HARRISBURG, April 28 – The PA House of Representatives took a step toward decriminalizing homelessness in Pennsylvania by reporting state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El’s Shelter First Act ( H.B. 2028 ) out of the House Judiciary Committee on Monday. Smith-Wade-El’s Shelter First Act legislation would allow people experiencing homelessness to conduct life-sustaining activities in public spaces when no reasonable alternative options for housing are offered or available. Municipalities would be required to provide adequate indoor spaces for people experiencing homelessness before they could enforce any ordinance that criminalizes living outside. State Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Phila., has introduced a companion bill in the state Senate. Smith-Wade-El’s advocacy grew out of his experiences managing a homeless shelter in Lancaster. “Many of the shelter’s residents had jobs they went to day after day but still were struggling to find a home of their own thanks to low wages, rising inflation, and an affordable housing crisis—a perfect storm,” Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, said. “The criminalization of the unhoused will not solve the homelessness issue in our commonwealth. Instead, it will exacerbate it by plunging these vulnerable people into a never-ending cycle of heavy fines, arrests, and incarceration. It’s a tax on being poor. “Jailing our unhoused population is a losing proposition for everyone, as it Read more

HARRISBURG, April 27 – State Rep. Manny Guzman, D-Berks, today announced the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed his legislation to give Pennsylvania drivers the option to carry a digital vehicle registration card on their smartphone or device. Guzman said this legislation would bring Pennsylvania into the 21st Century by modernizing a system that has fallen behind the realities of today's digital world. Since 2016, PennDOT has required drivers who renew online to print their own registration card at home — a burden for the many low-income households that cannot afford a printer and the growing number of homes that have gone paperless. "As our world continues to go digital, it is only fair that Pennsylvania drivers have the option to carry their vehicle registration on their device, just as they do with so many other important documents," he said. "In 2013, Pennsylvania allowed drivers to carry digital insurance cards — this bill extends that same common sense convenience to registration cards," he added. "I look forward to seeing this bill cross the finish line. This is a practical, common sense measure that will make life easier for Pennsylvania drivers across the commonwealth." House Bill 2210 now heads to the Senate for consideration. Read more

HARRISBURG, April 27 – The state House Commerce Committee today advanced legislation introduced by state Rep. Scott Conklin that would help address rising home prices and shrinking inventory in Pennsylvania’s housing market by discouraging “house flipping” by investors. Conklin, who is Majority chair of the committee, said he introduced H.B. 2391 to deter a practice that is inflating values in Pennsylvania’s housing market and making it difficult for regular consumers to compete. “House flipping—when investors buy houses to fix them up and sell them for a quick profit—is driving up home prices and reducing inventory, making it increasingly difficult for buyers and renters to find affordable properties,” Conklin said. “An important way we can discourage this is by allowing mortgage lenders to offer investors the option of better terms if they accept prepayment penalties. Doing so would deter house flipping and encourage long-term investments, which in turn would help stabilize prices and increase available housing for both buyers and renters. “Unfortunately, Pennsylvania is one of a minority of states that does not allow mortgage lenders to offer competitive mortgage terms through prepayment penalties on investment property. My bill would change that by allowing lenders to offer investors the option of choosing financing terms with or without a Read more

LANCASTER, April 15 –The Bench Mark Program will receive $499,000 in grant funding to expand its after-school mentoring program for high-risk youth in Lancaster City, state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El announced today. The competitive grants, approved today by the School Safety and Security Committee under the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, is part of more than $64 million awarded to organizations across the state. The Bench Mark Program’s “Back to School” initiative uses mentoring to stop high-risk adolescents in Lancaster from slipping from chronic absenteeism into school disengagement, juvenile justice involvement, and community violence. The project targets approximately 180 students each year, ages 13-18, who are truant or trending toward chronic absenteeism and are referred by McCaskey High School or Magisterial District Court at the early stages of school withdrawal. “More of Lancaster City’s vulnerable youth will be able to benefit from Bench Mark Program’s holistic mentorship program thanks to this funding,” said Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster. “Kids need to know someone has their backs and is there to help them build the skills they need to handle life’s challenges. Bench Mark’s team of dedicated mentors have repeatedly proven that they’ve been there for our kids since 2014. “I am grateful to the PCCD for recognizing and supporting Bench Mark’s Read more

LANCASTER, April 15 –Advoz: Mediation & Restorative Services and the Touchstone Foundation were awarded $500,616 in grant funding to help expand their youth programs aimed at reducing student conflict and improving student mental health, respectively, state Rep. Nikki Rivera announced today. Read more