce. Yet Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, a climate change-denier from western Pennsylvania, has been appointed to the state’s Climate Change Advisory Council by House Speaker Mike Turzai. According to House Majority Leader Bryan Cutler, Metcalfe’s chairmanship of the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee makes him “best suited to participate on the [advisory] committee.” Metcalfe is, after all, the most powerful lawmaker in Harrisburg when it comes to environmental issues. But Metcalfe also disagrees with 97 percent of the world’s scientists. Science-denying Metcalfe has accused environmentalists of all sorts of nonsense, like when he lambasted Auditor General Eugene DePasquale for “partisan pandering [to] the governor’s delusional climate change policy proposals” and for “Chicken Little fear-mongering” when the auditor general had the audacity to say that the state wasn’t financially prepared for climate change-related heavy weather. He also went on record at an environmental committee meeting to say, "I enjoy my vegetables, and plants need CO 2 ,” and so the state shouldn’t do anything to cut carbon emissions, a fun line of thinking he picked up from his science-denying buddy Gregory Wrightstone, an absolute hack author that Metcalfe has invited to testify before Read more
MALVERN, Nov. 19 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, announced today that East Whiteland and Charlestown townships have received $ 540,537 in state funds for a new township park. “This grant is outstanding news for East Whiteland and Charlestown townships, as the new park will help contribute to our sense of community,” Howard said. “The state’s investment will reap benefits for generations to come.” The project focuses on the acquisition of approximately 154 acres stretching across both townships for use as a public park. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Recreation and Conservation assists local governments, and recreation and conservation organizations with funding for projects related to conservation, parks and recreation, including conservation of open space, river conservation and access, and the planning, acquisition and development of public parks. More information can be found here . Read more
MALVERN, Nov. 14 – State Rep. Kristine Howard announced today that East Whiteland Township has received $200,000 in state funds to develop Bacton Hill Park. “I’m so glad that that these state funds have been released to East Whiteland Township to develop Bacton Hill Park into a space that will give people of all ages pleasure and enjoyment,” said Howard, D-Chester. “I’m proud that the state is assisting in improving the quality of life in our communities through investments like these.” Bacton Hill Park, formerly known as the Swanenburg property, has been owned by East Whiteland Township for 20 years. During this time, few improvements were made to the space. Howard said these funds will enable the substantial rehabilitation of the space. The project focuses on the development of Bacton Hill Park in East Whiteland Township. The work will include construction of a pavilion, a pedestrian walkway, a parking area, as well as stormwater management measures. The project also includes the installation of play equipment with required safety surfacing; ADA access, landscaping, project signage and other related site improvements. DCNR’s Bureau of Recreation and Conservation assists local governments, recreation and conservation organizations with funding for projects related to conservation, parks and recreation, including conservation of open space, river conservation Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 22 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, held a Capitol news conference today in support of her H.B. 1344 , which would allow prosecutors to charge crimes against people with intellectual or physical disabilities as hate crimes. “Attacks committed against individuals with disabilities represent some of the most repugnant imaginable,” said Howard, D-Chester, “and yet, they are punished with little more than a slap on the wrist.” She highlighted a critical gap in Pennsylvania’s criminal code: attacks committed against individuals with disabilities do not receive the additional consideration that is given to crimes committed against an individual based on race, color, religion or national origin. This new bill, which comes in response to several recent attacks, would revise the state criminal code to ensure that crimes against individuals with intellectual or physical disabilities are given the same consideration as those based on race, color, religion or national origin. The Arc of Pennsylvania, a nonprofit that provides services and programs for people with disabilities, advocated for the addition and worked on the legislation closely with Howard and state Sen. Thomas Killion, R-Chester/Delaware. Howard’s bill is a bipartisan companion to Killion’s S.B. 444, which also is in response to a recent slew of attacks on individuals with disabilities. Read more
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