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Testifiers urge sustainable state support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities

(1 hour ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) have faced years of chronic underfunding, prompting the Pennsylvania House Majority Policy Committee and PA Legislative Black Caucus to convene a joint policy hearing Thursday to discuss how the state can provide sustainable support to these institutions of higher education. Read more

 

Sen. Tim Kearney & Rep. Lisa Borowski introduce legislation to safeguard PA’s healthcare systems

(21 hours ago) Rep. Lisa Borowski

“This is one of those pivotal moments for us as lawmakers elected by the people to represent their interests. How we choose to respond to the crisis private equity firms are inflicting on our healthcare system will speak volumes to Pennsylvanians about our courage to do what’s right,” Rep. Borowski said. Read more

 

Venkat, Williams: House passes bipartisan bill to extend Military Family Education benefits

(22 hours ago) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, May 14 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today unanimously passed legislation that would allow family of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard to claim additional education benefits each time the Guard member reenlists or renews their service commitment, the bill’s co-prime sponsors, state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Craig Williams, announced. House Bill 865 would amend the state’s Military Family Education Program – also known as the Pennsylvania GI Bill – to clarify that the program’s education benefit is renewable each time a Guard member reenlists or renews their service obligation for an additional six-year term. “Our military men and women sacrifice so much when they commit to serve, and their families also sacrifice each time they say goodbye to a loved one leaving for duty,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “The Military Family Education Program is an excellent way of giving back to these families while also boosting Guard recruitment and retention. “As written, the existing law leaves some uncertainty regarding whether the education benefit is renewable. By making clear that the benefit is available each time a Guard member reenlists or renews their service commitment, our bill would give greater effect to this powerful program.” “House Bill 865 honors the full scope of service that Guard members and their families provide,” said Williams, Read more

 

PA House passes Inglis bill to drive billions toward energy projects

(22 hours ago) Rep. John Inglis

EDGE 2.0 tax credit expansion leveraging Shapiro’s Lightning Plan advances Read more

 

House Judiciary Committee approves bipartisan medical release bill

(22 hours ago) Rep. Rick Krajewski

The Department of Corrections spent more than $426 million on medical care in the 2023-24 fiscal year, with $40.5 million spent on medical care for incarcerated elderly people who were at risk of death. “When our corrections system is spending tens of millions of dollars to incarcerate people who are slowly dying, we must ask ourselves who is this really benefiting? We’ve seen states take serious action on this, it is time for Pennsylvania to do the same,” Krajewski said. Read more

 

Sappey highlights impact of public gardens at state Capitol

(22 hours ago) Rep. Christina Sappey

“Pennsylvania’s public gardens and public horticulture institutions preserve thousands of acres of natural resources through conservation, restored forests, improved watersheds and healthy private working lands and bring together a wide array of expertise, approaches and solutions that are essential for biodiversity in food and agriculture,” Sappey said. “They bring many benefits, including education, community partnerships and development, research, agricultural cultivation, tourism and conservation. They also provide a place of beauty as they connect all of us with life affirming plants.” Read more

 

Solomon, Rabb call for open primaries in PA

(23 hours ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Legislation to open Pennsylvania’s primaries, H.B. 280, authored by state Reps. Jared Solomon and Chris Rabb, both D-Phila., was voted out of the House State Government Committee yesterday. “One-point-four million independent voters in Pennsylvania provide tax dollars to pay for primaries but have no vote,” Solomon said. “This must end. We must welcome veterans, young people, and other independents into our democratic process.” Pennsylvania has a closed primary system, meaning that only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party’s primary election. Voters who are unaffiliated or registered as a third party are prohibited from voting in a primary election. “There should be no second class among Pennsylvania’s electorate,” said Rabb, D-Phila., and co-sponsor of the bill. “Over 1 million voters are unduly disenfranchised in our state because they have chosen to exercise their right to remain unaffiliated with our restrictive political duopoly.” Read more

 

Pielli bill to help increase funding for first responders approved by PA House

(1 day ago) Rep. Chris Pielli

“Funding struggles can result in staffing shortages and increased response times, which can make the difference between life and death. This legislation is a simple but important step in increasing funding opportunities for our first responders,” he said. “With this funding, our first responders can increase staffing and upgrade equipment. This option should also be extended to all townships of the second class.” Read more

 

PA House Judiciary Committee approves four measures

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 14 – The Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee, chaired by state Rep. Tim Briggs, D-Montgomery), advanced bills today aimed at strengthening public safety, supporting working families, and protecting vulnerable populations across the Commonwealth. The legislation addresses compassionate release for seriously ill incarcerated individuals, parental rights, child exploitation laws and oversight of illicit vapor products. “Today’s committee action reflects our commitment to practical, thoughtful and bipartisan solutions that respond to real needs in our communities,” Briggs said. “These bills tackle everything from criminal justice reform to public health and safety, and I’m proud to move them forward with support from both sides of the aisle.” House Bill 150 , sponsored by state Reps. Rick Krajewski, D-Phila., and Torren Ecker, R-Adams/Cumberland, would reform Pennsylvania’s current compassionate release program. It would establish an expanded process for seriously ill incarcerated individuals to petition the court for sentence modification modeled after the federal First Step Act. The bill includes strong public safety measures and would relieve strain on state correctional medical resources. House Bill 526 , introduced by state Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, would update Pennsylvania’s law that protects parents who breastfeed in public by making it clear Read more

 

Borowski bill takes aim at overbearing HOA bans on drying clothes outside

(1 day ago) Rep. Lisa Borowski

Borowski noted clotheslines have been a back yard or porch staple for most of our history as a country, and that air drying laundry in the sun saves people money, reduces pollution and prolongs the life of many fabrics. Read more

 

Venkat: House passes bipartisan bill to help patients avoid medical debt

(1 day ago) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, May 13 – In a move to help fight medical debt, the Pennsylvania House today passed bipartisan legislation that would ensure patients are better informed about hospital-based financial assistance programs and how to access them, announced the bill’s co-prime sponsor, state Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny. House Bill 79 , which Venkat introduced with state Reps. Nate Davidson, Tarik Khan, Bridget M. Kosierowski, Andrew Kuzma, Jim Rigby and Tim Twardzik, would mandate the development of standardized, plain-language hospital financial aid forms, which would be shared with patients on intake and discharge, displayed on billing paperwork and posted publicly on hospital and state health websites. “Hospital-based financial aid can help patients avoid life-altering medical debt, yet many patients are unaware that these programs even exist or how to access them,” said Venkat, an emergency physician and legislator who sits on the House Health Committee. “Our legislation would make sure patients receive this information in a standardized, easily understandable format so they can reap the benefits of these programs. Our bill would also require hospitals to suspend billing pending a decision on the patient’s application. Making the system more accessible and user-friendly for patients will help prevent all Pennsylvanians from accumulating medical debt.” “As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen how Read more

 

House passes bipartisan bill to help patients avoid medical debt

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 13 – In a move to help fight medical debt, the Pennsylvania House today passed bipartisan legislation that would ensure patients are better informed about hospital-based financial assistance programs and how to access them, announced the bill’s co-prime sponsor, state Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny. House Bill 79 , which Venkat introduced with state Reps. Nate Davidson, Tarik Khan, Bridget M. Kosierowski, Andrew Kuzma, Jim Rigby and Tim Twardzik, would mandate the development of standardized, plain-language hospital financial aid forms, which would be shared with patients on intake and discharge, displayed on billing paperwork and posted publicly on hospital and state health websites. “Hospital-based financial aid can help patients avoid life-altering medical debt, yet many patients are unaware that these programs even exist or how to access them,” said Venkat, an emergency physician and legislator who sits on the House Health Committee. “Our legislation would make sure patients receive this information in a standardized, easily understandable format so they can reap the benefits of these programs. Our bill would also require hospitals to suspend billing pending a decision on the patient’s application. Making the system more accessible and user-friendly for patients will help prevent all Pennsylvanians from accumulating medical debt.” “As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen how crushing medical Read more

 

House passes Cephas bill to reduce costs for homeowners

(May 12, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed legislation sponsored by state Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., that would permit mortgage lenders to offer discount points to borrowers to lower their interest rate and monthly payments. House Bill 1103 would expand opportunities for affordable credit so that home buyers wouldn’t need to turn to higher interest options like personal loans or credit cards. Read more

 

PA House passes Williams’ bill to increase pensions for blind, disabled veterans

(May 12, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 12 – State Rep. Dan Williams’ bill that would increase pension amounts for injured veterans passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives today. “Pennsylvania offers pension programs for veterans who are blind, have lost limbs or are paralyzed. Under our current law, the program pays $150 per month to qualified veterans, but that amount has not been raised since 1999,” Williams said. House Bill 1144 would increase the pension amount from $150 per month to $200 for both the Blind Veterans and the Amputee and Paralyzed Veterans pension programs. “This $50 increase is the first step in right-sizing this program for the veterans who have served and sacrificed for our country,” Williams said. “This increase is meant to repay a small part of the debt we owe to those who put their lives on the line for our protection.” State Reps. Jared Solomon (D-Philadelphia), Mark Gillen (R-Berks) and Dane Watro (R-Schuylkill/Luzerne) joined Williams in sponsoring the bill. The bill now moves to the state Senate for consideration. Read more

 

House passes Bizzarro bill to cut taxes for first-time homebuyers

(May 12, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

In response to skyrocketing mortgage rates and the number of first-time homebuyers falling drastically, the Pennsylvania House passed legislation to cut taxes for people looking to buy their first home, bill sponsor Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie) announced Monday. Read more

 

Conklin’s PIAA playoff reform bill advances from committee to full House

(May 12, 2025) Rep. Scott Conklin

HARRISBURG, May 12 – In a move to level the playing field for Pennsylvania’s public school athletes, the Pennsylvania House Intergovernmental Affairs and Operations Committee today approved state Rep. Scott Conklin’s bill that would allow the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association to create separate playoffs and championships for boundary and non-boundary schools. Conklin, D-Centre, said he introduced H.B. 41 because reforming the current PIAA playoff system – which jeopardizes the health and safety of public school athletes – is an urgent priority. “The current system isn’t just putting public school athletes at a disadvantage, it’s endangering their health and safety,” Conklin said. “It’s forcing students from public schools, which must recruit from within district boundaries, to compete against students from private schools, which can recruit from anywhere and amass teams that are larger and stronger. “The system is also depriving public school students of scholarship and recruitment opportunities and teaching them the wrong lessons. K-12 sports are supposed to be about building confidence and reinforcing concepts of fair play and good sportsmanship. We can’t be doing that with a system that puts some students on an unlevel playing field before they even walk out onto the field.” Conklin emphasized that his bill Read more

 

Venkat, Cutler to introduce bill that would reduce state costs, ensure Medicaid patient access to GLP-1 medications

(May 12, 2025) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, May 12 – With the growing demand for GLP-1 medications to treat obesity, state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Bryan Cutler are preparing to introduce legislation that would ensure those drugs remain available to Medical Assistance patients while significantly cutting costs to the state. The bill would allow Pennsylvania to purchase GLP-1 medications for Medicaid patients at a lower cost by implementing a “subscription model” – a system in which a state agrees to pay a certain amount per treatment up to a cap, at which point the drug manufacturer provides additional treatments at no cost. “GLP-1 drugs that treat obesity can also help patients avoid serious and costly diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and potentially others,” said Venkat, a physician and legislator who is a member of the House Health and Human Services committees. “For the state, healthier outcomes for Medicaid patients translate to significant cost savings. “The challenge is that these medications are costly to the state now, while the savings from lower disease rates won’t be realized until future years. By implementing a subscription model, our bill would help the state significantly reduce upfront costs without limiting the number of patients who can receive needed treatment for obesity.” The subscription model – colloquially also known as the “Netflix model” Read more

 

House Communications & Technology Committee discusses Pennsylvania’s AI Pilot Program, a first in the nation

(May 09, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 9 – The newly formed House Communications & Technology Committee today held an informational meeting with Governor’s Office of Administration Emerging Technologies Director Harrison MacRae on Pennsylvania’s first-in-the-nation program with OpenAI, exploring how artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT could enhance productivity and improve customer service to the commonwealth’s residents. “It’s clear that AI is going to have a significant impact on Pennsylvanians’ lives and thanks to this first-in-the-nation collaboration between the commonwealth and Open AI, we’ve learned key lessons about how integrating AI into the workplace will empower employees,” committee Chair Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, said. “It’s both clear from the testimony today that AI can enhance employee performance in improving outcomes and operations, but is no replacement for employee experience and judgement, which are needed to evaluate and refine ChatGPT’s output.” Following the September 2023 Shapiro Executive Order that established a comprehensive framework for AI governance in Pennsylvania, the commonwealth in January 2024 launched a year-long pilot program with OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise to explore the benefits of generative AI in the workplace. The Office of Administration collaborated with leading generative AI experts and researchers from Carnegie Mellon University Block Center for Read more

 

Philadelphia House Delegation celebrates major investment for Navy Yard development

(May 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Chairwoman of the Philadelphia House Delegation state Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., joined Gov. Josh Shapiro, Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary Rick Siger, and other elected officials at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia this morning to announce a state investment of $30 million to develop the Philadelphia Navy Yard Greenway District.The grant is awarded to Ensemble/Mosaic Navy Yard LLC. through the Pennsylvania Strategic Investments to Enhance Sites program – a strategic and targeted strategy to unlock economic growth by preparing sites for business expansion and job creation. The project will target life sciences, research, and manufacturing. Cephas touted the major investment as a key to unlocking economic growth and prosperity for the Philadelphia region. Read more

 

Ciresi’s legislation to prevent gift card scams reported out of committee

(May 08, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 8 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi’s (D-Montgomery), legislation (H.B. 1067) that would help people avoid falling victim to gift card scams was reported out of the Commerce Committee this week. According to Ciresi, gift cards have become an increasingly widespread way for scammers to defraud Pennsylvanians. Gift cards are easy to purchase, almost impossible to track and allow fraudsters to quickly move money on them, making them a popular payment method demanded by scammers. Sometimes fraudsters claim to be associated with government agencies, legitimate businesses, or even victims’ families, creating a sense of urgency to get their victims to buy gift cards as payment. “In 2023, the Federal Trade Commission reported that victims lost $217 million due to gift card fraud last year, and reports of gift card fraud to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Scam Tracker increased by 50% that same year,” Ciresi said “My office has been contacted by constituents who’ve lost thousands as a result of these scams, and there’s a need to do more to prevent them.” Introduced in a previous session as H.B. 2186, this legislation would require retailers selling gift cards to post clear signage warning consumers about gift card scams where gift cards are displayed and at the point of sale, and to ask for photo identification for gift card purchases. Retailers would also be required to train their employees on how to identify and Read more

 

Testifiers urge sustainable state support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities
1 hour ago

Sen. Tim Kearney & Rep. Lisa Borowski introduce legislation to safeguard PA’s healthcare systems
21 hours ago

Venkat, Williams: House passes bipartisan bill to extend Military Family Education benefits
22 hours ago

PA House passes Inglis bill to drive billions toward energy projects
22 hours ago

House Judiciary Committee approves bipartisan medical release bill
22 hours ago

Sappey highlights impact of public gardens at state Capitol
22 hours ago

Solomon, Rabb call for open primaries in PA
23 hours ago

Pielli bill to help increase funding for first responders approved by PA House
1 day ago

PA House Judiciary Committee approves four measures
1 day ago

Borowski bill takes aim at overbearing HOA bans on drying clothes outside
1 day ago

Venkat: House passes bipartisan bill to help patients avoid medical debt
1 day ago

House passes bipartisan bill to help patients avoid medical debt
1 day ago

House passes Cephas bill to reduce costs for homeowners
May 12, 2025

PA House passes Williams’ bill to increase pensions for blind, disabled veterans
May 12, 2025

House passes Bizzarro bill to cut taxes for first-time homebuyers
May 12, 2025

Conklin’s PIAA playoff reform bill advances from committee to full House
May 12, 2025

Venkat, Cutler to introduce bill that would reduce state costs, ensure Medicaid patient access to GLP-1 medications
May 12, 2025

House Communications & Technology Committee discusses Pennsylvania’s AI Pilot Program, a first in the nation
May 09, 2025

Philadelphia House Delegation celebrates major investment for Navy Yard development
May 08, 2025

Ciresi’s legislation to prevent gift card scams reported out of committee
May 08, 2025