HARRISBURG, Dec. 21 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, announced today that competitive Career and Technical Education Equipment Grant Program awards were given in the amount of $50,000 to the Pottstown School District and $50,000 to Western Montgomery CTC from the Pennsylvania Department of Education to purchase new equipment aligned to training students in high-demand occupations . “I’m very glad that Montgomery County’s career and technical education programs are receiving this needed financial support to help our students get the critical skills and training they need to enter into meaningful, family-sustaining careers,” Ciresi said. “This is a win-win for the county as our students will have access to first-class equipment and experiences, which in turn will make Montgomery County even more attractive to companies seeking to locate to an area where there are highly skilled workers.” Each grant must be matched dollar for dollar from a local source, which could include local school funds or contributions from business and industry partners. Since 2015, the number of career and technical education students earning industry-recognized credentials has increased by 38.7 percent and the number of credentials earned by students enrolled in CTE programs has grown by 33.6 percent. Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 20 – A forceful advocate for economic development in the 146 th District, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, was instrumental in securing a Keystone Communities Program grant of $320,400 for renovations to the former PNC Bank building in Pottstown. Ciresi, who has successfully secured funding for other Pottstown redevelopment projects, praised the grant to renovate the former PNC bank building. “ The instrumental redevelopment of this 7,550-square-foot building, which has lain vacant for over 15 years in the middle of Pottstown’s downtown business district, will be a significant boost to the town’s ongoing revitalization,” Ciresi said. “With the return of this site to economically productive use, this redevelopment project will provide significant benefits for the borough and regional community and continue the momentum that Pottstown is experiencing.” The Keystone Communities Program is designed to encourage the creation of partnerships between the public and private sectors that jointly support local initiatives such as the growth and stability of neighborhoods and communities; social and economic diversity; and a strong and secure quality of life. The program allows communities to tailor the assistance to meet the needs of its specific revitalization effort. Since January 2015, the Wolf administration has Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 14 – An advocate for the Pennsylvania tourism industry, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, applauded the Wolf Administration’s dedication of $17,086,197 in American Rescue Plan Act funding to kickstart the recovery of the tourism industry in Pennsylvania in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “As a member of the House Tourism & Recreational Development Committee, I’ve been pushing for the state to invest in Pennsylvania’s tourism industry, as too many marketing opportunities were going to waste,” Ciresi said. “This money will provide opportunities to promote Pennsylvania’s destinations to diverse audiences, and so increase the numbers of people interested in visiting--and perhaps moving to--our beautiful state. This grant money will help the tourism industry build back better, supporting the wide range of jobs and businesses that benefit from tourism. I applaud Gov. Wolf’s decision to make this strategic investment in Pennsylvania’s future.” Pennsylvania’s travel and tourism industry supports over 490,000 jobs and generates $4.3 billion in annual tax revenue. Over 200 million people visit Pennsylvania each year, creating an economic impact of $46 billion. After consulting with tourism stakeholders across the state and colleagues around the nation, the Pennsylvania Tourism Office at the Department of Community and Economic Development will invest the $17,086,197 in the Read more
I was dismayed and disgusted when I heard that Tower Health was going to close Brandywine Hospital on Jan. 31, along with Jennersville Hospital on Dec. 31, due to the company’s gross negligence and betrayal of the public trust. These closures will negatively impact the lives of more than 100,000 Chester County residents – including all who live in the 74 th District. Additionally, we will lose our only inpatient behavioral health facility in the region . Most troubling is that this horrible situation has been caused by unfettered corporate greed incompetently administering a vital community asset. As the state representative for the 74 th District, I had been working with state, county, and local authorities to help keep Brandywine Hospital open. During these discussions we had been assured by Tower that a closure was not imminent. When news that these hospitals were being sold broke, Tower again clearly told us the behavioral health facility at Brandywine would remain open. Tower’s abrupt announcement of an about-face leaves us scrambling to find an 11 th hour solution to clean up their mess. As a member of the community, the losses I truly fear are the compounding impacts of a lack of nearby hospital care. You will have to travel further for emergency care when every minute is critical. Will you get there in time? Those who suffer from mental illness will lose the one place you could receive inpatient treatment Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 8 -- State Rep. Dan Williams, D-Chester, was instrumental in securing a $2 million state redevelopment grant for the C oatesville Redevelopment Authority/City of Coatesville to construct the multimodal commuter parking facility adjacent to the city’s new train station and $1 million for Chester County Immediate Unit 24 to construct a new Toddler Center in Caln Township. Williams said the funding, awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, will help realize the plans for new Coatesville train station parking facility to support access to the existing rail system and allow for expanded commuter service, and to demolish the existing Toddler Center in order to construct a new, expanded building. “I’m very proud that I was able to secure this $3 million in redevelopment grants that will help bring increased economic opportunity by building a multimodal commuter parking facility next to Coatesville’s new train station and invest in our future by building a bigger and safer Toddler Center for our young residents in Caln Township,” Williams said. “This state grant money will transform what was once a brownfield into the Coatesville new train station’s multimodal parking facility that will support current and expanded commuter service. The state redevelopment money, by facilitating the building of this commuter parking structure, will help spur on the City of Coatesville’s Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 7 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, introduced legislation to establish a State Emergency Supplemental Grant Program for disaster relief. As representative of the 146th Legislative District, Ciresi has been particularly concerned how Hurricane Ida had devastated the commonwealth, causing over $100 million in public infrastructure damage and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, leaving many Pennsylvanians struggling to pay for the damages. Currently, Pennsylvania residents rely on the Federal Emergency Management Agency for financial assistance to help cover the cost of storm damage. Unfortunately, FEMA often can only cover a portion of the costs associated with damage deemed eligible for aid. In cases when only a state disaster declaration has been issued, Pennsylvania residents are not eligible for FEMA aid. “With each passing year, we are seeing increasingly dangerous weather,” Ciresi said. “We need to put a safety net in place to protect and support Pennsylvanians when natural disaster strikes. That’s why I’ve introduced legislation to establish a State Emergency Supplemental Grant Program, which would provide individuals who have maximized their federal assistance grants from FEMA with supplemental grants from the state to cover recovery costs. In addition, when there is only a state disaster declaration, affected individuals and businesses would still be eligible for financial assistance to Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 6 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, was instrumental in securing a $1 million state grant for Royersford Borough’s Riverfront at Royersford LLC redevelopment project. Ciresi said the funding, awarded through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, will help realize the plans for the Riverfront at Royersford LLC, a mixed-use development that will include living, restaurant and entertainment venues and retail opportunities. “I’m very proud that I was able to secure this $1 million redevelopment grant that will help bring back social life and economic opportunity to this stretch of Schuylkill riverfront,” Ciresi said. “This state grant money will help transform what was once industrial brownfields into a vital economic, leisure and residential hub for the 146 th District. The Riverfront at Royersford will be a pioneer of mixed-use development in southeastern Pennsylvania, while expanding amenities and opportunities for all area residents.” “We are extremely thankful to Representative Ciresi for his unwavering advocacy of this project and to the borough council, mayor and staff for being excellent public partners in this process,” said Richard Lewis, president & CEO of The Lewis Group. "This team has repeatedly proven its commitment to the continued revitalization of Royersford through careful collaboration and action to mitigate barriers to Read more
The Commission voted 3-0 to approve a petition filed by the North American Numbering Plan Administrator, which is the neutral third-party entity that allocates telephone numbering resources. Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 22 – Rep. Nancy Guenst, D-Montgomery/Phila., announced today that the Commonwealth Financing Authority has awarded $1.65 million to support improvements at the Willow Grove Interchange Area Intersection and has awarded Hatboro $300,000 to install a wider sidewalk along a section of North York Road. The grants come from the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund. “This state money will help alleviate the growing traffic at the Willow Grove Interchange due to increased development,” Guenst said. “This is state funds being used to plan for the future. I’m also glad to see that a sidewalk in Hatboro Township will be enlarged and extended, making it ADA compliant and all-around safer for people to walk on it. Thanks to this money, our area will be safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.” Upper Moreland Township plans to conduct the preliminary and final engineering design for improvement to the Willow Grove Interchange. The design will focus on the replacement of the Route 611 bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike ramps and the installation of a second southbound exit lane along Route 611 to enter the Turnpike ramps. The improvements are expected to alleviate traffic congestion, which is anticipated to increase with continued development in the area. Hatboro is proposing to widen and extend the sidewalk Read more
COATESVILLE, NOV. 10 – State Rep. Dan Williams, D-Chester, announced today that Coatesville 2 nd Century Alliance was awarded $80,000 in funding and Habitat for Humanity Chester County $11,250 through the state’s Neighborhood Assistance Program. “I’m glad to see this funding coming to help downtown Coatesville’s revitalization efforts and to provide housing to those in need at a critical period in the city’s history,” Williams said. “ At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted economic life and made it more difficult for people to get by, Coatesville’s ongoing revitalization will be supported and housing-insecure residents given shelter thanks to the innovative NAP’s public-private partnerships.” The Coatesville 2 nd Century Alliance will use the funding to continue its revitalization plan for the downtown commercial district of the city of Coatesville by awarding three façade improvement grants to enhance the existing building stock and entice new businesses to the district and establish a systemized, reliable and regular cleanup program to mitigate the weeds and litter that line the streets. Habitat for Humanity Chester County will use the funding to complete an affordable housing development in the city of Coatesville. NAP encourages private sector investment into projects that will help improve distressed communities by providing Read more
Ciresi and Guzman said they both view the restoration of a passenger rail service as the best way to alleviate this critical infrastructure issue and increase southeastern Pennsylvania’s economic growth. Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 9 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, announced today that Pottstown organization Genesis Housing Corp. was awarded $75,000 to improve blighted areas and Children Advocacy Center of Montgomery County $18,750 to help open a new child advocacy center through the Neighborhood Assistance Program. “This state funding from NAP will continue the efforts to remediate Pottstown’s blighted properties and provide greater safety to its children suffering from child abuse,” Ciresi said. “At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing public health disparities, the innovative NAP will support Pottstown’s ongoing revitalization and provide a critical lifeline to residents through public-private partnerships that will lead to community improvements and a better quality of life.” The funding to Genesis Housing Corp. will be used to address neighborhood revitalization and blight remediation through smaller-scale improvement projects and façade funding, including exterior renovations, housing counseling services, improved community gardens, accessible community arts programs, and other social justice and community improvement programs. Genesis Housing Corp. serves as the coordinator of a partnership for this effort including Pottstown Community Action, Habitat for Humanity, Mosaic Community Land Trust, and Hobart’s Run. The Children Advocacy Center of Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 8 – State Rep. Mike Sturla, D-Lancaster, and state Sen. Katie Muth, D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks, announced today that they have introduced the Pennsylvania Water Resource Act in both the House ( H.B. 20 ) and the Senate ( S.B. 868 ) to improve water quality. Their legislation would charge extraordinary water users a nominal per-gallon fee for removing water from Pennsylvania waterways, either 1/100 of a cent per gallon ($0.0001) for those who return the water or 1/10 of a cent per gallon ($0.001) for those who never return it. Thus, a 10,000-gallon withdrawal would cost $1 per day and $10 per day respectively. “For too long, Pennsylvania has allowed its precious water resource to be used for free by extraordinary water users who take over 8 billion gallons of water every day. Our legislation would raise $350 million annually to help state agencies, municipalities, watershed organizations and authorities improve water quality throughout our commonwealth,” Sturla said. “I am grateful to work with Representative Sturla on companion legislation to establish the Pennsylvania Water Resource Act and to ensure that our most precious natural resource is protected and safe to drink,” Muth said. “Our bill would allow the Commonwealth to invest in water improvement and stormwater management projects without placing any financial burden on residential and agricultural water consumers. Improving the quality and accessibility Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 29 – State Rep. Christina Sappey, D-Chester, has planned an in-person event to support southern Chester County communities in testifying against Aqua Pennsylvania Inc.’s proposed water rate increases of over 17% at a telephonic public input hearing. The in-person event hosted by Sappey and Rep. John Lawrence, to be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10 at the Penn Township building in West Grove, is happening in response to the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission’s Oct. 21 decision to not hold in-person hearings and instead hold six virtual hearings to collect input from the public on Aqua’s proposed increases. The purpose of the in-person event is to assist seniors and people with technological difficulties who would still like to testify. “Those without adequate access to the internet or comfort with technology deserve to be heard as well as those who do,” Sappey said. Sappey made the initial request for a public hearing through a letter to the PUC on Oct. 6 . “Hundreds of constituents have contacted me expressing strong opposition to Aqua’s increase request,” Sappey wrote. “Many of them are seniors living on fixed incomes and are still recovering from the financial impact of the pandemic. The timing of this increase is egregious and unfair.” After the virtual hearings were announced, Read more
“It doesn’t matter how many folks were sent the incorrect information,” Guzman said, pointing out that races could be decided by just a handful of votes. “Even if one person was disenfranchised because they received the incorrect information — that’s one person too many.” Read more
PAOLI, Oct. 28 – State Rep. Melissa Shusterman was recently recognized by the National Association of Social Workers for Legislator of the Year. “We appreciate her commitment to tackling social inequality, including her efforts on college students experiencing homelessness, expansion of expungement, and addressing food deserts,” NASW said in a statement regarding the award. “Representative Shusterman addresses problems not only through legislation, but also helps constituents through her district office and hosts public events and media promotions to bring awareness to the issues.” The award recognizes outstanding service and contributions of an elected official. NASW said Shusterman won the award because she has been a voice of the people. The organization believes that legislators represent society’s collective values and recognize when they enact policies that fight for social justice and against injustice. This legislative session Shusterman, D-Chester/Montgomery, has introduced the Child and Adult Care Food Program Supplement, which would provide funds for food to care facilities for children and adults. Shusterman also introduced legislation to combat littering, promote recycling and was a co-sponsor on a bill called the LEVEL UP for ID/A Act. LEVEL UP for ID/A would change provider payments based on outcomes of individuals with disabilities and autism, instead of services provided. This bill has many components which are all Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 27 – State Rep. Manny Guzman, D-Berks, is planning to introduce legislation that would bring back in-person tollbooth jobs on the Pennsylvania Turnpike during peak hours to prevent motorists without an E-ZPass from riding toll free, which happened for about half of those motorists in 2020. “We lost more than $104 million in turnpike tolls last year due to a flawed, all-electronic tolling system. That is unacceptable,” Guzman said. “The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission laid off nearly 500 tollbooth workers and prematurely converted to an all-electronic system, resulting in this catastrophic loss. The commission needs to be held accountable.” Guzman is proposing a hybrid system that would bring back tollbooth workers during the road’s busiest hours so that the electronic system can be improved without incurring further revenue losses. “The benefits of a functioning all-electronic system are undeniable,” he said. “However, last year’s blunder demonstrated that the commission needs more time to develop a working system.” About 11 million trips without tolls occurred on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 2020, according to an internal turnpike report obtained by the Associated Press. After eliminating in-person toll collection last year, a 45% rate increase was implemented for non-E-ZPass drivers. E-ZPass tolls accounted for over $1 billion of the PTC’s $1.3 billion total tolls Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 26 – State Rep. Nancy Guenst, D-Montgomery/Phila., was elected by her peers to serve as secretary of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus’ Southeast Delegation. The Southeast Delegation is the Pennsylvania House’s largest delegation, comprising legislators from Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, Berks, Lancaster, York and Dauphin counties . The secretary is tasked with keeping accurate records and minutes of meetings of the delegation. “I am very happy to serve the caucus in any way I can,” Guenst said. “I appreciate the support of my colleagues in the Southeast Delegation and look forward to continuing to work together to represent the needs of our region.” Guenst represents the 152 nd District, which includes part of Philadelphia, as well as Bryn Athyn, Hatboro, Lower Moreland Township, Upper Moreland Township and part of Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County. She serves on the House Agriculture, Children and Youth, Game and Fisheries, and Human Services committees. Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 26 – State Reps. Leanne Krueger and John Lawrence were joined by local activists and union representatives at a news conference Tuesday at the state Capitol, where they discussed legislation to protect the customers of municipal and authority-owned water or wastewater systems in the acquisition process. Krueger, D-Delaware, and Lawrence, R-Chester/Lancaster, have introduced legislation ( H.B. 1936 ) to amend Section 1329 of the Public Utilities Law to prohibit the use of that section for the sale of municipal or authority-owned water or wastewater systems to private companies using the valuation procedure outlined there unless the system is in financial and/or operational distress. Chester Water Authority is a financially stable utility being pursued by Aqua Pennsylvania for acquisition. “Sales through Section 1329 always drive up rates for customers, so those sales should be limited to distressed systems that truly need assistance,” said Krueger. “Chester Water Authority is not in financial or operational distress. If passed, this bill would prevent Aqua from marking up an offer price to take over CWA and passing those costs on to ratepayers. I will continue fighting to protect CWA customers.” “Chester Water Authority’s Board unanimously rejected a buyout offer,” said Lawrence. “Thousands of CWA ratepayers have spoken out against a Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 25 – State Reps. Melissa L. Shusterman, D-Chester/Montgomery, and Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, have announced they will introduce a bill to provide additional food funds for care facilities enrolled in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, a federal program that compensates care facilities for meals served to participants. “Care facilities across the state deal with incredibly high operating costs,” Shusterman said. “Unfortunately, the federal program meant to help them feed our neediest citizens does not go nearly far enough to alleviate the extraordinary costs they face. It’s time for Pennsylvania to supplement this vital program.” Hill-Evans agreed. “Pennsylvania’s economy is stronger when our most vulnerable residents have access to essential resources,” Hill-Evans said. “By ensuring our care facilities have adequate funding, we would enable more Pennsylvanians to enter the workforce.” According to the PA Department of Education’s website , participating facilities are eligible to be reimbursed for up to two meals and one snack per participant, per day. The new bill introduced by Shusterman and Hill-Evans would expand that. Currently, participating facilities also receive federally donated commodities, nutrition education materials and annual training workshops. The following care facilities are eligible to participate in the CACFP: Licensed, nonprofit, non-residential Read more
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