HARRISBURG, April 17 – Legislation to strengthen fairness, transparency and accountability in how students are evaluated for special education services in charter schools was introduced on Friday by state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Kathleen C. Tomlinson, D-Bucks. According to the representatives, under current law, charter schools receive additional funding for students identified as needing special education services. While this funding is intended to ensure that students receive appropriate support, the Education Law Center noted in a report that the existing system can create incentives for over-identifying students with mild disabilities while underserving those with more complex or costly needs. According to reports , there are cases in which charter school operators have acknowledged using these funds to support general operations. House Bill 2424 would address this issue by requiring an independent qualified third party – specifically, the student’s school district of residence or an intermediate unit – to perform the initial special-education evaluations for charter school students. “Under the current system, there’s simply too much financial temptation for charter schools to over evaluate their students’ disabilities,” Ciresi said. “By eliminating the funding element from playing a role in evaluations, we will ensure that decisions about a student’s educational needs are made solely in Read more

HARRISBURG, April 17 – Legislation to establish a statewide program providing free annual cancer screenings for firefighters was introduced this week by state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery. House Bill 2394 would ensure that firefighters can access annual cancer screening examinations at no cost when those services are not fully covered by their health insurance. The program would apply to both career and volunteer firefighters across the Commonwealth. According to Ciresi, firefighters’ repeated job-related exposure to cancer-causing chemicals has led the disease to become one of the leading causes of line-of-duty deaths. Studies by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health found that firefighters face a 9% increase in cancer diagnoses, and a 14% increase in cancer-related deaths, compared to the general population in the U.S. “It is morally wrong that our firefighters are being forced to choose between their health and their finances due to the high cost of deductibles, copayments, and other out-of-pocket expenses for work-related preventive care,” Ciresi said. “By removing the financial barriers to annual cancer screenings, my legislation would improve our firefighters’ health outcomes, reduce long-term health care costs, and demonstrate Pennsylvania’s commitment to protecting those who serve and protect our communities.” Read more

HARRISBURG, April 16 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Wednesday passed H.B. 586, which would responsibly guide the use of food processing residuals in the state, announced the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester. Food processing residuals, also known as FPR, are the leftover products created by commercial food processing. They can include vegetable peelings, raw meat scraps, and liquid waste from cleaning processes that might contain blood, fat, hair, feathers, and a variety of other vegetable and animal byproducts, as well as chemicals used in processing. Surrounding states have heavily restricted or banned the use of these residuals, making Pennsylvania a target for the cheap disposal of this commercial waste stream. "We don't know what is coming in or how much is being applied,” Friel explained during House debate. “We have more regulation on manure in Pennsylvania than we do on this unknown waste stream coming into our state. We need these guardrails to protect our communities and, most especially, our farms and farmers." The bill passed 172–29, with broad Republican and Democratic support, underscoring just how nonpartisan concerns about noxious odors and water contamination are in Pennsylvania. “I want to thank my many colleagues who have supported this effort, including Rep. Barb Gleim and former Rep. Paul Schemel, who worked with me on this Read more

CHESTER, April 15 –Two Chester City organizations, the Chester Education Foundation and the Make a Change Group, were awarded a total of nearly $1 million to expand their after-school programs for at-risk youth in the city, state Rep. Carol Kazeem, D-Delaware, announced today. Read more

ROYERSFORD, April 15 – The YWCA Tri-County Area was awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its intervention-centered programming outside of school time, and Trellis for Tomorrow received $460,451 for its after-school program, Project Thrive, state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Paul Friel, D-Chester, 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. According to Ciresi, the YWCA Tri-County Area will use the funds to expand its Youth Community Building and Empowerment initiative, a prevention-centered out-of-school-time program serving approximately 200 middle school youth across Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties in the Pottstown, Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts school districts. Trellis for Tomorrow will expand its existing Garden Club at Pottstown School District into a structured, prevention focused after-school program serving approximately 30 middle and high school students annually. Funds will be used to support employee pay, travel for field-based learning at Trellis garden sites, and equipment needed for garden expansion, grow towers and safe tool usage. “Helping young people thrive requires looking beyond the school day, and this funding will provide our at-risk youth with the educational, mentoring, and peer-led advocacy supports necessary to help them Read more

ROYERSFORD, April 15 – The YWCA Tri-County Area was awarded a $500,000 grant to expand its intervention-centered programming outside of school time, and Trellis for Tomorrow received $460,451 for its after-school program, Project Thrive, state Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Paul Friel, D-Chester, 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. According to Ciresi, the YWCA Tri-County Area will use the funds to expand its Youth Community Building and Empowerment initiative, a prevention-centered out-of-school-time program serving approximately 200 middle school youth across Montgomery, Berks and Chester counties in the Pottstown, Pottsgrove and Owen J. Roberts school districts. Trellis for Tomorrow will expand its existing Garden Club at Pottstown School District into a structured, prevention focused after-school program serving approximately 30 middle and high school students annually. Funds will be used to support employee pay, travel for field-based learning at Trellis garden sites, and equipment needed for garden expansion, grow towers and safe tool usage. “Helping young people thrive requires looking beyond the school day, and this funding will provide our at-risk youth with the educational, mentoring, and peer-led advocacy supports necessary to help Read more

HARRISBURG, April 15 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today passed legislation to strengthen mental health awareness for students and provide critical training for coaches and staff at schools across the commonwealth, announced the bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Mary Jo Daley. House Bill 1706 would require that coaches receive mental health awareness training like the training required of other school personnel. The bill would also ensure that all students, their parents or guardians, athletic staff and extracurricular advisors are informed of the availability of mental health services within their school and local community. According to reports , nearly 20% of students have seriously considered suicide, while 75% report struggling with anxiety. Furthermore, while a significant number of students express a need for professional mental health support, roughly 65% say that they are uncomfortable speaking to family or friends about their struggles, often turning to coaches and extracurricular advisors for support. Meanwhile, a study surveying more than 10,000 coaches found that only 18% of youth coaches feel highly confident in their ability to link athletes to mental health resources, and 67% say they want more training and information on the subject. “For many students, school isn't just about classes – it's where they grow, socialize and find their sense of belonging,” said Daley, Read more

HARRISBURG, April 9 – Pennsylvania House Judiciary Committee Chairman Tim Briggs today announced that a broad package of public safety and justice reform legislation has been voted out of committee, marking a significant step forward for measures aimed at protecting vulnerable Pennsylvanians and strengthening the Commonwealth’s legal system. “Today’s votes show what’s possible when we focus on solutions that put people first,” Briggs said. “These bills reflect a shared commitment to protecting victims, supporting families, and ensuring our justice system is both fair and effective.” House Bill 72 (sponsored by state Rep. Lisa Borowski) would update the Landlord and Tenant Act to better support people experiencing domestic violence. Leaving an abusive relationship is often the most dangerous time, and the last thing someone should have to worry about is whether they can safely stay in—or leave—their home. This bill would allow victims to break a lease early and change locks or other entry points so they can protect themselves and their families right away. Developed with input from advocacy groups, it is designed to give survivors clear, practical options at a time when safety matters most. House Bill 1104 (sponsored by state Rep. Leanne Krueger) would make it easier and more affordable for people to get their medical records in today’s digital world. Even though most records Read more

Members of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Southeast Delegation today wrote to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to express their strong opposition to proposed gas and electric rate hikes by PECO, according to state Rep. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, the delegation chair. Read more

HARRISBURG, April 7 – Legislation to require transparency in data center development in Pennsylvania, H.B. 2359, was introduced by the PA House Communications & Technology Committee majority chair, state Rep. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, this week. According to Ciresi, many developers in Pennsylvania and across the country are requiring local governments to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent discussion about controversial aspects of data center development and operation. These NDAs prevent officials from sharing data centers’ impact on the environment, zoning issues, and community life with residents. “Public officials’ core responsibility is to clearly inform residents about decisions that could impact their lives, such as data center development in their communities. These NDAs prevent them from fulfilling their essential duties, ultimately misleading the public and limiting Pennsylvanians’ active and informed participation in their self-governance,” Ciresi said. “My legislation would ensure transparency and accountability—the foundations of good governance—by prohibiting state and local government agencies from entering into NDAs with data center developers.” Read more