Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus | News Center

News Center

Ciresi bill to require clear signage for land development passes House

(23 minutes ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 11 – Legislation sponsored by state Rep. Joe Ciresi ( H.B. 375 ) that would increase residents’ awareness of proposed subdivision and land development projects in their area passed the House today with overwhelming bipartisan support ( 108-95 ). “Residents need to know what developments are going up in their area, but property developers are often leaving them in the dark by just putting up hard-to-see, impossible-to-read ‘notices’ on nothing more than 8½-inch by 11-inch sheets of paper,” Ciresi said. “My bill would help create greater community awareness of proposed developments at negligible costs to the property developer by requiring developers to post conspicuous signs of a minimum size and lettering that detail the project, so they be easily seen from the road.” The legislation would amend the Municipalities Planning Code so that no later than seven days after the first official submission of a subdivision or land development application, the subdivider or developer would post signs a minimum of nine square feet in surface area that can be read from a viewing distance of 50 feet, have a summary title in a minimum of 4-inch lettering, are conspicuously posted along external road frontage, and include a description of the proposed project and which local governmental entity is reviewing the development application. “If we want the public to be more aware of what’s going on in their Read more

 

Kazeem applauds bipartisan passage of legislation to protect Pennsylvania’s health care from private equity

(1 hour ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 11 – State Rep. Carol Kazeem applauded Tuesday’s bipartisan passage (121-82) of the legislation she co-sponsored ( H.B.1460 ) that would protect Pennsylvania’s health care system from private equity firms’ disastrous ownership of hospitals and nursing homes in the commonwealth. “The abrupt closure of Crozer Health System’s two remaining hospitals has made Delaware County a health care desert, resulting in hundreds of thousands of our residents without access to local medical care and negatively impacting our economy by leaving thousands of people without jobs,” said Kazeem, D-Delaware. “Since there’s been no law on the books to oversee private equity firms purchase of our hospitals and nursing homes, they’ve been allowed to repeatedly gut them and walk away with the profits. That would stop now with the passage of H.B. 1460.” After a series of service cuts and facility closures – and the extraction of over $457 million through real estate deals – the California-based private equity firm Prospect Medical Holdings abruptly closed Crozer’s two remaining hospitals, Taylor Hospital on April 26 and Crozer Chester Medical Center on May 2. As a result of these two closures, a total of 2,651 employees have been laid off. To prevent unchecked management of Pennsylvania’s medical care system, Kazeem co-sponsored the Rep. Lisa Borowski bill, H.B. 1460, which would Read more

 

House passes Friel, Schlegel bill to better fund, study school transportation

(1 hour ago) Rep. Paul Friel

HARRISBURG, June 11 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives this week passed bipartisan legislation to provide greater efficiency and clarity for funding school transportation across the state, announced the bill’s prime sponsors state Reps. Paul Friel and John Schlegel. House Bill 1326 would require that school districts report the number of students transported to public, nonpublic and charter schools, including the total costs for each school, to the state Department of Education. The data would be posted publicly online. The bill would also bring state requirements for mileage reporting into the 21 st century by allowing use of GPS software, which is easier and more accurate than manually tracking mileage, said Friel, D-Chester. “Over the past year, in a bipartisan manner, Representative Schlegel and I have spearheaded a work group with school transportation contractors, statewide associations representing school business, state department officials and school district transportation directors from across the commonwealth with the common goal to modernize Pennsylvania’s school transportation laws,” Friel added. “There is a lot of work to be done to bring our school transportation laws up to date, and this bill is an excellent first step toward that goal. Many thanks to the expert stakeholders for helping craft a truly meaningful piece of legislation that would make schools and education better in Read more

 

Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment, Transportation, and Additional Grant Opportunities

(2 hours ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Commonwealth Financing Authority: Mixed-Use Revitalization Program Who May Apply: Developers (person or business entity with a demonstrated history of advancing commercial or mixed-use redevelopment projects Use: A community revitalization project that promotes economic growth and includes commercial assets. Eligible projects must be on at least 15 acres of land, contain at least 200,000 square feet of proposed development that has not received a certificate of occupancy as of 7/11/24, and be zoned for planned end use. Funds: Grant amount shall not exceed more than twice the amount of matching funds provided by the developer or $3,000,000, whichever is less. Application Deadline: August 31, 2025 More information: CFA Website Department of Agriculture: Agricultural Research Grant Who May Apply: Individuals or organizations focused on agriculture research Use: Research on topic areas listed here Funds: All funding is contingent upon 2025-2026 budget appropriations Application Deadline: July 25, 20225 More information: PDA website PROGRAMS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS: Department of Community and Economic Development: PA SITES Who May Apply: Municipalities, economic development organizations, redevelopment authorities, municipal authorities, industrial development agencies, and for-profit organizations. Use: To develop competitive sites for businesses to relocate or expand within Pennsylvania. Funds: Read more

 

Lawmakers, advocates rally at state Capitol for passage of Venkat/Mihalek bill to protect restaurant patrons with food allergies

(3 hours ago) Rep. Arvind Venkat

HARRISBURG, June 10 – Lawmakers and food allergy advocates joined forces today at the state Capitol to push for passage of legislation that would make the state’s restaurants and other food retail establishments safer for more than 1.3 million Pennsylvanians living with food allergies, according to the bill’s prime sponsors, state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Natalie Mihalek. Venkat, D-Allegheny, said H.B. 77 – which passed the House earlier this year with strong bipartisan support – would reduce life-threatening risks by targeting practices in higher-risk settings, including restaurants and other retail food facilities, where patrons are often unknowingly exposed to allergens. “As an emergency physician, I have treated hundreds of patients with life-threatening allergic reactions, including many food-based reactions that could have been prevented,” Venkat said. “As a lawmaker, I know we can do more to reduce that risk. “One important way is by mandating changes in higher-risk settings like restaurants and other food retail facilities, where cross-contamination during food preparation, failing to notify customers about the need to convey their food allergies, or a patron’s failure to alert staff of food allergies accounts for many incidents. Earlier this year, the House passed our bill that would require these businesses to increase food allergy awareness among employees Read more

 

VICTIM Act Designed to Empower Crime Victims, Police

(7 hours ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG – Bipartisan legislation that would provide grant funding to police departments investigating cold cases passed the House today on a 169-to-34 vote, according to the bill’s sponsors, Reps. Joe Kerwin (R-Dauphin) and Tim Briggs (D-Montgomery). House Bill 1511 , known as the VICTIM Act, would help police hire additional investigators, submit evidence for forensic testing, upgrade management systems and take other steps they feel would be beneficial to make arrests for homicide and other violent crimes. It contains a provision that at least 10% of grants go to rural departments. “Advances in forensic science, data analysis and digital evidence tools are transforming how police solve crimes. But the best tools are often the most expensive, and without the necessary funding, many departments are forced to rely on outdated methods,” Kerwin said. “That’s not fair to victims, and it’s not fair to the officers trying to do their jobs under increasingly difficult circumstances.” “With the House’s bipartisan passage of the VICTIM Act, we are taking a major step toward delivering long-overdue justice to victims and their families. This legislation reflects our shared commitment to public safety by giving law enforcement the resources they need to solve violent crimes and bring accountability to our communities. It’s about restoring trust, providing closure, and making sure no one is Read more

 

Salisbury, Steele, Gaydos to introduce bill that would strengthen state legislative storm preparation services for residents

(10 hours ago) Rep. Abigail Salisbury, Rep. Mandy Steele

HARRISBURG, June 11 – In the wake of the April 29 storm that left 400,000 western Pennsylvania residents without power, state Reps. Abigail Salisbury and Mandy Steele, both D-Allegheny, and state Rep. Valerie Gaydos, R-Allegheny, will soon introduce legislation that would give state legislative offices greater ability to help residents prepare for weather emergencies. Salisbury said the bill – which would require the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to share weather emergency alerts with state legislative offices and create a direct channel of communication with them – would address a gap in the information network that leaves state offices without timely notification and, consequently, less able to assist their communities. “Currently, when a major storm threatens, PEMA sends alerts to county emergency management agencies, which in turn notify local officials,” Salisbury said. “As a result, when the April 29 storm hit, county officials had advance notice and were able to help residents prepare. Unfortunately, our state legislative offices do not receive these notices from PEMA, which hinders our ability to provide this critical assistance. “Our bill would remedy this by mandating that PEMA provide state legislative offices with the same alerts they send county agencies, as well as a direct communication channel for our offices to contact the agency during weather emergencies. It’s our job Read more

 

Hanbidge legislation to cap lot fees in manufactured home communities passes House

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Legislation introduced by state Reps. Liz Hanbidge, Melissa Cerrato and Joe Webster to stabilize rent prices and strengthen protections for residents in manufactured home communities passed the House with bipartisan support today. Read more

 

House Communications & Technology Committee approves bills to strengthen consumer protections in Pennsylvania

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, June 10 – The newly formed House Communications & Technology Committee approved two bills that would strengthen consumer protections for automatically renewing subscriptions in Pennsylvania and sent them to the full House for further consideration, Majority Chair State Rep. Joe Ciresi announced today. The bills would protect Pennsylvanians by creating consumer protection requirements for automatically renewing (negative option) subscription plans and by providing notifications before each automatic renewal, requiring transparency about renewal terms and allowing subscribers to cancel subscription services online, also known as click to cancel. “These bills demonstrate the committee’s continued fulfillment of its mission to empowering the public with clear and accurate communications, ensuring consumers can make informed decisions and companies can’t rely on misleading terms and conditions or making it difficult to cancel a subscription,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery. “By requiring transparency in companies’ communications about their subscriptions, consumers will save money by being aware of the ‘strings attached’ to certain subscriptions and having adequate time to cancel subscriptions they no longer want prior to automatic renewals.” The following bills were approved: House Bill 129 (Rep. Lisa Borowski) would help inform and empower consumers by requiring pre-renewal reminders and clearly Read more

 

Williams’ bill to open door to chip-enabled EBT cards passes House

(1 day ago) Rep. Dan Williams

HARRISBURG, June 9 – A bipartisan bill by state Reps. Dan Williams, D-Chester, and Doyle Heffley, R-Carbon, that would require a report on transitioning to chip-enabled EBT cards passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives today with overwhelming bipartisan support. “I’ve had a growing number of constituents share their stories about theft of their SNAP benefits through skimming schemes,” said Williams. “Unlike debit and credit cards, EBT cards lack security chips, making them highly vulnerable to fraud. Since October 2022, Pennsylvania has recorded more than 23,000 cases of EBT theft.” Criminals use skimming devices at point-of-sale terminals to steal card information and PINs, allowing them to clone EBT cards and wipe out the funds in an instant, leaving people unable to buy food. House Bill 1429 would require the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to work with the General Assembly to ensure an efficient transition to chip-enabled EBT cards. The legislation would require the department to deliver a report to the chairs of the House Human Services Committee and the chairs of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. The report would highlight costs, fraud prevention efforts and relevant statistics to enhance the security of SNAP benefits. “With only two other states transitioning to chip-enabled EBT cards, this bill would make Pennsylvania one Read more

 

PRESS CONFERENCE: Protecting PA Health Services from Corporate Greed

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Members of the PA House and nurses from across the state celebrate the chamber passing legislation (H.B. 1460 sponsored by Rep. Lisa Borowski, D-Delaware) that aims to preserve the public’s access to healthcare by protecting the commonwealth’s healthcare services and facilities from unchecked corporate ownership in the healthcare industry. Read more

 

Borowski bill again earns bipartisan support in effort to protect PA health services & facilities from corporate greed

(1 day ago) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“If we can’t come together as a legislature to get this protection in place for the people we represent, the message will be clear to Pennsylvanians: ‘Your government does not value your basic needs,’” Borowski said. “This is a measure that provides a commonsense, straightforward solution to an issue with undeniable impact. Crozer Health is gone, with a healthcare desert in its place, because we didn’t have a law like this on the books.” Read more

 

House passes Burns' bill requiring American-made steel for all taxpayer-funded projects

(Jun 09, 2025) Rep. Frank Burns

“This is commonsense legislation that passed near-unanimously. If tax dollars are spent on a project, then it should be made with American steel produced by workers right here in the United States,” Burns said. Read more

 

Davidson’s Statute of Limitations Bills approved by state House

(Jun 09, 2025) Rep. Nate Davidson

“It has been nearly seven years since the 40th Statewide Investigating Grand Jury issued their findings in the summer of 2018, and the two-year window for time-barred claims is the only legislative recommendation that has not been enacted,” said Davidson. “I cannot think of any other issue that has been voted on so many times, each with overwhelming, bipartisan support, and still is not done."This bill is not about any one institution or individual, this bill is about survivors of childhood sexual abuse seeking justice against the perpetrators of those crimes. They deserve to have their day in court, and the institution of the General Assembly would be well served to pass this long-overdue amendment clean and without delay." Read more

 

House Committee OKs two bipartisan Rabb bills protecting homeowners

(Jun 06, 2025) Rep. Christopher M. Rabb

Legislation to address deed fraud, safeguard ownership of inherited property clears committee Read more

 

Kinkead, Williams fight for survivors of sexual assault

(Jun 06, 2025) Rep. Emily Kinkead

Rally with PCAR to increase budget funding for rape crisis centers Read more

 

Philadelphia legislators celebrate Solar for Schools grant recipients at Community College of Philadelphia

(Jun 06, 2025) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

A celebration and check ceremony Thursday hosted by the Philadelphia House and Senate delegations honored the Philadelphia schools and community colleges that received Solar for Schools grants. Read more

 

Kinkead, Davis call for solitary confinement reform

(Jun 05, 2025) Rep. Emily Kinkead, Rep. Tina Davis

Duo pushes reform legislation at Capitol rally with Abolitionist Law Center Read more

 

O'Mara, Brennan bill to increase available mental health counseling advances to Senate

(Jun 04, 2025) Rep. Jennifer M. O'Mara, Rep. Tim Brennan

Under the legislation, students at out-of-state schools would be able to continue seeing their trusted counselor, and hard-working Pennsylvanians traveling for business or working across state lines would have access to virtual sessions that fit their schedules. Read more

 

House passes Matzie bill to protect consumers from ‘speculative ticketing’

(Jun 04, 2025) Rep. Robert F. Matzie

HARRISBURG, June 4 – Pennsylvania consumers are one step closer to protection from an unfair and unscrupulous sales practice after a strong bipartisan majority of the PA House today passed state Rep. Rob Matzie’s bill to ban speculative ticketing. Matzie, who is chairman of the House Majority Caucus, said he introduced H.B. 463 to eliminate a practice in which ticket resellers list event tickets for sale before even having those tickets in hand. “People give up their hard-earned money to buy tickets so they can enjoy special shows and events with friends, family, and loved ones,” said Matzie. “They have a right to assume the seller has those tickets in hand. When it turns out that the seller never had them and was unable to get them, it’s the consumer who loses. At best, they may get their money back. At worst, they lose their ticket money and any other expenses, like travel and lodging, they laid out. “A sales transaction between a buyer and seller should never be based on a gamble that the seller will be able to obtain the item for sale. We don’t allow that to happen with other consumer goods, and we shouldn’t let it happen with ticket sales. It’s very simple – if you don’t have it, you can’t sell it. I’m pleased that a strong bipartisan majority of the House sided with Pennsylvania consumers today by passing my bill.” Read more

 

Ciresi bill to require clear signage for land development passes House
23 minutes ago

Kazeem applauds bipartisan passage of legislation to protect Pennsylvania’s health care from private equity
1 hour ago

House passes Friel, Schlegel bill to better fund, study school transportation
1 hour ago

Agricultural, Environmental, Public Safety, Redevelopment, Transportation, and Additional Grant Opportunities
2 hours ago

Lawmakers, advocates rally at state Capitol for passage of Venkat/Mihalek bill to protect restaurant patrons with food allergies
3 hours ago

VICTIM Act Designed to Empower Crime Victims, Police
7 hours ago

Salisbury, Steele, Gaydos to introduce bill that would strengthen state legislative storm preparation services for residents
10 hours ago

Hanbidge legislation to cap lot fees in manufactured home communities passes House
1 day ago

House Communications & Technology Committee approves bills to strengthen consumer protections in Pennsylvania
1 day ago

Williams’ bill to open door to chip-enabled EBT cards passes House
1 day ago

PRESS CONFERENCE: Protecting PA Health Services from Corporate Greed
1 day ago

Borowski bill again earns bipartisan support in effort to protect PA health services & facilities from corporate greed
1 day ago

House passes Burns' bill requiring American-made steel for all taxpayer-funded projects
Jun 09, 2025

Davidson’s Statute of Limitations Bills approved by state House
Jun 09, 2025

House Committee OKs two bipartisan Rabb bills protecting homeowners
Jun 06, 2025

Kinkead, Williams fight for survivors of sexual assault
Jun 06, 2025

Philadelphia legislators celebrate Solar for Schools grant recipients at Community College of Philadelphia
Jun 06, 2025

Kinkead, Davis call for solitary confinement reform
Jun 05, 2025

O'Mara, Brennan bill to increase available mental health counseling advances to Senate
Jun 04, 2025

House passes Matzie bill to protect consumers from ‘speculative ticketing’
Jun 04, 2025