Looking to build on the continued success of the Northeast region in the Commonwealth, state Rep. Jeanne McNeill assumed the role of chair of the Northeast Democratic Delegation in the PA House of Representatives today, a role previously held by state Rep. Maureen Madden. Read more
“The average age of public schools in Pennsylvania is roughly 70 years old and many are in need of repairs and upgrades to ensure students and staff have safe and comfortable learning environments,” said Schweyer, D-Lehigh. “I am pleased to see bipartisan support for this bill as this would benefit schools across the commonwealth in urban, suburban and rural communities.” Read more
Pa. state Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz urged support for her legislation which would remove restrictions for non-citizens in order to make it easier for them to become teachers. Cepeda-Freytiz says that in the Reading School District alone they have almost 100 vacancies and this legislation would help to fill that gap. The bill passed the House 110-93. Read more
“Let’s as a collective tackle this growing problem and let’s continue to eliminate some of these barriers that don’t apply to most careers in the Commonwealth, let alone in the United States,” said the bill’s primary sponsor, Rep. Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz, a Democrat from Berks County. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Maureen Madden co-hosted her 5th Women’s Expo with Rep. Tarah Probst in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, on Saturday, June 24. Madden and her staff worked hard with Probst and her staff to bring over 80 vendors providing a variety of resources that the women of Monroe County can use to improve their family’s lives. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarah Probst co-hosted Rep. Maureen Madden’s 5th Women’s Expo in Stroudsburg, Monroe County. Probst and her staff worked hard with Madden to bring over 80 vendors providing a variety of resources that the women of Monroe County can use to improve their family’s lives. Read more
Sponsored by state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh, the legislation would create a statewide contractor law, establishing requirements that would have to be met by companies bidding on infrastructure projects that are publicly funded. Read more
“Education is the foundation of progress. We need a commonsense approach that can help us put Pennsylvania back on track. I am proud to champion this issue and I cannot wait until this bill is signed into law,” Cepeda-Freytiz said. Read more
State Rep. Josh Siegel released a statement on the passage of H.B. 1500 – a minimum wage bill – in the House this week: Read more
Said Rep. Madden: “For all the issues that Act 77 may still have, Pa. voters embraced the no-excuse mail-in voting with open arms. We came out to vote in numbers never seen before. And I expect that Pa. voters will react quite similarly to open primaries.” Read more
Rep. Jim Haddock was joined by fellow Luzerne County Democrat Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, who noted that it’s been 16 years since the last minimum wage increase in Pennsylvania, in voting for the legislation. Read more
House Bill 1449, sponsored by state Rep. Josh Siegel, D-Lehigh, would establish a statewide responsible contractor law, setting clear requirements that firms bidding on publicly funded infrastructure projects must meet and requiring firms to have a state or federal registered apprenticeship program and pay the prevailing wage rate. Read more
The lack of accountability for academic performance and the flawed funding scheme represent broken promises to students and taxpayers, Rep. Tarah Probst, D-Monroe, said, adding the windfall charter schools receive sometimes gives rise to waste and outright fraud. Read more
Committee Chairman Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Allentown, referred to the bill as a “magical unicorn” given its unanimous support from teachers unions, the Department of Education, school administrators, and the legislature. Read more
State Rep. Pete Schweyer (D., Lehigh), who chairs his chamber’s Education Committee, told Spotlight PA that he “fundamentally” opposes lifeline scholarships and believes it would be a mistake to route state money into public school alternatives when the courts have said the public school system itself needs funding. Read more
State Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski released a statement on the passage of H.B. 1500 – the minimum wage bill. Read more
“Today’s vote is a start that would provide a long overdue raise for more than a million Pennsylvania workers, including thousands of hardworking people in Monroe and Pike counties,” Rep. Tarah Probst said. Read more
"It's about time that the commonwealth starts investing in this,” Education Committee Chairperson Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, who is the bill’s prime sponsor, said. Read more
Said Schweyer: “There are schools across the state that have mold, lead paint, asbestos, don’t have access to internet, are not accessible to students in wheelchairs or have other special needs and – it’s about time the commonwealth starts investing in this.” Read more
“We can and must do better for our students. Under my bill, a grant program would be created which would support school districts with much needed infrastructure maintenance which the current school construction program does not cover.” Read more
“It is past time for Pennsylvania’s lowest-earning workers to receive at least the same wages as their counterparts in surrounding states, all of which have higher minimum wages than we do. The stepped increase in this bill would give the economy time to adjust as workers earn more," said Haddock. Read more
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