HARRISBURG, April 13 -- State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila, is advocating for formal acknowledgement of the extraordinary work of caregivers of Pennsylvania’s veterans through the Hidden Heroes campaign. “Many times, a veteran’s caregiver is a spouse, parent and other loved ones whose lives are transformed, their goals set aside, and they rearrange their lives to help the ones who sacrificed the most for us,” Rabb said. “We need to recognize that these women and men are heroes and sacrifice more than we currently understand.” The Hidden Heroes campaign is an initiative through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation that seeks to raise awareness of the struggles of these special caregivers. It also seeks to establish a national registry where veterans and their caregivers can access resources available to them. Read more
“When I think of Juneteenth, I think of a symbol that can be used as a springboard to talk about all issues around racial equity,” Mr. Rabb said. “All of these things can be rooted and connected to white supremacist laws that were created, not just on the federal level but in our own state.” Read more
Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb talks about how the state has not raised the minimum wage in 15 years and that raising the minimum wage gives dignity to some of the hardest working people in the state. By raising the wage, he says we prioritize equity and help the most vulnerable among us. He discusses the misconceptions around the minimum wage, like how the average age is 35 for minimum wage earners, not high school teenagers. Read more
STATE PROGRAMS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS: Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol: Pregnancy Support Services (Funding Source: Federal Funding) Who May Apply : Community service providers able to serve pregnant and postpartum women with stimulant or opioid misuse issues. Single County Authorities (county drug and alcohol offices) and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) licensed treatment providers are not eligible to apply. Use : To provide pregnancy support services or make referrals to aid pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder. Funds : Approximately 10 to 12 grants up to $600,000 each will be awarded for 18-month projects. Application Deadline : July 13 at 12 PM. More Information : Click on https://www.ddap.pa.gov/DDAPFunding/Pages/Funding-Opportunities.aspx . Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency: 2021-22 PA Academic and Career/Technical Training (PACTT) Competitive Funding (Funding Source: General Fund) Who May Apply : Privately operated residential facilities, community-based providers, and juvenile probation offices that are not currently PACTT Affiliates. Use : To develop programs in the following PACTT service areas that adhere to PACTT Standards in order to gain affiliate status: core programming; academic instruction; work related services; and job skills training. Funds : Grants of up to $20,000. No Read more
Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb celebrates the introduction of the Pa. Fairness Act. He says this statutory change would provide for full humanity and recognize everyone as first-class citizens, including LGBTQ+ individuals. Go to pahouse.com/LGBTQEqualityCaucus to learn more. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 9 – State Rep. Chris Rabb has introduced legislation to fund all public schools throughout Pennsylvania fully and equitably to ensure that every child in the commonwealth can succeed. “Access to a high-quality education is the single best, long-term investment we can make in our children – and for our society – with public dollars,” said Rabb, D-Phila. “That many children throughout Pennsylvania are starting out their life’s path without the resources they need because legislators in Harrisburg haven’t done the work to ensure they have every opportunity for success is unacceptable. My legislation would ensure that public education funding is fully and fairly distributed to districts throughout our commonwealth.” Rabb has circulated a forthcoming bill he has introduced twice before that would require 100% of state funds to be distributed through the fair funding formula effective immediately, acknowledging that our most underfunded school districts need significantly more funding to ensure that they have enough resources to educate their students. The other bill in the package would expand the duties of the bipartisan Basic Education Funding Commission to ensure that the commission consider ways to provide for school funding that is both equitable and adequate, as well as make recommendations for ways to provide increased funding for Pennsylvania’s schools to be reflected in their upcoming Read more
As the deadline to speak out against a request by PECO that would raise the utility bills of many Pennsylvanians looms, Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb speaks with Joline Price of Community Legal Services about why public input matters and how to best be heard. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 3 – State Rep. Chris Rabb said he will introduce legislation to ban police from using crowd control agents like tear gas, pepper balls, mace and rubber bullets. “Debilitating weapons of war have no place being used against civilians,” Rabb said. “And crowd control agents like tear gas and rubber bullets are exactly that, weapons of war. But even some of those agents were banned for use in warfare by the 1925 Geneva Protocol, so there’s absolutely no reason they should be used on civilians in our communities in Pennsylvania.” Rabb said that until last year, during demonstrations by protestors after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minnesota, police in Philadelphia had not used tear gas in 35 years. His forthcoming legislation would ban the use of crowd control agents by law enforcement in Pennsylvania. As a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, I acknowledge this commonwealth exists on the tribal lands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Munsee, Shawnee and Susquehannock. Read more
“Critical Race Theory is not taught in k-12 schools. It’s an analytical approach to understanding inequality and how the law might address persistent inequalities,” Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Philadelphia, told the Capital-Star. Read more
HARRISBURG, May 5 – State House members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus and supporters today outlined their legislative agenda for systemic equity at a Capitol news conference. Members spoke about bills that would resolve bias, create diversity and provide inclusion, bridging the racial divide and inequities in legislation, state government agencies and health care. “This agenda is a road map for changing the way we deliver services, distribute resources and otherwise do business in the Commonwealth in all matters so that everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, gender, or Zip code, will have the same access and the same expectation as residents of Pennsylvania,” said PLBC Chair and state Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila. “The inequities in health care, housing and employment that were exacerbated by the pandemic are not new. They are systemic and often rooted in generations of racism. To address these systemic inequities, we have to remove stigmas, address implicit bias, and invest in systemic equity in ways that provide fair and equitable access to wealth, health, safety and more. We cannot continue doing things as we’ve done in the past and expect the outcome to be different. I have said that before, it still holds true and will continue to be true until we make substantial changes. We won’t relent until we see these changes.” “I truly appreciate the leadership of PLCB Chairwoman Bullock to keep us Read more
The PA Legislative Black Caucus introduced a package of bills to address everything from equality issues in healthcare, agriculture, transportation, and more. Read more
DA Larry Krasner will announce the arrest and charging of an individual for their role in the theft of over a dozen properties in the West Oak Lane, Logan, Frankford, Cedar Brook, and Mt. Airy sections of the city, which stems from an investigation launched in 2019 by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Economic Crimes Unit and the Philadelphia Police Department's Major Crimes Unit. DA Krasner will also provide his weekly gun crimes update. Read more
Pa. State Rep. Chris Rabb (D., Philadelphia) introduced a slate of medical marijuana protection bills this month, including one that would shield medical marijuana patients who fail a work-related drug test. Rabb called Hudnell’s situation “absurd and entirely disheartening.” Read more
Face the State welcomes Rep. Chris Rabb (D-Philadelphia) to discuss issues such as the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case, possible death penalty legislation, and more. Read more
The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal will reopen on Saturday, April 24. Updated documents and guidance will be available today (Friday, April 23rd) by clicking here . This is a grant program established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act. The program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, and is administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. Eligible applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue , with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees. Eligible entities include: Live venue operators or promoters. Theatrical producers. Live performing arts organization operators. Museum operators. Motion picture theater operators (including owners). Talent representatives. Other requirements of note: Must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020. Venue or promoter who received a PPP loan on or after December 27, 2020, will have the SVOG reduced by the PPP loan amount. Read more
Sixteen Pennsylvania House legislators announced this week that they were forming a bipartisan group to build relationships between ideologically distant lawmakers and reform how the lower chamber works. Read more
HARRISBURG, April 20 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., has introduced a trio of bills designed to protect medical cannabis patients and dispensaries from eviction and workplace discrimination. “Medical cannabis is medicine, and we must ensure that people who are prescribed medicine don’t have that held against them by their landlords or by their employers, and we must ensure that the providers of that medicine will not be discriminated against by commercial landlords,” Rabb said. “My legislation serves to protect the providers of medical cannabis and their patients, and to help them live without fear.” Rabb’s three bills are: Employee Protections for Medical Cannabis Patients – Would provide protections for employees failing a drug test due to their use of medical cannabis as a qualified patient by forbidding employers from discharging, threatening, refusing to hire or otherwise discriminating against such employees, and allowing such employees to bring a civil action against their employer. Commercial Tenant Protections for Medical Cannabis Dispensaries – Would protect commercial tenants that legally sell or provide medical cannabis by amending the Medical Marijuana Act to prohibit landlords from evicting, threatening to evict, or otherwise discriminating against a commercial tenant for the lawful sale or possession of medical cannabis if the tenant is certified by the commonwealth. Tenant Read more
HARRISBURG, April 20 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., issued the following statement after a jury in Minneapolis, Minn. found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on three charges in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd: “While this verdict offers us a collective moment of relief, I am nevertheless angered to live in a country where there’s suspense about whether a white law enforcement officer will be convicted for being on camera killing a Black person with impunity. “Anything less than an overhaul of modern policing is complicity in a system borne of injustice, terror and surveillance, which for Pennsylvania has meant a 321-year track record of law enforcement protecting and serving the political interests and property of the most influential minority of our city and state without any history or commitment to transparency or accountability. “We are far passed the trite analogy of good or bad apples. We must finally acknowledge that we are dealing with a toxic barrel and commit ourselves to building a new vessel for change that centers on community safety and restorative justice.” As a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, I acknowledge this commonwealth exists on the tribal lands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Lenape, Munsee, Shawnee and Susquehannock. Read more
HARRISBURG, April 20 – To celebrate Earth Day on April 22, state Rep. Chris Rabb has called for support of his legislation to transition Pennsylvania to 100% renewable energy by 2050. “Earth Day was founded in 1970 to bring awareness to environmental issues, and I could not think of a better way to truly honor the day than to take action to literally save our environment and our planet,” said Rabb, D-Phila. “Earth Day has long been a day when people plant trees, collect litter or take other small steps to help our planet. That action is a beautiful and important thing because we must all act to save our very existence. “But the Pennsylvania legislature has the power this Earth Day to take a huge step in helping our planet – a huge step in what will be a journey to save humanity from climate change – by working to enact my legislation and get our commonwealth to 100% renewable energy by 2050,” Rabb continued. “So, while you’re creating your action plan for how you celebrate this Earth Day, consider calling or emailing Pennsylvania legislators to urge them to enact my legislation, which I’m calling Go 100% Pennsylvania.” Pennsylvania residents can use this website to find their legislator. A list of members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives is here , and a list of senators is here . Rabb, known for his climate activism and for regularly authoring and promoting progressive policies, Read more
HARRISBURG, April 12 — State Reps. Chris Rabb and Liz Hanbidge have reintroduced legislation to study the costs and benefits of electric vehicles to better understand the impact of the vehicles in Pennsylvania. “Studies have shown that electric vehicles emit significantly less greenhouse gas than gasoline-powered vehicles,” Rabb, D-Phila., said. “With climate change upon us, we know electric vehicles offer a huge benefit in that they mean cleaner air and less pollution. When it comes to the fees that electric vehicle owners will be charged – specifically regarding the motor vehicle tax – Representative Hanbidge and I believe additional information is needed, and that’s why we’re urging a study.” “Studying the impact of electric cars on our commonwealth allows us deeper insight into how we can best utilize this exciting technology to create better and cleaner transportation opportunities for our communities." Hanbidge, D-Montgomery, said. Despite their positive environmental impact, electric vehicles do not pay the state motor vehicle tax, which is attached to gasoline prices. Because the funds from the motor vehicle tax are used to repair and maintain state roads and bridges, the state legislature has considered proposals to create an annual electric vehicle road use fee to alleviate any discrepancy in this funding. Rabb and Hanbidge have reintroduced a resolution that would direct the Legislative Read more
Noting that capital punishment is not only an ineffective way to deter crime, but is also very costly to taxpayers and deeply flawed because people sentenced to death have later been exonerated, state Rep. Chris Rabb has reintroduced legislation that would repeal the death penalty in Pennsylvania. Read more
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