HARRISBURG, April 13 -- State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila, is advocating for formal acknowledgement of the extraordinary work of caregivers of Pennsylvania’s veterans through the Hidden Heroes campaign. “Many times, a veteran’s caregiver is a spouse, parent and other loved ones whose lives are transformed, their goals set aside, and they rearrange their lives to help the ones who sacrificed the most for us,” Rabb said. “We need to recognize that these women and men are heroes and sacrifice more than we currently understand.” The Hidden Heroes campaign is an initiative through the Elizabeth Dole Foundation that seeks to raise awareness of the struggles of these special caregivers. It also seeks to establish a national registry where veterans and their caregivers can access resources available to them. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 1 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., said it’s imperative the House pass legislation ( H.R. 113 ) that would study and bring accountability to the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement, following the Tuesday release of surveillance footage of the shooting death of Alexander Spencer. “The people of the commonwealth deserve accountability from law enforcement, and body-worn cameras are vital to the protection of both civilians and officers,” Rabb said. “Pennsylvania deserves to know how body cameras are being used by our law enforcement agencies across the state, which departments are utilizing body-worn cameras, and how we can continue to support the individuals that have sworn to protect and serve us.” The resolution would direct the Joint State Government Commission to study how body-worn camera footage is currently used and stored in this Commonwealth and require 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 justice of all and shielded from cyber threats, and establish an advisory committee comprising individuals who have expertise and experience fields, positions and situations relating to criminal justice, cyber security, ethics and law enforcement. House Resolution 113 was approved by the House Judiciary Read more
PA state Rep. Chris Rabb speaks to his Republican colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee about the need for local control over gun laws in the Commonwealth. Rabb says rural and urban communities are not the same and should be allowed to control firearms in a way that best serves their population. Read more
PA state Rep. Chris Rabb challenges Republican lawmakers to ditch their rhetoric and talk to the people most affected by gun violence. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 16 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., announced today that Mt. Airy Playground received $42,500 in state grant funding from the Commonwealth Financing Authority through the Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program. “I am thrilled to see the state make investments in our community with our tax dollars in a tangible way,” Rabb said. “Playgrounds are a great place for children to learn, interact with each other and develop social skills, and are a great place for families to bond and communities to grow. I look forward to seeing the completed project.” Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program projects involve development, rehabilitation and improvements to public parks, recreation areas, greenways, trails and river conservation. Grants can be awarded for up to $250,000 for any project. A 15% match of the total project cost is required. Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 22 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., is drafting legislation that would recognize the National Day of Mourning in the commonwealth. Rabb said the National Day of Mourning is a counter-commemoration to Thanksgiving, which has been celebrated since 1970, and is a recognition of the dark and shameful past imbedded in colonial history. The holiday honors Indigenous ancestors and Native resilience in Pennsylvania and across the nation. “Since its inception, the Thanksgiving holiday has been a celebration of Pilgrims and other European settlers taking possession of Indigenous lands in North America. Hundreds of years after the ‘first Thanksgiving,’ Indigenous peoples across the nation continue to fight for their rights and spend the Thanksgiving holiday mourning the loss of Indigenous life and culture, in protest against racism and oppression, and in celebration of the resiliency of Native people,” Rabb said. “For too long Pennsylvania has been home to ideas of White cultural superiority, exemplified in the 1763 Conestoga massacre, the 1782 Gnadenhutten massacre, and the inception of federally run Native boarding schools at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which sought to exterminate Native culture and force Whiteness and Americanization on Indigenous children until it finally closed in 1918.” This resolution would honor the perspective of Native peoples and draw attention to Read more
PA state Rep. Chris Rabb explains the importance of his resolution to study the efficacy of helping farmers to install solar panels on their farmland. Agrivoltaics is the coexistence of solar and traditional farms occupying the same space and Rabb says it could bring the economic boost farmers need to survive today’s challenging economy. Read more
Though PA played a pivotal role in the abolition of slavery, state Rep. Chris Rabb explains that the path to freedom in the commonwealth was a long and often unfair journey. Rabb’s legislation would establish a new holiday called Emancipation Day, a day to acknowledge the ongoing struggle for Black liberation in a society that continues to impose barriers to their advancement. Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 15 – A resolution ( H.R. 224 ) introduced by state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., commissioning a study on agrivoltaic farming was approved with bipartisan support by the Pennsylvania House Local Government Committee today. The resolution would direct the Joint State Government Commission to conduct a study on what benefits agrivoltaic farming, which allows for dual use of the same land to farm and to collect solar energy, could offer Pennsylvania and what opportunities exist for agrivoltaic farming to expand in Pennsylvania. Established in 1937, the Joint State Government Commission is the primary non-partisan research organization serving our state legislature, providing lawmakers with a readily available mechanism for conducting interdisciplinary research and analysis that can inform robust, evidence-based legislation. “My hope is that this resolution passes by year’s end,” Rabb said. “This prospective study can lead to a bipartisan bill that will bring agrivoltaics to Pennsylvania to help struggling family farmers and preserve farmland while incentivizing clean energy projects to create more green collar jobs and promote environmental resiliency across our commonwealth.” Read more
Looking back on PA’s history as a refuge for people fleeing slavery in other states, state Rep. Chris Rabb explains why he is in favor of legislation that would protect the reproductive rights of women and the medical professionals providing treatment. Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 6 – On the eve of tomorrow’s municipal election, state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., is highlighting multiple election-related bills that would make Pennsylvania’s election process fairer and function better while expanding and strengthening voting rights. “Tomorrow’s election will have large implications for Pennsylvanians both locally and across the commonwealth,” Rabb said. “And that’s why it’s important that we optimize our system to engage every eligible voter, especially our young people, who so frequently don’t or can’t make their voices heard.” Rabb introduced three pieces of legislation that would improve youth voting and civic engagement by allowing 16- and 17-year-old individuals to pre-register to vote, requiring the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to notify eligible individuals of their opportunity to preregister to vote when applying for a driver’s license or an identification card, establishing same-day voter registration, prohibiting rejection of a ballot based solely on signature analysis and removing the 15-day deadline to register to vote; providing for voter registration in high schools and comprehensive civics and voting rights education, including completion of a civics issue-based capstone research project; and lowering the voting age to 16 years old. “Voting is a civil right Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 2 – In celebration of Indigenous Peoples' Heritage Month, state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., is highlighting a series of wide-ranging legislation focused on honoring Native American culture and history while protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples. In 2021, Rabb authored a resolution that would have amended the rules of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to include a formal land acknowledgment at the beginning of each legislative week. He will be reintroducing the resolution this session. “Symbolism matters -- particularly when it’s tethered to substantive action around land back measures and other related matters. That’s why rhetoric must be followed by redress,” Rabb said. Rabb recently reintroduced legislation to protect Native American trademarks by preventing the use of Pennsylvania state intellectual property by non-Native American groups to claim Native American patterns and tribal names as well as other cultural heritage and intellectual property. He also is drafting legislation that would establish an independent, autonomous commission on indigenous affairs that has the budget and authority to work with the commonwealth on programs and funding opportunities to address policy concerns, sovereignty issues and land back initiatives. More than 60 schools across Pennsylvania still utilize derogatory Native mascots Read more
HARRISBURG, Nov. 1 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., and advocates held a news conference Tuesday to celebrate the successful bipartisan approval of his bill in the PA House Judiciary Committee that would repeal Pennsylvania’s death penalty. The action marked the first time in nearly 25 years that such legislation has been voted on in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. In 2019, Rabb held a similar news conference featuring two death row exonerees, Jimmy Dennis and Kirk Bloodsworth , when the then-majority chair of the Judiciary Committee in the PA House refused to take up this bill and when Republicans held what would be a 12-year majority, which ended earlier this year. Rabb has reintroduced legislation ( H.B. 999 ) that would repeal the state’s death penalty four times since taking office in 2017. His call to action comes after Gov. Josh Shapiro announced upon taking office that he would not issue any execution warrants during his term. “One innocent life taken at the hands of the state is one too many . The fact that the state has put even one innocent person to death is simply egregious,” Rabb said. “Furthermore, the appeals process when a person is sentenced to death is long and costly, lasting decades and often resulting in their death via old age rather than lethal injection. “The risks are grave and the injustices Read more
PA state Rep. Chris Rabb joined his House Democratic Caucus colleagues and advocates to celebrate the advancement of his legislation that would eliminate the death penalty in PA. Rabb says our justice system is simply too fallible and the benefits too small to continue this practice. Read more
“Having people closest to the pain informed the policy — that will allow for justice for all,” Rabb said. Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 19 – State Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., announced today that he is preparing to introduce legislation ( H.B. 1773 ) that would establish a fair share tax plan in Pennsylvania, changing the state’s longstanding regressive income tax. According to a 2019 report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center, 20% of families with the lowest incomes pay roughly 14% of their income on state and local taxes, while those in the top 1% only pay 6%. “It’s truly absurd that the bottom 60% of income earners are, on average, paying nearly double the tax rate of what the richest Pennsylvanians pay,” Rabb said. “This legislation will not only make the tax system fairer, but it will help to reduce the overall budget deficit and raise $6.22 billion in new tax revenue. That’s a win-win-win.” Rabb said the legislation would reduce the state income tax on wages and interest to 1.9% and increase the tax on passive income to 12%, raising $6.22 billion in new revenue. “We have an opportunity to take Pennsylvania’s upside-down tax structure and turn it right side up,” Rabb said. “Everyone should pay their fair share.” Read more
Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb speaks on the importance of making sure ALL Pennsylvanians who are eligible to vote are informed of and afforded that opportunity. Read more
I grieve the loss of lives in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7th, which killed more than 1,300 Israelis — including at least 40 Arabs — and injured thousands more. I call for the release of the more than 200 civilian hostages taken back into Gaza and Palestinian political prisoners. I also grieve the thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, including hundreds of children, who have been killed by Israeli bombs since then. It is never acceptable to cause the deaths of civilians. All human life is sacred. We need to find another way to resolve this crisis. I stand in solidarity with my Jewish, Muslim and Arab siblings here and abroad who oppose the slaughter of civilians. If we are ever to end this generations-long cycle of violence, let us do so in good faith by addressing the root causes of this conflict, and ensure that both Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace and security. I join my colleagues in Congress who have called for immediate de-escalation, ceasefire, adherence to International Humanitarian Law and humanitarian aid to Palestine commensurate with the devastation wrought upon Gaza. May our quest for enduring peace and justice prevail. Read more
Legislation to open Pennsylvania’s primaries, authored by state Reps. Jared Solomon and Chris Rabb, both D-Phila., was today voted out of the House State Government Committee. 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 are prohibited from voting in a primary election. Solomon said today’s vote is a step forward to embracing over 1.2 million disenfranchised voters in Pennsylvania, who are currently unaffiliated with any political party. “Open primaries would give these voters a voice,” Solomon said. “By disenfranchising these voters, we are losing a good opportunity to hear new ideas and fresh perspectives.” “I look forward to working with my House and Senate colleagues to ensure that everyone has a voice in our elections,” Solomon continued. “There should be no second-class among Pennsylvania’s electorate,” said state Rep. Chris 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.” “I’m very pleased with the first step taken today and the committee’s agreement to move this legislation forward,” said state Rep. Marla Brown, R-Lawrence. “I Read more
Pa. state Rep. Chris Rabb welcomed grown and not-entirely grown folks alike to his annual Grown Folks Fall Festival. Rabb says community is what matters and events like this play a vital role in bringing people together. This year’s event featured live music, a DJ, free food, as well as health, government, and nonprofit organizations providing valuable information and resources. Read more
HARRISBURG, Oct. 6 – In honor of the upcoming Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Phila., is highlighting a series of wide-ranging legislation focused on honoring Native American culture and history while protecting the rights of Indigenous peoples. In 2021, Rabb authored a resolution that would have amended the rules of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to include a formal land acknowledgment at the beginning of each legislative week. He has reintroduced the resolution this session. “Symbolism matters — particularly when it’s tethered to substantive action. That’s why rhetoric must be followed by redress,” Rabb said. Rabb recently reintroduced legislation to protect Native American trademarks by preventing the use of Pennsylvania state trademarks by non-Native American groups to claim Native American patterns and tribal names as well as other cultural heritage and intellectual property. He is also drafting legislation that would establish an independent, autonomous commission on indigenous affairs that has the budget and authority to work with the commonwealth on programs and funding opportunities that address policy concerns, sovereignty issues and land back initiatives. More than 60 schools across Pennsylvania still utilize derogatory Native mascots. Despite calls from advocacy groups like the National Read more
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