HARRISBURG, March 17 – Pennsylvania House Health Committee Chair Dan Frankel’s bill to strengthen oversight of medical marijuana testing and enhance patient safety passed the House Monday with broad bipartisan support, marking a significant step toward ensuring the integrity and reliability of medical marijuana products statewide. House Bill 33 , which aims to bolster compliance testing, product audits, statistical analyses and lab inspections, now moves to the Senate for consideration. The bill is designed to provide stronger safeguards against contamination, inaccurate labeling and deceptive practices, ensuring that medical marijuana patients have confidence in the safety and efficacy of the products they use. “This legislation will help ensure that testing labs remain independent, transparent and accountable, so that we can prevent the types of issues that have undermined patient trust in other states,” Frankel said. Weaknesses in consumer protections were described in a series of hearings held by the Health Committee in the previous session and have also come to light through incidences of contamination , inaccurate labeling and deceptive practices in other states. Video of the Dec. 13, 2023, hearing on the regulatory landscape of cannabis can be found here . The legislation directs the Pennsylvania Department of Health to oversee lab testing with greater scrutiny, require stability testing to monitor Read more
“The people most affected by this bill have been retired for decades, were not part of the Act 9 increases, and are in their 80s and 90s,” state Rep. Dan Deasy said. “It is a finite group of individuals who will be affected, and they are most needy based on when they were last employed. We owe it to them to make it right. I’ve spoken to many who are unable to pay for food and medications. That is unacceptable for folks who gave so much to their communities and to our state.” Read more
Service in the Pennsylvania National Guard could soon come with additional incentives for military families. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 13 – State Reps. Arvind Venkat and Craig Williams have introduced a bipartisan bill that would award an additional college education grant to family members of Pennsylvanians serving in the state National Guard upon reenlistment or renewal of their service obligation. The legislation ( H.B. 865 ) would amend the Military and Veterans Code of the Commonwealth so that each time a guard member reenlists or renews their service obligation for an additional six-year term, the Military Family Education Program would again cover the cost of attending a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education school for a military family dependent. “Pennsylvania National Guard members exemplify the best of our Commonwealth, and they and their loved ones deserve the kind of support available through the MFEP,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “I’m proud to partner with Representative Williams on this bill that helps young people receive a higher education and recognizes the service of those who protect all Pennsylvanians.” "Those of us who have served, especially on deployment, know with our whole heart that military service is a full family commitment. Anything we can do to recognize, acknowledge and value that family sacrifice must be pursued. House Bill 865 extends education benefits to the families of those who continue their service in the Pennsylvania National Guard,” added Williams, R-Delaware/Chester. “I want our Read more
Newly listed state grant programs Read more
Medical debt harms people in different ways. It can lead them to seek payday loans, take money out of their retirement accounts, or delay medical care. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 10 -- Continuing her efforts to conserve Pennsylvania’s wildlife resources, state Rep. Mandy Steele has introduced a bill to repeal the prohibition on Sunday hunting and require at least one member of the Pennsylvania Game Commission to have a background in agriculture. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 6 – Pennsylvania House Health Committee Chair Dan Frankel condemned the long-anticipated closure of Delaware County’s Crozer Health hospital system on Thursday, vowing to push legislation aimed at preventing similar crises in the future. “These hospitals were ransacked, robbed and plundered for profit, and now their private equity owner gets to ride out of town, leaving communities with diminished access to health care and employment,” Frankel said. “It’s devastating, and we have the power to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” Last year, the House Health Committee passed a bill by Rep. Lisa Borowski that would empower the PA Attorney General to review health care acquisitions before they occur and determine if such sales serve the public interest . The bill was crafted in response to the growing role of private equity in the health care market – and the troubling consequences that have followed . Prospect Medical Holdings bought the then-Crozer Keystone Health System, now Crozer Health, in 2016. In April 2020, the company closed Springfield Hospital and in 2022 ceased operations at Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby. The remaining two hospitals will close their doors next week. Frankel pledged to again take up the bill in his committee and to work with Borowski and legislative leaders to fast-track it through the General Assembly. “Medical Read more
A Pittsburgh-area state representative joined nonprofit health care advocates Wednesday to respond to a Congressional budget blueprint that tees up major cuts to Medicaid. Pennsylvania Democratic state Rep. Arvind Venkat, who represents the North Hills suburbs, accused congressional Republicans and the Trump administration of slashing Medicaid funding without an explanation to the public. Read more
Newly listed state grant opportunities Read more
Medicaid is an essential, life-sustaining program,” Miller said. “It helps millions of low-income people, supporting disability and mental health services, providing nursing home care, covering Medicare costs and much more. It helps Democrats, Republicans, and independents alike, and promises must be kept.” Read more
PennDOT grant funds new traffic signal at Centre Ave. and North Dithridge St. intersection Read more
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 26 – State Rep. Aerion A. Abney, D-Allegheny, announced that two state grants, totaling more than $1.5 million, were awarded to a local restaurant for expanding employment opportunities and to projects that will safeguard motorists and pedestrians. Café Momentum Pittsburgh received $914,300 for extending workforce development internships to 75 at-risk youths. The interns will learn front- and back-of-the-house work during their time with Café Momentum, as well as receive life-skills support, employee adjustment and confidence skill building assistance, mental healthcare, and education support. Funding of $647,000 will go toward modernizing the traffic signal at the intersection of East General Robinson Street and Sandusky Street and for pedestrian safety improvements in the North Shore neighborhood. “Giving young people opportunities, such as those provided by Café Momentum, will provide them with invaluable information on sustainable careers and, potentially, a path to such careers in food services and hospitality. I’m also proud to help secure monies that will keep neighbors safe with traffic improvements on the North Side,” Abney said. “Thank you to Senator Wayne Fontana and all partners who helped make these dollars possible.” Café Momentum’s funds are allocated through the Commonwealth’s Violence Intervention and Prevention Grant Program, while the traffic signal Read more
“I am absolutely heartbroken by the cruelty of the budget that passed the U.S. House last night,” Kinkead said. Read more
“The lack of attainable housing is a complex issue, negatively affecting workers, businesses and families,” said state Rep. Lindsay Powell, who represents a portion of Allegheny County. “The lack of attainable housing means workers are sometimes unable to accept higher paying jobs because they cannot afford to move to a new geographic location, which heightens Pennsylvania’s workforce needs. It also means an entire generation of workers have been denied one of the basic tenets in building generational wealth through home ownership.” Read more
State grant to fund sidewalk reconstruction on Monongahela Avenue Read more
State grants support Larimer-Homewood Multimodal Greenway, Carlow University Read more
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 24 – State Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Allegheny, announced that a $250,000 state grant was awarded to the city of Pittsburgh for work focused on pedestrian safety and ease of travel throughout the Strip District. This grant was made possible by the state’s Multimodal Transportation Fund and will be used to make Smallman Street safer and more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. “Protecting residents and visitors through infrastructure is a commonsense investment, but it requires sustained commitments. Residents and visitors in the Strip District and throughout Pittsburgh deserve to travel safely to work and spaces of relaxation, arts and culture every day,” Powell said. “I want to thank Senator Wayne Fontana for his collaboration in securing these dollars and keeping neighbors connected.” Powell and Fontana procured a grant of nearly $1 million for the Smallman Street project last year as well. The MTF, a Commonwealth Financing Authority program, provides grants to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to the residents of Pennsylvania. Read more
"Investing in our local roads is essential for the safety and mobility of our residents," state Rep. Brandon Markosek said. "This funding will allow Wilmerding Borough to make much-needed improvements to these streets, ensuring safer and smoother travel for the community. I’m proud to support this project and will continue advocating for infrastructure improvements throughout our district." Read more
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