HARRISBURG, June 19 – House Resolution 387 declaring June 19 through 25 as Pollinator Week in Pennsylvania, sponsored by state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, was unanimously adopted by the House today. “Specifically, this resolution recognizes the importance of bees and other pollinators, as well as beekeepers, in the production of many of the foods produced in the commonwealth,” Matzie said. “Pollinators are often critical to an ecosystem. Their work ensures full harvests of crops and contributes to healthy plants. An estimated one-third of all foods and beverages are delivered by pollinators.” Matzie said that according to the Pollinator Partnership, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection and promotion of pollinators and their ecosystems, pollinators provide important services to over 180,000 different plant species and more than 1,200 crops, adding $217 billion to the global economy. He noted that honey bees alone account for $1.2 billion to $5.4 billion in agricultural productivity in the United States. Additionally, his resolution noted that pollinators support healthy ecosystems that clean the air, stabilize soils, provide protection from severe weather and support wildlife. Matzie’s resolution also recognized the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University Cooperative Extension and Delaware Valley College – Read more
HARRISBURG, June 13 – Seeking to increase voter participation, cut election costs and reduce voter fraud, state Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, today introduced H.B. 1546, which would permit voting by mail. Matzie said his bill was one of several proposed bills to bring Pennsylvania’s voting system into the 21 st century. Under Matzie’s legislation, any eligible Pennsylvania voter would have the option of casting their ballot by mail. “As elected representatives in state government, I believe it is our duty to find ways to make voting for our constituents easier, more accessible and more secure,” Matzie said. “One of those ways, as other states have shown, is to allow any eligible voter to cast their ballot for any and every election by mail.” Matzie said the ability to vote is the most basic tenet of U.S. democracy – and access methods should change with the times to enable participation by the maximum number of eligible voters “Currently, 22 states have provisions allowing certain elections to be conducted entirely by mail, and three of those states – Oregon, Washington and Colorado – hold all elections entirely by mail. California will begin holding all-mail elections in 2018,” Matzie said. Matzie’s bill directs the Department of State and the commonwealth’s county election boards to establish a vote-by-mail system in Pennsylvania. Voters would only have to request a mail-in Read more
HARRISBURG, May 24 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, applauded the announcement that Auditor General Eugene DePasquale has started an investigation into the state Transportation Department's selling of drivers' personal information and other issues as part of a wide-ranging performance audit. Matzie previously has called for an audit regarding the selling of the potentially private information. “I specifically asked the auditor general to review the benefits, as well as the potential dangers of selling this information, and to ensure the safety of the information that may be released,” Matzie said. “With the regular announcement of security breaches at so many different companies and government entities, limiting our resident’s potential exposure is essential. “The process which the auditor general just began actually goes beyond my initial request and will also include an evaluation of the entire PennDOT procurement, bidding and project oversight processes.” The transportation funding plan (Act 89 of 2013) gave PennDOT the authority to sell personal data such as information on drivers, registrations, titles and security interests to other individuals and businesses. The act also gave those third parties the authority to resell that information for an unspecified fee and without the payment of any additional fee to PennDOT. Matzie introduced legislation in both the Read more
Local state Rep. Rob Matzie joined students at Freedom Area High School on May 16 for a special Election Day edition of FHS Meets the Press and took questions from our staff on a number of topics including the role of local government and the importance of transparency, fake news, healthcare, partisanship in today's political landscape, family and his roots as a broadcast journalist covering Pittsburgh sports. Matzie, who sponsored HR 136, designating March 12-18 as Sunshine Week in Pennsylvania, brought official citations of the legislation for each member of the Press staff during his visit. Photos are avaialble to view online at: http://www.pahouse.com/Matzie/PhotoGallery?g=3880 Read more
HARRISBURG, April 25 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, announced that his bill that would legalize sports betting in Pennsylvania's casinos and their licensed facilities was unanimously voted out of the House Gaming Oversight Committee this morning. House Bill 519 would clear a legal path to allow sports betting in all of Pennsylvania's licensed casinos as soon as it is permitted under federal law. Current law only permits sports betting in Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana. New Jersey has been pursuing a legal challenge to the sports betting limitations. In January, as part of an appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court invited the U.S. Solicitor General to file a brief on a legal challenge to the sports betting limitation that was raised by New Jersey. Matzie said the Solicitor General recently met with both sides and it is believed that the Supreme Court will follow the advice of the Solicitor General as to whether the case should proceed to the Supreme Court. "Sports betting in the United States totals an estimated $400 billion per year with only one percent taking place in legal form," Matzie told the committee. "Major sports leagues that have traditionally opposed the legalization of sports betting – the NBA and MLB specifically – have expressed a willingness to take a fresh look at the issue. The NFL’s Raiders are moving to Las Vegas and the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights Read more
Rep. Rob Matzie reports that Norfolk Southern has been awarded a $20 million grant to rehabilitate 14 bridges and lower tracks to accommodate double stack rail cars. Read more
Rep. Rob Matzie salutes trains, the rail freight industry and its workers with two measures adopted unanimously by the state House of Representatives. Read more
Rep. Rob Matzie is reintroducing his Protecting Commonwealth Data legislation that would require state employees conducting state business to use encryption to protect personal, online information from being viewed or modified by a third party. Read more
Rep. Rob Matzie appeals for responsible funding for Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges, emphasizing their importance to the commonwealth and its working families. “Education is the currency of progress, and Pennsylvania’s community colleges are the gold standard for expanding opportunities for its citizens,” Matzie said. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 22 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, today saw his H.R. 138 , designating April as “Limb Loss Awareness Month” in Pennsylvania, receive unanimous House approval. Before the vote, Matzie informed his colleagues that nearly 2 million U.S. residents live with an amputation, while another 28 million are at risk for one. “The primary causes of the 500 amputations that occur each day in our country are vascular disease, trauma and cancer,” Matzie said. “However, the general public is largely unaware of the physical, emotional and financial challenges faced by amputees and their families. Today, we voted to raise awareness of their plight.” Matzie said that according to the Amputee Coalition of America, the U.S. amputee population is projected to more than double by the year 2050 to 3.6 million. He added that the estimated cost to U.S. private and public insurance agencies is at least $12 billion annually. Video of Rep. Matzie’s floor remarks is available here . Read more
HARRISBURG, March 21 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, and other members of the House Transportation Committee joined the Senate Transportation Committee today in hosting a public hearing on Highly Automated Vehicles Testing legislation. Today's hearing focused on S.B. 427 , which would allow the expansion of the testing of Highly Automated Vehicles on Pennsylvania's roads. Currently, Carnegie Mellon University and Uber have received limited approval to test these vehicles. "Western Pennsylvania can become a leading center for this emerging technology," Matzie said. "Between Uber's self-driving vehicles, which began testing on the Pittsburgh streets last September and the technological research centers developing around Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, we are in a prime location to lead the way. "Last September, I was able to take a test drive through the streets of Harrisburg in Carnegie Mellon's autonomous Cadillac. The ride was eye-opening and convinced me that self-driving vehicles are definitely part of our future. This bill can give us the opportunity to become an important part of that future." Nine states currently allow testing of HAVs, including California, Florida, Michigan and Virginia. Today's hearing included testimony from Dr. Raj Rajkumar, a professor in the Electric and Computer Engineering Department and Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, as well as representatives from Read more
HARRISBURG, March 20 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously adopted House Resolution 137 today, sponsored by state Rep. Robert Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, designating March 14, 2017, as “Charter Day” in Pennsylvania. H.R. 137 commemorates the charter King Charles II of England granted William Penn on March 4, 1681, to repay Penn for the debt owed to his father and defining the boundaries of Pennsylvania. “Charter Day honors the important roles both King Charles II and William Penn played in the founding of Pennsylvania and this great nation,” Matzie said. “Not only were they responsible for establishing our commonwealth’s boundaries, William Penn wrote a Frame of Government establishing democratic principles still in use today such as freedom of worship, the use of elected representative assemblies and fair trials featuring independent juries.” In addition to recognizing the significance of Penn and King Charles II, H.R. 137 encourages state residents, schools and other educational institutions to participate in “Charter Day” activities held across the commonwealth. These events included the 18 th Annual Charter Day, hosted by the State Museum of Pennsylvania Day on Sunday, March 12. “The likeness of King Charles II still survives to this day on a 336-year old, four-page parchment charter that is currently on display at the State Museum in Harrisburg until March 17,” Matzie said. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 20 – State Rep. Robert Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, announced the adoption of H.R. 136 today, designating the week of March 12-18, 2017, as “Sunshine Week” in Pennsylvania, highlighting the importance of open and accessible government. Established by the American Society of News Editors in 2005, Sunshine Week is celebrated by journalists, civic groups, educators, citizens and elected officials by discussing the importance of access to public information. The PA NewsMedia Association is responsible for organizing many of the Sunshine Week activities in Pennsylvania. House Resolution 136 also stresses the necessity to protect our constitutional principles, including freedom of speech and freedom of the press in the pursuit of a free and transparent government. “Each year Sunshine Week coincides with James Madison’s birthday, widely considered the father of the U.S. Constitution and an architect of the Bill of Rights,” Matzie said. “Madison reminded us that knowledge and information are required for a free society to govern itself. The press is an indispensable tool for informing the public and as a legislator I support making government information more open and accessible when possible.” At a time when public trust in government is extremely low, Sunshine Week emphasizes the need for government officials to ensure decision making processes are as public and accessible as possible. Sunshine Week highlights Read more
A Pennsylvania lawmaker wants the state to legalize sports betting should federal law be changed to allow it, introducing a bill in the state House of Representatives to allow sports betting at casinos and other licensed facilities. Read more
Matzie talks Legalized Sports Betting with The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 Read more
If the federal law limiting sports betting in most states is overturned, state Rep. Rob Matzie wants Pennsylvania to be in a position to quickly take advantage of it. Read more
Rep. Rob Matzie discusses his legislation that would legalize sports betting in Pennsylvania with Mike Pintek of NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.. Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 14 – State Rep. Rob Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, today introduced legislation that would legalize sports betting in Pennsylvania's casinos and their licensed facilities. House Bill 519 would clear a legal path to allow sports betting in all of Pennsylvania's licensed casinos as soon as it is permitted under federal law. Current law only permits sports betting in Nevada, Oregon, Delaware and Montana. "Sports betting is a $400 billion business in the United States," Matzie said. "Most of that betting takes place illegally, through bookies and off-shore wagering companies. This bill would position Pennsylvania's casinos to be among the leaders in sports betting as soon as the legal hurdles are removed." Most recently, New Jersey has tried to legalize sports betting. Although their initial attempts were denied, New Jersey’s final appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was postponed as the Court announced that it would wait until the new U.S. Solicitor General was confirmed to weigh in on the issue. “This is encouraging, given that President Trump has addressed his stance on the sports betting industry – and his support for legalization – on at least two occasions.” There are currently 12 licensed casinos in Pennsylvania, including four in Western Pennsylvania: Rivers Casino in Allegheny County; The Meadows Racetrack and Casino in Washington County; Lady Luck Read more
Rep. Rob Matzie urges increased awareness of Multiple Sclerosis with unanimous adoption of his resolution designating March 5 through March 11 as “Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Week” in Pa. Read more
Saying rheumatoid arthritis is neither fully understood nor funded, Rep. Rob Matzie, saluted the unanimous adoption of his resolution designating Thursday, Feb. 2, as Rheumatoid Awareness Day in Pennsylvania. Read more
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