NEWTOWN, March 11 –S tate Rep. Perry Warren, D-Bucks, announced today that state grants to support safety and security were awarded to three local nonprofits. The grants, through the Nonprofit Security Grant program established by Act 83 of 2019, were approved by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. Organizations in the 31 st Legislative District were awarded grants as follows: St. Mark A.M.E Zion - $24,995. Chabad Lubavitch of Yardley - $12,838. Abrams Hebrew Academy - $24,975. “As Pennsylvanians, we have a right to be able to safely gather in our places of worship, our institutions of education, and in any of our community spaces,” Warren said. “These funds will ensure people can safely practice their religion and pursue an education here in the 31 st . Hate has absolutely no place in our community.” Grants awarded from the program are to be used by nonprofit organizations that serve people or groups often targeted by hate crimes because of race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and gender. The awards can be used for any safety or security improvement the nonprofit organization wants to put in place, including training and planning, the purchase of technology or equipment, or the improvement of the nonprofit’s facilities. The grants are provided through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency’s Nonprofit Security Grant Read more
FOLSOM, March 8 – State Rep. Leanne Krueger, D-Delaware, will host a virtual session on Medicare cost sharing at 1 p.m. March 19. The workshop is being presented with Delaware County Senior Community Services’ APPRISE program and Friendship Circle Senior Center. The presentations will be made through Zoom and Facebook Live. An APPRISE counselor will share information on programs to help pay for Medicare premiums. “Medicare can seem overwhelming, but APPRISE counselors are trained to answer questions and help make the process easier. I’m happy to help bring this program to community members,” Krueger said. Registration is required. Those interested can sign up online at this link or call Krueger’s office at 610-534-6880 for more information. An additional session, Medicare 101, will be held in May. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Joe Webster addressed the rising cost of living and the stagnant minimum wage by pointing out, "Instead of talking about workers, we talk about jobs. Instead of protecting wages, we protect tax rates on major corporations." Read more
In her new capacity as leader of Pennsylvania’s House Democratic Caucus, McClinton has named Philadelphia labor leader Esteban Vera Jr. to SEPTA’s governing board. He is the first Latino to serve on the board. Read more
Current state law allows libraries to use isolated sales – fewer than seven days each year – of used books without paying sales tax as a means of generating additional revenue. Ciresi’s legislation would expand that to allow libraries to sell used books for supplemental income without paying sales tax throughout the year. Read more
Zabel hosts housing forum online Read more
The system in which Pennsylvania pays charter schools for special education is broken. For every special education student who leaves a traditional public school to attend a charter school, their home district is required to reimburse that charter school based on an illogical average cost to educate special education students. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Joe Webster is joining teachers, parents, athletes, and many others to celebrate Read Across America day with a book called "Snake Alley Band." Read more
“The financial commitment outlined at today’s news conference falls in line with legislation I’ve been pushing since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation that would provide, has provided and will continue to provide desperately needed help to restaurants and local businesses struggling for the better part of a year,” Ciresi said. Read more
As the law stands now, federal, bank and state workers are allowed off work to observe Veterans Day, though schools are not required to close. Read more
“We owe it to our students, families, teachers, and taxpayers to fix a broken and out-of-date 25-year-old charter school law, with issues I’ve seen over 12 years as a school board member,” said Rep. Joe Ciresi. Read more
SPRINGFIELD, Feb. 23 – State Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, today announced her reappointment to the state legislature’s Public Higher Education Funding Commission. The purpose of the commission is to review and make recommendations related to higher education funding, affordability and effectiveness, administration, and operations. O’Mara, who also organized the House Student Debt Caucus, will help develop a higher education funding formula for the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education universities and four state-related universities, which are Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln universities. Funding for the 18 higher education institutions will be determined on a case-by-case basis considering factors such as goals for higher education, virtual learning needs, graduation, retention and enrollment rates, student debt and financial aid, and any other factors related to higher education and the distribution of funding. The General Assembly would then need to authorize the proposed funding formula. “I’m honored to be reappointed to this commission and re-evaluate what higher education institutions need most right now as we continue recovering from COVID-19,” O’Mara said. “We faced unchartered territory in the last year that created countless hurdles in our higher education system. As we begin crafting our annual budget in Harrisburg, I’ll be able to bring these issues to the forefront of the Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 23 – State Rep. Kristine Howard will hold a virtual event on the proposed integration of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education with Chancellor Daniel Greenstein from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 10 at www.RepKHoward.com . “The PASSHE system has offered high quality, higher education to Pennsylvanians for decades, but the rising cost of education has either closed the doors to higher education for many potential students or required others to incur high levels of debt,” Howard said. “The proposed merger of some universities in the PASSHE system promises to strengthen the organization, enabling it to continue to provide affordable, quality higher education to Pennsylvanians and their families for years to come .” PASSHE is exploring two possible mergers – the integration of the California-Clarion-Edinboro and the Bloomsburg-Lock Haven-Mansfield schools. Each combination would operate as a single accredited entity with a single leadership, faculty, enrollment management strategy, and budget while honoring local identity.? This month, Greenstein gave the integration progress report to the PASSHE Board of Governors at its meeting, and the b oard will give its response to the plans at its April meeting. If the plans are approved, they will be the focus of two public hearings and a 60-day public comment period. The b oard will review the comments and decide whether to give Read more
“Now more than ever, it’s imperative we ensure affordable, potentially life-saving immunizations administered by pharmacists are covered by all health insurers.” Read more
The SEFC, which was established in 2013, reviews and makes recommendations regarding special education funding in the commonwealth. Its focus over the last two years has been reviewing the formula that directs state funding to school districts in Pennsylvania that have the greatest need for additional resources based upon the cost of each special education student. Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 17 - State Rep. Melissa Shusterman introduced three pieces of legislation that would boost Pennsylvania’s economy and reform the commonwealth’s lobbying laws. Shusterman’s H.B. 267 would ensure that early and mid-stage businesses using the Second Stage Loan program create more job opportunities in Pennsylvania, and businesses that receive loan guarantees are not only located in Pennsylvania, but stay in Pennsylvania. “The Second Stage Loan Program provides vital assistance to help businesses grow and thrive, and we want to make sure we’re boosting Pennsylvania’s economy, too,” Shusterman said. “This bill would provide a stronger economy and create sustainable jobs in my district and around the state.” The Second Stage Loan Program is a loan guarantee administered by the Commonwealth Financing Authority that guaranteed loans made by commercial lending institutions to life science, advanced technology or manufacturing businesses. The program provides banks with an extra measure of security to encourage them to provide early-stage companies with working capital. Shusterman said that in order to receive a loan guarantee, her bill would require businesses to remain and conduct services within the commonwealth. Shusterman’s lobbying reform legislation, H.Bs. 268 and 269 , both currently await consideration in the House State Government Committee. House Bill 268 would institute a Read more
State Rep. Melissa Shusterman's Winter 2021 Report to Constituents Read more
“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the committee to spread awareness of the wealth of Pennsylvania’s activities, promote Pennsylvania to both out-of-state and in-state tourists, and support the artistic, cultural and historical industries that make our state diverse and unique.” Read more
HARRISBURG, Feb. 11 – State Rep. Tim Briggs has been appointed to serve on the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. “PCCD makes an impact on some of the most pressing issues in our society by working to improve our justice system, keep our schools and neighborhoods safe, provide resources to victims of crime and more,” said Briggs, D-Montgomery. “I am honored to receive this appointment, and I look forward to working with the commission on programs and initiatives that will make communities across the commonwealth safer, more supportive places to live.” The mission of PCCD is to enhance quality, coordination and planning within the criminal and juvenile justice systems, to facilitate the delivery of services to victims of crime, and to increase the safety of Pennsylvania communities. Briggs was appointed to serve on the commission by House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton. He previously served as a member of PCCD during the 2009-10 legislative session. He also serves as the minority chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a member of the Board of Governors for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and as vice chairman of the Valley Forge Tourism & Convention Board. Read more
In the Women’s Health Caucus, we listen to women. We know that whether Republican, Democrat, Independent or other; whether wealthy, poor or middle class; whether residing in the city, the suburbs or rural Pennsylvania; whether young or old; there are real issues affecting women’s free choice, financial well-being and life itself. Read more
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