HARRISBURG, Dec. 21 – State Rep. Tarik Khan, D-Phila., and a bipartisan group of state representatives announced plans today to introduce legislation that would prohibit the use of artificial intelligence to misrepresent a candidate in a campaign advertisement. “In terms of AI, elections, and regulations, it’s the Wild Wild West. Without significant protections, artificial intelligence and ‘deep fakes’ will have a catastrophic impact on elections, creating confusion and mistrust of the system as technology evolves,” said Khan, who is one of the co-prime sponsors of this bill. “This bill will create some of those essential protections and help to keep our elections safe, accurate, and free from misinformation tactics.” Under this legislation, the dissemination of a campaign advertisement containing an artificially generated impersonation of a candidate would be prohibited if done without consent and with the intent to unduly influence the outcome of the election. State Rep. Chris Pielli, D-Chester, another co-prime sponsor of the legislation, shared similar concerns. “Protecting and ensuring our free and fair elections is the bedrock of our Democracy. Adversaries to this concept, both foreign and domestic, now have a devastating tool to undermine our elections with the use of deceptive AI-generated material,” Pielli said. “We must address this national security, bipartisan issue head Read more
PA state Rep. Tarik Khan thanks his House and Senate colleagues for expanding the reach of #speedcameras on Philadelphia streets. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan introduced bipartisan legislation with Reps. Roni Green, Jim Haddock, Jason Ortitay, Abby Major and Joe Hogan that would address lead contamination in drinking water in Pennsylvania schools. Khan says there is nothing more important than the health and safety of children. Read more
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State Reps. Roni Green and Tarik Khan, both D-Phila., and other state representatives will circulate a co-sponsorship memo next week for a bipartisan House bill addressing lead contamination in drinking water in Pennsylvania schools. They are being joined by state Reps. Abby Major, R-Armstrong/Westmoreland; Jim Haddock, D-Lackawanna/Luzerne; Jason Ortitay, R-Allegheny/Washington; and Joe Hogan, R-Bucks, as prime co-sponsors of this bill. “This legislation corrects a longstanding problem within our schools across the commonwealth,” Green said. “Children have a right to be in a safe environment, have clean drinking water, and maximize their learning journey free from harm and hazardous particles. It’s unacceptable to still have children being exposed to lead while in school. Our bill ensures that all Pennsylvania children’s rights are respected and that our children can be safe from lead exposure in school.” Green pointed out that this legislation is like a bill passed last year by the Philadelphia City Council and signed into law. This legislation would require the replacement of old drinking fountains with lead-filtering water stations by 2025 and direct funding to help school districts achieve this goal. The other sponsors noted their support for the bill. “As a state representative, one of my top priorities is keeping the children in my community safe,” Haddock said. “This bill will help schools in Read more
PA state Rep. Tarik Khan believes that LGBTQ+ students deserve to feel safe and welcome in PA public schools, just like any other student. Khan stood with his colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus to roll out a package of bills that would ensure protection and acceptance of all students, regardless of sexual identity or orientation. Read more
By Representative Tarik Khan As published by East Falls Forward, Chestnut Hill Local, and the Roxborough Review The morning of Friday November 3, 2023 was bitter, one of the coldest days this fall. As he approached the entrance of the Khair Community Center in the predawn light, the community member briskly fingered through his familiar key ring. Like most Fridays in Islam, today was special. Fridays are the day of the week when many Muslims congregate together to connect and worship with their friends, family, and neighbors and affirm their commitment to their community. In fact, this new mosque in Montgomery County had just hosted a huge community day the previous week with plenty of food vendors, elected officials, and members of varied faiths in attendance. The event got great press. There was even a nod to the symbolism of the center’s name, “Khair,” which translates to “goodness” in Arabic, The community member took one last breath of cold air and lifted his keys to open the front door. An unfamiliar word written on the glass caught his eye. It stopped him cold. It was a painful word that would shock and traumatize the community that holy day and the days that followed. “Terrorist.” I first heard about the Islamophobic defacing of the Khair Community Center from the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) that Friday afternoon Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan took part in the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in Manayunk. Many special guests were in attendance helping to bring in holiday cheer throughout Main Street. Khan also reminds everyone that the day after Black Friday is Small Business Saturday and there are plenty of shops and restaurants right along Main Street! Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 21 – A resolution (H.R. 141) designating November 2023 as “Diabetes Awareness Month,” has been adopted by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The resolution was introduced by state Reps. Tarik Khan, D-Phila., and Donna Oberlander, R-Armstrong. More than 1.1 million Pennsylvanians have been diagnosed with diabetes; that’s 11% of the state’s adult population ( Microsoft Word - ADV_2021_State_Fact_sheets_all.docx (diabetes.org) . “One out of every two Pennsylvania adults have diabetes or prediabetes, and nearly 20% of all adults have diabetes but don’t know about it yet,” said Khan, who is a doctorally-prepared nurse practitioner. “Creating awareness about diabetes is critical, and this bipartisan resolution helps us to educate Pennsylvanians on the need to get tested for diabetes and manage the disease if they have it.” A video about the resolution can be found here: ( https://youtu.be/x8LX97kgKU0 ). “As co-chair of the Diabetes Caucus, I was pleased to have the resolution declaring November as Diabetes Awareness Month pass the House of Representatives,” said Oberlander. “The prevalence of diabetes and the increase in both Type 1 or Type 2 makes it essential to educate and spread awareness to the signs and symptoms so that our constituents can get tested and treatment for better health.” Monica Billger, American Read more
Co-chair of the Diabetes Caucus, Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan’s bipartisan resolution to make November 2023 Diabetes Awareness Month in Pennsylvania passed and is now adopted! As a healthcare provider, Khan knows the struggles of diabetes and how to keep it well managed. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan worked with Reps. Carol Kazeem and Jason Dawkins to pass legislation in the House that would make Eid al-Fitr a state holiday in the Commonwealth. Eid al-Fitr is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan - it's about community, charity and the power of forgiveness. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan reminds everyone that Tuesday, November 7th is Election Day in Pennsylvania. There are plenty of local races impacting you, from local judges to county officials to the Mayor of Philadelphia! Get out and vote at your local polling place! Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan received his COVID shot at the Capitol and took the time to explain the importance of being vaccinated. Read more
“No one should feel afraid to attend a house of worship. We need to ensure our communities are kept safe, including our mosques, synagogues, and LGBTQ+ centers, said Khan. “I’m proud to have helped lead this bill, which demonstrates that we won’t stand by while acts of violence are committed in our most sacred spaces.” Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan highlighted his bill, H.B. 1772, which would increase grants to nonprofits and houses of worship to help protect them against hate-fueled violence. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan continues fighting for high quality education for all students in Pennsylvania. As a product of the public school system, he knows just how impactful a child’s education is in shaping the rest of their life. Read more
As published in the East Falls Forward and The Chestnut Hill Local This spring, I met with a community group to discuss a lawsuit. A business was suing one of the community group’s members. The litigation was not alleging theft, property damage, or a failure to pay, but instead was filed after the exercise of a constitutionally protected right of free speech. Because of this suit, the tiny community nonprofit faced thousands of dollars in court costs and the steep emotional toll of defending a lawsuit. The group was asking for my help. They wanted anti-SLAPP legislation.” SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation. SLAPP suits intend to bully, frighten, and silence. Investigative news outlets like 60 Minutes have been “SLAPPed” for exposing corruption. President Trump lobbed a ½ billion dollar SLAPP suit against CNN for running a critical story about his “big lie” election fraud nonsense. My former boss, Jay Leno, was SLAPPed several times for bad jokes. When I was in high school, Oprah was SLAPPed for millions by the meat industry when she said on air that she would stop eating burgers over mad cow concerns. These celebrity defendants had deep pockets and big-time lawyers who could easily fight back. But all too often, suits are waged against individuals, small nonprofits, and community groups. Victims of abuse and other advocates who speak out. And folks who will Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 17 – State Reps. Joe Hohenstein, D-Phila.; Nancy Guenst, D-Montgomery; Paul Takac, D-Centre; Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster; Tarik Khan, D-Phila.; the PA Coalition for Trans Youth; Transgender Advocates Knowledgeable Empowering; NEPA Stands Up and allies held a rally for safe and equal schools on the state Capitol steps in Harrisburg on Tuesday. Speakers highlighted a package of bills that would protect students from gender-based discrimination, bullying and harassment, and provide inclusive accommodations and curriculum. The package includes: Legislation introduced by Guenst that would create a statewide policy for all public schools to prohibit student discrimination and harassment based on actual or perceived sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression through anti-discrimination and harassment prevention and early intervention policies to create a supportive and equal opportunity learning environment. “Our children deserve to step into their learning environments across the commonwealth feeling safe and respected. No child should be made to feel less than their peers due to the real or perceived distinction of belonging to classes that do not currently hold statewide protections,” Guenst said. “This legislation would bridge the gaps currently being filled by individual school districts through policies that cover a wide spectrum; Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan voices his support for an anti intimidation bill that unanimously passed the House and is now on its way to the state Senate. The bill would create an efficient process to quickly dismiss SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) lawsuits based upon protected speech and would also allow defendants to recover costs and fees related to the action. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Tarik Khan spoke against a bill that would criminalize the possession of xylazine, an animal tranquilizer, except by veterinarians. Khan, a healthcare provider himself, says substance abuse is a disease that should be treated by healthcare professionals, not by prisons. Read more
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