HARRISBURG, June 14 – Legislation authored by state Reps. Joe Ciresi and R. Lee James to create a direct path for dance teacher certification, H.B. 2678, was included in the 2022-23 state budget. Due to Ciresi and James’ legislative push, the Public School Code now includes a provision directing the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop an instructional certificate in pre-K through grade 12 dance, with exceptions for current dance teachers and those in the process of obtaining a dance teaching certificate. “I am proud that this year’s budget has incorporated Representative James’ and my legislation to create a direct path for dance certification,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery. “Our legislation sought to improve Pennsylvania’s dance programs by requiring discipline-specific education in dance for new teachers. Now, there will be a clear path to certification for dance teachers, which will improve the quality of Pennsylvania’s dance programs, benefitting the thousands of Pennsylvania students in K-12 schools.” Previously, Pennsylvania dance teachers could not be directly certified in dance and, instead, were certified in communications or physical or vocational education. According to the legislators, the certification process had a negative impact on dance teacher preparedness, continuing education and Pennsylvania school districts’ dance programs. “We had introduced this Read more
HARRISBURG, July 13 – The co-chairs of the bipartisan Film Industry Caucus, state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and K.C. Tomlinson, R-Bucks, highlighted the successful increase of the cap for the film production tax credit to $100 million in the 2022-23 budget. “Last year, Rep. Tomlinson and I introduced HB 1432 to expand the film production tax credit’s cap because Pennsylvania was losing out on film productions to other states due to our program’s limitations,” Ciresi said “Thanks to our legislative push, the budget increased the cap from $70 million to $100 million, making Pennsylvania a more attractive place for television productions in which to film. Fostering the film industry in Pennsylvania will have a tremendous positive economic impact on the commonwealth through job creation and by generating economic activity in host communities, bringing local and state benefits.” According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s 2019-20 Film Production Tax Credit Program Report, since the program’s inception in 2007 through the end of FY 2019-20, approximately 860 applicants have applied to the program and 509 productions have been approved/awarded tax credits. These film productions have directly injected nearly $3.3 billion into the state’s economy; generated an estimated $5.2 billion in total economic activity and $785 million in total state and local taxes; and supported an Read more
HARRISBURG, July 12 – The Council of State Governments has announced that state Rep. Liz Hanbidge has been selected to participate in the 2022 CSG Henry Toll Fellowship. Hanbidge is the only Pennsylvanian included in this year's cohort and the first Pennsylvanian selected since 2019. Bringing together 48 individuals representing 32 states from several sectors of state government, the Henry Toll Fellowship is the nation’s premier leadership development program for state government officials. “While the CSG Henry Toll Fellows come from every region of our nation, from both political parties and all three branches of state government, they share one thing in common — they are all people of purpose with a passion for public service,” said CSG Executive Director/CEO David Adkins, a former Kansas state senator and 1993 Toll Fellowship alumnus. “Toll Fellows are selected based on their demonstrated commitment to solve problems, to work collaboratively to get things done, and their belief that state government can and must be a force for good.” "I’m honored to have been selected as a Toll Fellow,” said Hanbidge, D-Montgomery. “I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from and with other equally dedicated public servants from across the country. I am looking forward to the challenge and to expanding my skillset for the betterment of my constituents and commonwealth.” Each year, the CSG Henry Read more
Last week, the General Assembly approved, and Governor Wolf signed, a $45.2 billion budget. This deal comes a week after the deadline to pass a balanced budget. While no budget is perfect, this year’s plan makes meaningful investments in child care, mental health (both K-12 and adult), long term care, and support for individuals with disabilities and the workers who provide their care. For these reasons and others, I voted YES. I wanted to provide an overview of the budget broken down by some of the key issues in our legislative district based on feedback we’ve received from constituents. Investments in Education: This year’s budget makes historic investments in public education, with an increase of $850 million for basic and special education. This funding increase includes a $525 million bump to basic education, $100 million increase for special education, and adds $100 million to the state’s school safety and security grant program as well as a new school mental health initiative. These historic investments will directly impact our communities with Chester County schools receiving $15.9 million in additional funding. As part of this increase, the Downingtown Area School District will receive an additional $1.8 million, an 8.4% increase over last year, and the Coatesville Area School District will receive an additional $4.5 million, a 13.6% increase over last year. My Democratic colleagues and I fought hard for this Read more
HARRISBURG, July 7 – Having voted in favor of a state budget bill this evening, state Rep. Joe Ciresi said that it earned his vote because of new robust investments in education, mental health care and property tax relief. Pennsylvania’s 2022-23 budget as proposed in S.B. 1100 also sets out to reduce the Corporate Net Income Tax rate and funds area schools at record levels, helping address systematic underfunding, supporting expanded programming, and allowing for property tax relief. Ciresi, D-Montgomery, said, “Pennsylvania took a big step forward today with major investments in our communities that we can be proud of. This product of bipartisan negotiations delivers help for our underfunded schools, relief for our property taxpayers, and investments in boosting our economy and creating high-quality jobs for years, paying dividends for many years to come.” Locally, the budget increases funding for Montgomery County school districts, including $7.5 million in increased funding for school districts in the 146th Legislative District: Pottstown School District: $3,899,078 . Spring-Ford Area School District: $1,843,226 . Pottsgrove School District: $848,859 . Perkiomen Valley School District: $902,489 . “By expanding ‘Level Up’ funding and adding on substantial funding Read more
HARRISBURG, June 30 – To address the impact of rising inflation and high property taxes, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, today introduced legislation (H.B. 2721) that would significantly expand the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, which provides relief to certain financially vulnerable Pennsylvanians, including seniors. “Pennsylvania residents are struggling to afford basic necessities, including housing, due to rising inflation,” Ciresi said. “While inflation has risen, the Property Tax Rent Rebate Program’s stagnant income limits have prevented increasing numbers of individuals from accessing this critical lifeline. My legislation will update income requirements and other provisions of the PTRR so more individuals in need can receive assistance and property tax relief from this vital program.” The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians 65 or older, widows or widowers 50 or older, and people with disabilities 18 and older. The current income limit is $35,000 a year for homeowners and $15,000 annually for renters. Half of Social Security income is excluded. The maximum standard rebate is $650, but supplemental rebates for qualifying homeowners can boost rebates to $975. Ciresi’s legislation would expand PTRR by: Increasing income limits for homeowners and renters to $50,000 and $25,000, respectively, recognizing the impact inflation has had since the last increase in 2008. Permanently reinstating a Read more
HARRISBURG, June 30 – State Rep. Leanne Krueger, D-Delaware, announced the Rose Valley Centennial Foundation was awarded a $25,000 Keystone Historic Preservation Grant to make needed improvements at the historic Thunderbird Lodge. The grant, funded through the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, will help the Rose Valley Centennial Foundation identify solutions to the long-term needs of the lodge including increased exhibition space, an ADA-compliant bathroom, mechanical systems, fire suppression, artifact storage and parking. “Delaware County is fortunate to have the Thunderbird Lodge right in our backyard,” said Krueger. “I am pleased we were able to secure this funding to support the Rose Valley Centennial Foundation and their effort to preserve the unique building and share Rose Valley’s history with our entire community.” Thunderbird Lodge is among the 10 most important early 20 th century houses in America. It has been the home of the Rose Valley Museum since 2017. Keystone Historic Preservation Grants provide funding to support projects that identify, preserve, promote and protect historic and archaeological resources in Pennsylvania for both the benefit of the public and the revitalization of communities. Funding also helps facilitate municipal planning initiatives that focus on historic resources or may be used to meet Read more
HARRISBURG, June 29 – To provide immediate relief to Pennsylvania’s motor vehicle drivers from high gas prices, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, believes that legislation to support a freeze on the gas tax for the rest of the year should be included in the 2022-23 state budget given the current budgetary surplus. “Inflationary gas prices are hitting Pennsylvanians hard, with many people struggling to pay for the gas needed so they can go about their lives, like commuting to work, picking their kids up from school, and going grocery shopping,” Ciresi said. “I am advocating that the two bills I am co-sponsoring that would support a freeze on the gas tax should be included in this year’s state budget to provide immediate financial relief to Pennsylvanians. With our significant budget surplus this year, we have a unique opportunity to use it to make sure there’s no negative impact on transportation funding.” House Bill 2453 , the Gas Tax Holiday bill, would provide a six-month pause on the state gas tax. House Bill 2506 would suspend the state’s gasoline and diesel tax until the end of 2022. Both bills are before the House Transportation Committee. “It’s time to take action on behalf of working Pennsylvanians and move these crucial bills out of the Transportation Committee and into the state budget,” Ciresi said. “This budget surplus is precisely meant to be used to lessen the Read more
HARRISBURG, June 22 – State Rep. Steve Malagari announced today that $100,000 is being awarded to Indian Creek Foundation to support neighbors with special needs who live in Montgomery and Bucks counties. “The availability of quality affordable housing is something that helps families and the economy grow and should be within reach for everyone in every community across the commonwealth,” said Malagari, D-Montgomery. “These dollars will help hundreds of our neighbors who deal with extraordinary circumstances remain independent and homeowners.” Indian Creek Foundation operates 23 residential care homes that serve the daily needs of more than 100 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many of these individuals also have mobility issues due to aging or physical conditions which severely limit their ability to move freely about their homes for routine activities. This public project will renovate and repair six houses to maintain appropriate living conditions for those with disabilities who desire to maintain their residence. The funding comes from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund, or PHARE, which was established to provide for the delivery of state and federal funds, as well as funds from other sources, to help create, rehabilitate and support affordable housing for all throughout Pennsylvania. More information about the PHARE program can be found on Read more
HARRISBURG, June 15 – State Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and R. Lee James, R-Venango, today announced the introduction of their legislation to create a direct path for dance teacher certification, H.B. 2678. Under current regulations, Pennsylvania dance teachers cannot be directly certified in dance and, instead, are certified in communications or physical or vocational education. According to the legislators, the current certification process has had a negative impact on dance teacher preparedness, continuing education and Pennsylvania school districts’ dance programs. “We introduced this legislation to modernize dance teacher certification in Pennsylvania by enabling dance instructors to be certified in their discipline and ensure our dance teacher certification standards align with national standards,” Ciresi said. “We owe it to our dance teachers, students and school district dance programs to have the PA Department of Education establish a direct path for new dance teacher certification, requiring discipline-specific education in dance for new dance teachers, just as we do for instructors in music, visual art, math and science.” Critics have faulted both the fact that dance teachers’ certification does not have any dance-specific content and that the current different paths to dance teacher certification create undue confusion, promote work-arounds, and make it unreasonably difficult for dance educators to pursue Read more
LANACASTER, June 9 – State Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, thanks the Board of the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency for today approving $1,936,000 from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement fund for affordable housing initiatives in Lancaster. “As Democratic Chair of the House Urban Affairs Committee, I have been very active this session in working on legislative solutions, including establishing the PHARE fund, to increase affordable housing throughout Pennsylvania,” Sturla said. “I was happy to offer my support for our local PHARE applicants and I congratulate them on their funding.” The local PHARE recipients are: YWCA Lancaster was awarded $250,000 to add 16 newly constructed residential units and renovate their exiting 38 residential units at their downtown facility. SACA Development Corporation was awarded $350,000 to complete the Conestoga North Phase II Project, which will construct nine single family homes for first time homebuyers whose income is below 80% of median. Building and Supporting Entrepreneurship of Southeast Lancaster was awarded $200,000 for its Home Ownership Made Equal (H.O.M.E.) Phase II Program that assists minority families of low to moderate income with owning their first home. The Housing Authority of the City of Lancaster was awarded $336,000 to renovate Read more
HARRISBURG, June 9 – State Rep. Matt Bradford announced today that Mission Kids, located in Ea st Norriton Township, is receiving $367,796 to support their work with children and young adults. The state grant, which was funded through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, will focus on critical violence prevention. “This specialized work performed by Mission Kids is incredibly valuable to our community. We are so fortunate to have them in our region,” Bradford said. The PCCD, in collaboration with the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State University, announced the Endowment Act funding to support a new pilot prevention research program. Over the last four years, PCCD and CMSN implemented a three-pronged pilot prevention program that served more than 16,000 second graders and 14,000 parents. Due to the success of that project, and the need to implement a more universal parent education component, PCCD and CMSN will implement a two-year pilot that will include two programs to be implemented within different segments of the community. Read more
YORK, June 9 – State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, announced that two York County organizations have been awarded $612,297 for child abuse services, education for second graders about appropriate relationships, and substance abuse and education programs by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. “Our service organizations really help hold our community together, providing critical education and services to at-risk or abused populations, increasing community safety and providing support for those in treatment programs,” Hill-Evans said. “I am a huge admirer of the York County Children’s Advocacy Center for their clinical care for sexually abused children and educational programs to teach our second graders about appropriate relationships and am very pleased to see their efforts will be supported and expanded by these grants. “This grant money supports people’s engagement with substance abuse treatment programs.” The York County Children's Advocacy Center has received three grants . The center will use its $99,996 grant to continue to fund the position of Intake Coordinator. Thanks to the Intake Coordinator, the CAC has been able to rapidly intake a diverse and growing number of referrals of child victims and their caregivers. As CAC receives approximately 5 to 10 referrals a day, the Intake Coordinator has significantly enhanced the agency’s Read more
HARRISBURG, June 8 – State Reps. Joe Ciresi, Liz Hanbidge and Joe Webster, all D-Montgomery, today announced that three local children and youth welfare organizations would be receiving $494,102 in state grants to support substance use treatment services and education programs and child abuse victims’ programs in Montgomery County from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The state representatives all expressed how meaningful these funds would be in improving lives in vulnerable or critical situations in the county. “There are many people who are struggling here in Montgomery County -- who desperately need assistance -- and thanks to this funding to these amazing organizations, will get the help they deserve,” Ciresi said. “No one is more vulnerable than a child, and so I am very glad that the Child Advocacy Center of Montgomery County has received $199,836 to expand its trauma therapy services and implement a new telehealth trauma therapy program to support underserved victims of child abuse in Montgomery County.” “Addressing the root cause of substance abuse and trauma through comprehensive, evidence-based therapy results in more lives being restored and more success stories being written,” Hanbidge said. “These grant dollars will be earmarked toward ensuring those who need assistance are able to get the high-quality, timely help they Read more
STEELTON, June 3 – State Rep. Patty Kim joined Department of Aging Secretary Robert Torres and Department of Human Services Acting Secretary Meg Snead and community leaders today to echo Governor Tom Wolf’s call for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to immediately use a portion of the $1.7 billion in unspent American Rescue Plan Act dollars to help older adults and individuals with disabilities through property tax and rent rebates to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our seniors are the foundation of our communities,” said Rep. Kim. “Seniors navigate their everyday lives on a fixed income, trying to make the best of a post-pandemic world despite rising costs for necessities. This is the reason I'm advocating for the General Assembly to act to make sure federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan can be used for this one-time bonus rebate to help seniors, people with disabilities, widows and widowers.” In February, Gov. Wolf proposed his $1.7 billion action plan, which includes a proposal to direct $204 million to provide property tax relief to Pennsylvanians by investing in the existing Property Tax Rent Rebate program. This investment would be a one-time bonus rebate to current program users, doubling existing rebates with an estimated 466,000 Pennsylvanians receiving an additional average rebate of $475. While Democratic leaders in the Senate and House have introduced legislation, Senate Bill 1187 and House Bill 2560, to Read more
“About one year ago, following the deadly shooting in Atlanta where a gunman killed eight women – including six women of Asian descent – I joined lawmakers in participating in a listening tour involving the Asian community across the commonwealth,” Kim said. “People were fearful, people were frustrated and one of the topics that kept coming up was the need to educate to combat the hate. Asian Americans are tired of seeing their children bullied in our schools and being perceived as ‘forever foreigners’ in their own country.” Read more
If a kid wants to compete, let them. If that kid happens to be an excellent athlete and outstanding person, celebrate them. That’s it. Please stop these unnecessary and hateful attempts to target certain populations just because you’ve been led to believe some lie about fairness. Read more
The Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority will be the regional coordinating body between Berks, Chester, and Montgomery counties for the restoration of train service through the execution of contracts, selection of a service operator, and seeking and obtaining state and federal funding. Read more
HARRISBURG, April 26 – State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, today announced that 6 projects in York County will receive a total of $14 million in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grants. “This $14 million in RACP funding will help improve quality of life in York County, from preserving and protecting our environment to helping to alleviate food insecurity to constructing a community center,” Hill-Evans said. “We will all benefit from the state’s support of these critical community projects in our beloved York County.” The following is the listing of the organizations’ projects and their grant award amounts: York County Economic Alliance -- $5 million to assist in the current phase of the Codorus Greenway, which will build upon the previous phase to make improvements to the section of the Codorus Creek from the rail bridge north of Philadelphia Street in the city of York to the Army Corps of Engineers access point downstream of North George Street in the city of York. Construction will include repair and reconstruction of flood walls to expand the capacity of the levee system and create riparian buffer areas adjacent to the creek and allow for an ADA compliant access point; remediation of contaminated soil; and in-channel improvements that enhance water quality and mitigate flooding. The York County Industrial Development Authority -- $2 million for its Ballpark Commons Northern Read more
“It was wonderful to join Sen. Comitta, Secretary Snead, Secretary Berrier and students from the Dub-C Autism program today,” said Rep. Sappey. “We’ve learned so much about autism over the last 20 years so, it’s truly heartening to see inclusion in practice here. Neuro-diverse individuals want to be productive members of the community just like all of us, and this supportive programming keeps young people moving forward in their education and on the path to independent living. I am extremely proud of West Chester University for their leadership in this area.” Read more
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