News Center

Health advocates speak out in support of Smith-Wade-El’s Legionnaires disease legislation

(16 hours ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

LANCASTER, May 17 – Local and state health experts joined state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, at a news conference on Thursday to support his legislation (H.B. 2145) aimed at preventing Legionnaires disease. Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria, which is naturally occurring in freshwater, including water that supplies public water systems. If left untreated, the disease can be fatal. Pennsylvanians who are at increased risk for complications with this disease include people over 50, those who smoke or have lung disease, and those who live with cancer or are otherwise immunocompromised. “All Pennsylvanians have a constitutional right to clean water, but too many people in low-income housing are drinking water contaminated by the Legionella bacteria,” Smith-Wade-El said. “This bill seeks to a public good ensuring that everyone in Pennsylvania can enjoy their right to clean, healthy water.” Smith-Wade-El’s legislation would establish guardrails to ensure public safety and prioritize root cause solutions to ensure water is properly tested and treated before it enters homes and buildings for human use. The legislation also aims to equip consumers with the information and tools necessary to manage their risk of the disease through notifications of water system disruption events that can lead to greater Legionella bacteria exposure. State Rep. Carol Hill-Evans, D-York, Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El speaks in support of eviction reform at Philly Town Hall

(16 hours ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

LANCASTER, May 17 – On Wednesday evening, state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El joined Philadelphia Councilwoman Kendra Brooks and state representatives from the city—Jordan Harris, Elizabeth Fiedler and Rich Krajewski—and over 60 community members in South Philadelphia to speak about his eviction sealing bill, H.B. 1769 and other legislative eviction reform initiatives. “Home is where life begins for Pennsylvania families – for all of us,” said Smith-Wade-El. “When our children get up in the morning to go to school, they should do so from a bed in a home that is safe, warm and dry. Real educational equity would ensure that all children have a home to go home to so they have the stability needed to grow and flourish socially and academically. Inaccurate, unscrupulously distributed eviction records haunt families and make children homeless, even in cases when the judge found in the tenant’s favor. It’s time to put a stop to that.” “The harm of eviction records falls most heavily on Black women and their children, and the damage ripples out into our classrooms, our schools and our communities,” said Councilwoman Kendra Brooks of Philadelphia City Council. “We can’t expect our young people to succeed in school during the day if they don’t have a safe place to lay their head at night.” State legislators spoke in support of H.B. 1769, which would increase access to affordable housing Read more

 

Philadelphia House Delegation reacts to passing of former Rep. James Roebuck

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Chairwoman of the Philadelphia House Delegation Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., released the following statement on behalf of the delegation on the passing of former state Rep. James Roebuck, who represented the 188th Legislative District in West Philadelphia from 1985-2020. Read more

 

Roebuck’s death mourned by members of Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 16 – Members of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus released the following statements regarding the passing of former PLBC Chair James R. Roebuck: Said PLBC Chair Napoleon Nelson (D-Montgomery): “James R. Roebuck was a true statesman, a lawmaker who was a tireless advocate for his West Philadelphia neighbors and for every resident of this Commonwealth. “His legacy, particularly as a champion of our education system and the young people that he poured his soul into, will undoubtedly leave its mark on our society for generations. His long-lasting tenure as the Democratic chairman of the House Education Committee perfectly embodied our caucus’s approach to lifelong learning. It is heartening to see his life being celebrated by colleagues and community leaders throughout Pennsylvania. In 2021, the PA Legislative Black Caucus renamed our student scholarship in his honor. Nearly two dozen high school students from Black and brown communities from across the state will be awarded an investment in their continued academic pursuits in the coming week, a fitting testament to the inspiring work of Chairman Roebuck. “His impact as a pioneer, mentor and friend within the PA Legislative Black Caucus will undoubtedly be remembered and cherished. We have lost a true thought leader, a shining example of servant leadership that current and future members will surely aspire to. Our Read more

 

Venkat introduces legislation to ease restrictions on physician assistants and eliminate print statement fees

(May 15, 2024) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, May 15 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny, has introduced bills that would put a flexibility component in place for physician assistants and the supervising physicians they work with and prohibit banks or other financial institutions from charging clients a fee for a paper copy of a statement. The first two pieces of legislation ( House Bills 2294 and 2295 ) would amend the physician licensure acts in Pennsylvania and allow physician assistants to work with either classification of physician, a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. Current law on the books mandates that physician assistants and supervising physicians must be licensed by the same state medicine board as the supervising physician. “Cutting all the red tape and connecting medical professionals with patients that need their skills and expertise to recover is one of the foundational tenets of health care and my work as a physician-legislator,” Venkat said. “Doctors want to help as many people as they can, and my bills help to break down the barriers to this mission.” Venkat’s additional legislation ( H.B. 2292 ) would ban entities from assessing an additional fee, as high as $5 monthly, to customers who request a print version of a statement from a given entity. The bill would also specify that any person or entity would still be allowed to create incentives for a consumer to select an alternative to a paper statement. Read more

 

Donahue highlights fiscal challenges for independent pharmacies

(May 15, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“The way the system currently functions, pharmacy benefits managers are supposed to negotiate a reasonable price for prescriptions through Medicaid, but we heard directly from pharmacy owners today that those savings are not being passed on to consumers,” said state Rep. Kyle T. Donahue, who hosted the hearing and represents portions of Lackawanna County. “In this case, the PBMs – a third-party – is not only pocketing taxpayer dollars but they are also driving the escalation of drug prices.” Read more

 

House, Senate Dems Discuss Access to Health Care

(May 14, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“As a nurse, I saw too many patients arrive at our hospital with advanced disease because they didn’t have access to preventable care earlier. We have to fix this because we deserve better here in the Commonwealth,” Kosierowski added. “We have many challenges to work through, but I’m confident we can find solutions and reduce healthcare deserts in Pennsylvania.” Read more

 

Kenyatta joins community in mourning death of drag persona Daelicious O’hare Mizani

(May 13, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

I am absolutely heartbroken that such a beautiful bright light in our community was extinguished last week,” Kenyatta said. “My thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone in the drag and LGBTQ+ community who was lucky enough to know Daelicious and see his vibrant personality shine through his energetic performances Read more

 

Committee examines patient outcomes, nursing home care

(May 13, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“My heart breaks for an aging and vulnerable population caught in a current health care crisis,” said Rep. Kyle Mullins, who hosted the hearing and represents portions of Lackawanna County. “Expert testimony detailed the many challenges, and they explained why they hope positive action at the state and federal levels can be made to help our residents.” Read more

 

Pharmacy owners plead for policy reform on PBMs

(May 10, 2024) Rep. Jessica Benham

Bipartisan bill would help local pharmacies stay in business Read more

 

Fleming’s Mixed-Use Revitalization Program legislation passes House

(May 10, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 10 – This week the House passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. Justin Fleming that would establish the Mixed-Use Revitalization Program to incentivize the revitalization of blighted commercial properties . “Communities across the commonwealth are seeing a rise in large, abandoned and blighted commercial properties like the Colonial Park Mall in Lower Paxton,” said Fleming, D-Dauphin. “As they stand vacant and fall into disrepair, these looming eyesores are negatively impacting communities by cutting into tax rolls, failing to pay utility bills, deterring traffic to nearby businesses, draining local services, and often posing significant safety concerns. "I believe we can transform these drains on our economy into thriving places to live and work, bringing new restaurants, retail shops, health care facilities, recreational spaces, and residential housing for working families.” Property redevelopment is a financially significant undertaking with large parcels often accruing substantial demolition and site preparation costs. Fleming’s bill would help provide capital funding to developers to purchase these large properties and expedite the redevelopment process. “My bill would establish a dedicated Mixed-Use Revitalization Fund administered through the Commonwealth Financing Authority that would provide matching grants to incentivize the purchase and Read more

 

PA House adopts Rabb resolution to study best practices for body camera footage

(May 09, 2024) Rep. Christopher M. Rabb

HARRISBURG, May 9 – A resolution ( H.R. 113 ) introduced by state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., that calls for a study of best practices regarding body-worn cameras by law enforcement was adopted on a bipartisan vote by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Wednesday. The resolution directs the Joint State Government Commission to study how body-worn camera footage is currently used, stored, secured, indexed and accessed. It also requires the commission to prepare a report assessing the cost of filming, storing and reviewing complete body-worn camera footage, provide recommendations on how to ensure that footage is used for the benefit of all and shielded from cyber threats, and establish an advisory committee comprising individuals who have expertise and experience in fields, positions and situations relating to criminal legal matters, cyber security, ethics and law enforcement. “The bipartisan call to provide body-worn cameras to law enforcement agents has been a hallmark priority that promotes increased transparency and accountability for law enforcement and civilians alike. However, with the adoption of this resolution, we can look forward to substantive research on clear, consistent and equitable protocols for how we process footage from these cameras,” Rabb said. “Recommendations produced by the Joint State Government Commission stemming from completion of this study have the potential to inform Read more

 

House passes O’Mara bill supporting first responders with PTSI

(May 08, 2024) Rep. Jennifer M. O'Mara

“My dad was a firefighter in Philadelphia – he was my hero – and he died by suicide in 2003. First responders are heroes, but they’re not superheroes," O'Mara said. Read more

 

Munroe’s bipartisan social media bill passes House

(May 08, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Rep. Brian Munroe D-Bucks www.pahouse.com/Munroe Munroe’s bipartisan social media bill passes House HARRISBURG, May 8 – State Rep. Brian Munroe’s bipartisan bill that he wrote with three teenagers to empower parents to help their children navigate social media passed the House today. House Bill 2017 , which passed 105-95, now heads to the Senate for consideration. “This bill will not solve all problems with social media, but what it does do is give parents a tool to help prevent bullying and other problems associated with these platforms,” Munroe said. Munroe crafted the legislation after meeting Max Jin, Luka Jonjic and Dylan Schwartz when they were students at Tamanend Middle School in 2023. The three, who are now students at Central Bucks High School South, won an award from C-SPAN for their documentary, America’s Silent Struggle: Social Media’s Impact on Teens’ Mental Health. The bipartisan legislation would put the following safeguards in place: Strengthen proof-of-age verification on social media platforms by requiring consent from a parent or legal guardian for anyone younger than 16 to open a social media account and notify Read more

 

Bill to prohibit use of hand-held devices while driving passes General Assembly

(May 08, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

State Rep. Ed Neilson, D-Phila., chair of the PA House Transportation Committee, today announced that legislation (S.B. 37) that would prohibit the use of hand-held devices while operating a motor vehicle in Pennsylvania has passed both chambers of the General Assembly and is now on its way to Gov. Josh Shapiro’s desk for signature to become state law. “The data shows that distracted driving is the cause for more crashes than driving under the influence now,” Neilson said. “In the past, we confronted DUIs with harsher penalties because we recognized the danger it caused.” “I’m happy we did the work to get this bill passed and treated it with the same amount of alarm,” Neilson continued. Under the legislation, the penalty is a summary offense: a $50 fine and no points on the driver’s license. The bill also promotes education efforts by requiring minors to learn about distracted driving and have at least one question on the driver’s exam be about distracted driving, Neilson explained. “Today, Pennsylvania joins 26 states, including all of our border states, in recognizing the dangers that come with distracted driving by passing legislation that would include not only deterrents but an opportunity to get educated about the dangers of distracted driving in Pennsylvania,” Neilson said. Neilson added that the bill is also known as Paul Miller’s Read more

 

Warren bill to help reduce single-use plastic passes House

(May 08, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE State Rep. Perry Warren D-Bucks County www.pahouse.com/ Warren Warren bill to help reduce single-use plastic passes House HARRISBURG, May 8 – State Rep. Perry Warren’s bill that would encourage the use of reusable water bottles passed the PA House of Representatives today. House Bill 1169 , which now heads to the Senate for consideration, would require newly constructed state buildings, as well as existing state buildings undergoing renovations to their water and pipe infrastructure, to install water bottle filling stations. Last year 100 billion plastic beverage containers were sold in the U.S. Warren said many of them end up in the streets instead of in recycling containers. Worse, too many bottles end up in the ocean and waterways, polluting our waters and killing marine life. “This bill began with a conversation with a student intern in my district office about the proliferation of plastic water bottles. Soon after, I traveled to a national park, used a water bottle filling station at Philadelphia International Airport on the way and visited a display at the national park visitor center on plastic water bottle waste,” Warren said. “Those three events led to me conceiving a bill that would reduce Read more

 

Lawmakers introduce landmark energy bills in Pa. House

(May 08, 2024) Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, Rep. Aerion Andrew Abney

HARRISBURG, May 8 – State Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, and state Rep. Aerion Abney, D-Allegheny, today introduced legislation advancing the Shapiro administration’s Pennsylvania Reliable Energy Sustainability Standard (PRESS) and Pennsylvania Climate Emission Reduction (PACER) Program plans for Pennsylvania, respectively. The plans were first announced by Gov. Josh Shapiro in March . A companion PRESS bill was filed in the Senate by state Sen. Steven Santarsiero, D-Bucks, while state Sen. Carolyn Comitta, D-Chester, introduced the Senate version of the PACER legislation. “Right now in our commonwealth, we must take action to catch up in the race to create clean and reliable energy – to be more competitive, ensure consumers pay less for their electricity bills, and create more jobs and opportunities for our businesses to grow and our workers to get ahead,” Shapiro said. “I have made clear that any energy policy supported by my administration must meet the three-part test of protecting and creating energy jobs, taking real action to address climate change pollution, and ensuring reliable, affordable power for consumers in the long term – and my energy plan is built to do all three. Together with the support of leaders like Representative Abney and Representative Otten in the General Assembly, we’re going to ensure Pennsylvania will continue to be a national energy leader for decades to come.” Read more

 

Committee examines Keystone Saves Retirement Accounts

(May 08, 2024) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“The reality is, roughly 2 million Pennsylvania workers don’t currently have access to a retirement savings plan through their place of employment,” said Mullins, who represents portions of Lackawanna County. “If we act now, this plan will not cost taxpayers a single dollar. But if we don’t address the retirement security crisis, it will cost the state nearly $20 billion in social safety net programs by 2040. This legislation not only provides help for retiring workers, but it also takes a major burden off our small business owners.” Read more

 

Venkat’s health care reimbursement legislation approved by committee

(May 08, 2024) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, May 6 – State Rep. Arvind Venkat’s bill that would require health insurers to offer multiple payment options to in-network health care providers for payment for clinical services and disclose any associated fees with each method of payment was unanimously adopted by the PA House Insurance Committee today. The legislation, H.B. 1867 , would eliminate electronic credit card reimbursements being the sole method of payment and allow health care providers to choose the payment option best suited to their needs. Electronic credit card reimbursements with mandatory fees would only be permitted if the in-network health care provider agrees to that arrangement. “Administrative fees associated with only having electronic credit cards as the means of payment unnecessarily drains agreed-upon reimbursements received by hard-working doctors, nurses and other health professionals who have dedicated their lives to safeguarding the health of our community,” Venkat, D-Allegheny, said. “Let’s get our health care providers the full compensation they deserve and continue to support them in all their efforts.” According to a ProPublica article , almost 60% of medical practices said they were compelled to pay fees for electronic payment at least some of the time. These fees can also cost larger medical practices $1 million a year, and small clinics can lose as much as $100,000 due to the fees. The legislation now moves to the full Read more

 

Pielli’s business reporting bill heads to governor’s desk

(May 08, 2024) Rep. Chris Pielli

“In order for Pennsylvania to succeed, we need to be more welcoming to businesses,” said Pielli. “For purposes of efficiency and consistency, my bill would change the requirement so all companies doing business in Pennsylvania have the same reporting date. Read more

 

Health advocates speak out in support of Smith-Wade-El’s Legionnaires disease legislation
16 hours ago

Smith-Wade-El speaks in support of eviction reform at Philly Town Hall
16 hours ago

Philadelphia House Delegation reacts to passing of former Rep. James Roebuck
1 day ago

Roebuck’s death mourned by members of Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus
1 day ago

Venkat introduces legislation to ease restrictions on physician assistants and eliminate print statement fees
May 15, 2024

Donahue highlights fiscal challenges for independent pharmacies
May 15, 2024

House, Senate Dems Discuss Access to Health Care
May 14, 2024

Kenyatta joins community in mourning death of drag persona Daelicious O’hare Mizani
May 13, 2024

Committee examines patient outcomes, nursing home care
May 13, 2024

Pharmacy owners plead for policy reform on PBMs
May 10, 2024

Fleming’s Mixed-Use Revitalization Program legislation passes House
May 10, 2024

PA House adopts Rabb resolution to study best practices for body camera footage
May 09, 2024

House passes O’Mara bill supporting first responders with PTSI
May 08, 2024

Munroe’s bipartisan social media bill passes House
May 08, 2024

Bill to prohibit use of hand-held devices while driving passes General Assembly
May 08, 2024

Warren bill to help reduce single-use plastic passes House
May 08, 2024

Lawmakers introduce landmark energy bills in Pa. House
May 08, 2024

Committee examines Keystone Saves Retirement Accounts
May 08, 2024

Venkat’s health care reimbursement legislation approved by committee
May 08, 2024

Pielli’s business reporting bill heads to governor’s desk
May 08, 2024