“It’s only fitting that we acknowledge the success of American Legion Baseball and recognize the impact it has had on our nation’s pastime and our youth in Pennsylvania,” Haddock said. Read more
"Repurposing an old factory or mill for retail, office or arts space, or transforming them into dwellings, encourages economic development and improves the quality of life of a community,” Freeman said. Read more
President Donald Trump and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s big bad abomination is the single largest cut to health care and food assistance in the history of our country. The U.S. Senate Reconciliation bill cuts over $1 trillion from Medicaid and $186 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) over the next decade. Read more
“Alternate models are especially needed to ensure that lower-income households have access to sustainable homeownership," Freeman said. Read more
Legislation that would give municipalities another tool to plan their communities and streamline development passed the state House of Representatives today, according to prime sponsor Rep. Robert Freeman. Read more
HARRISBURG, July 1 — Legislation to support and sustain a strong, well-trained nursing workforce across Pennsylvania that was introduced by state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski was approved by the House Labor & Industry Committee today. The legislation, H.B. 1676 , addresses Pennsylvania’s growing nursing shortage. According to a Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania survey, Pennsylvania hospitals reported that an average of 14 percent of their nursing positions are unfilled, leaving existing nurses stretched thin and working longer hours. The situation is projected to worsen, with the state expected to face a shortage of 20,000 nurses by 2026. “Nurses are an integral part of our healthcare system, from providing critical bedside care to educating patients and families to advocating for patient needs with hospital staff,” said Kosierowski, D-Lackawanna. “Without them, our healthcare system won’t be able to provide lifesaving care to the public.” According to Kosierowski, fewer people entering the nursing profession has created an untenable workplace situation of longer hours and greater patient loads, causing many nurses to leave the profession due to high stress and burnout. In addition, many nurses are at retirement age and are expected to soon leave the profession. The result of having fewer nurses on hospital staffs has negatively impacted patient care, with increased mortality rates and diminished Read more
SCRANTON, June 27 —State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, D-Scranton, announced today she helped the nonprofit Friends of the Poor secure $413,013 in state infrastructure grants from the PA Department of Agriculture. Friends of the Poor, a Scranton nonprofit whose mission is to alleviate the burden of poverty and help to enhance the quality of life in low- to moderate-income communities, will use the funding to create a centralized cold-storage food distribution hub that will streamline nonprofit and farmer access to fresh food for thousands of residents. “I was honored to be in a position to help Friends of the Poor, a wonderful Scranton-based nonprofit, access critical funding that will enable them to develop the infrastructure that will give thousands of food-insecure members of our community access to fresh, nutritious food for their families and themselves” Kosierowski said. “The funding comes from a new, innovative program, Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure, which is an example of the great good that can be accomplished through federal and state partnerships.” The funding comes through Pennsylvania’s Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program — a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The program provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants to support food processing, distribution, and aggregation from multiple farms to help meet demand for local, seasonal, and fresh food. For qualifying Read more
HARRISBURG, June 27 – In the wake of major changes to a federal vaccine advisory panel that could threaten Pennsylvanians’ access to life-saving immunizations, state Reps. Arvind Venkat, Bridget Kosierowski and Tarik Khan, all health professionals, are preparing to introduce legislation that would require private insurers and Medicaid to cover FDA-approved vaccines that have been recommended by certain medical organizations. Venkat said the legislation is needed to ensure that critical immunization protections remain available to Pennsylvanians. “As a physician, I know that vaccines are among the most powerful tools we have in our arsenal for preventing disease. The administration of scheduled childhood vaccines and recommended vaccines to adults has protected all Pennsylvanians for decades,” said Venkat. “Unfortunately, recent developments at the federal level – including the firing of all members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and their replacement with at least several known anti-vaccine activists – is a warning sign. “If ACIP fails to continue recommending certain FDA-approved vaccines, insurers will no longer have to cover them, and critical immunizations that protect children and vulnerable Pennsylvanians from deadly diseases would disappear. Beyond the human toll, long-term health care Read more
“Municipalities with a large amount of tax-exempt properties are faced with the challenge of providing residents with essential services but without a sustaining real estate tax revenue base," Freeman said. Read more
“Our conservation officers deserve to be compensated fairly for the work they do protecting our state," Haddock said. Read more
State Rep. Jeanne McNeill is heralding the final passage of legislation she wrote to support the childcare workforce for childcare providers participating in the Child Care Works program. Read more
State Rep. Jeanne McNeill applauded today’s passage of her electronic nicotine delivery system directory legislation by the House of Representatives. Read more
State Rep. Jeanne McNeill offered the following statement regarding today’s House passage of H.B. 350, a bill on which she is a co-prime sponsor: Read more
State Rep. Jeanne McNeill announced today that her bill, H.B. 205, that would prohibit early termination fees on leased vehicles for medical reasons, has passed the PA House. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden was proud to host her 8th annual Women’s Expo in Stroudsburg. This annual event gives residents of Monroe County the opportunity to connect with state and local organizations to see & hear what they have to offer. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tara Probst co-hosted her 3rd Women’s Expo in Monroe County, bringing state and local organizations under one roof for residents to ask questions about resources to help improve their quality of life and the community as a whole. Read more
"It is wonderful to welcome the company and its new production operation to my district," Haddock said. Read more
Kosierowski to hold FREE Community Shred Event June 21 SCRANTON, June 18 – State Rep. Bridget Kosierowski will hold a free community shred event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, June 21 at Scranton High School, 63 Munchak Way, Scranton. The shred event is a joint event with state Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Lackawanna/Luzerne, and state Reps. Kyle Donahue and Kyle Mullins, both D-Lackawanna, and Jim Haddock, D-Lackawanna/Luzerne. “Our free shred event is a great opportunity for residents to declutter their homes and safely dispose of personal information in an environmentally friendly way,” Kosierowski said. “I cannot stress enough that this shredding event is one of best ways to ensure that your confidential and sensitive documents are properly disposed of so your information will not be used without your knowledge. I encourage everyone to come out to take advantage of this free event to protect their privacy and support the community.” Households are limited to two boxes of papers to shred. Residents do not have to remove paperclips or staples, but it is requested that they remove any objects that could destroy the shredder, such as binders and notebooks. Residents can contact Kosierowski’s office by phone at 570-562-2350 to inquire about the event. Read more
“Using a building such as a former factory or mill for a purpose other than what it was originally intended for is a way to reuse buildings that have stood in our communities for decades," Freeman said. Read more
"This is a vital step in expanding access to property tax relief and ensuring no eligible veteran or surviving spouse is left behind,” Probst said. Read more
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