ROYERSFORD, May 16 – State Reps. Joe Ciresi, D-Montgomery, and Joe Hohenstein joined staff members from service provider KenCrest today to discuss how SMART homes can help more people with disabilities to live independently. Equipped with voice-activated features, plenty of maneuverability for wheelchairs, and small robots that can feed people and offer remote monitoring, a SMART home’s technology can help people with disabilities live on their own. “At a time when there is a critical home care worker shortage, SMART homes are the smart investment in assisted living as they help people with disabilities live independently,” Ciresi said. “Unfortunately, the home’s technology can be cost-prohibitive. For example, a device that can assist with eating independently costs approximately $8,600. Under current Pennsylvania law, there is an individual lifetime cap of $10,000 for assistive technology purchases. That outdated limit poses a big obstacle to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from fulfilling their desire live more independent, safe and fulfilling lives.” “SMART homes provide essential necessities for individuals with disabilities, allowing them to live on their own,” Hohenstein said. "The technology from SMART homes empowers individuals, promotes safety and wellbeing and enhances overall quality of life. I’m proud to be here today to advocate for lifting the $10,000 cap Read more
Gov. Shapiro is calling on the General Assembly to pass the Health System Protection Act, introduced by Sen. Tim Kearney and Rep. Lisa Borowski. The Act is designed to protect our health care system — including hospitals, nursing homes and other health care facilities — from private equity bad actors who have pillaged our health care system and caused the shuttering of systems across the Commonwealth, and had negative impacts on care and services at others that remained open. Read more
“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
“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
HARRISBURG, May 14 – In concert with Mental Health Awareness Month, state Rep. Mary Jo Daley, D-Montgomery, today highlighted the need for Pennsylvania school coaches to receive mental health training. She was joined by students, coaches, and friends and relatives of students who have struggled with mental health issues or been lost to suicide. Daley’s upcoming bill would require that coaches receive mental health awareness training similar to 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/or local community. “School is the central part of a young person’s life for the majority of our first two decades,” Daley said. “For many students, school isn’t just about classes – it’s where they grow, socialize and find their sense of belonging. Extracurriculars like sports often deepen that connection, making school a really big part of their daily lives. That’s why the role of teachers, coaches and mentors is so critical. These dedicated individuals shape lives not just by teaching lessons or leading practice, but by being present, involved and supportive.” A recent study surveying more than 10,000 coaches found that only 18% of youth coaches feel highly confident in their ability to link Read more
“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
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 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
As hospital closures and consolidations across Pennsylvania create health care deserts and powerful monopolies, a bipartisan faction of lawmakers wants to empower the state to dig deeper into these transactions before they happen. Read more
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
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
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
“As a former court-appointed guardianship attorney, I saw clients who lost their homes as a result of unpaid property taxes,” Pielli said. “Too often, these were individuals with cognitive impairment or those who were otherwise incapacitated and could not pay tax bills without assistance. Read more
“A state credit that mirrors the federal credit is a smart investment in our workforce and our economy,” Sappey said. “For every dollar spent on a state EITC, Pennsylvania would receive four dollars back in economic growth and save three dollars on social spending.” Read more
HARRISBURG, May 6 – State Rep. Joe Ciresi’s legislation ( H.B. 789 ) that would help create more EV charging stations throughout Pennsylvania, at no cost to the Pennsylvania taxpayer, passed the House today. “Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly common each year, with over three-million electric vehicles on the road nationwide in 2023 and projections anticipating that electric vehicles could account for a majority of total passenger car sales by the 2030s,” said Ciresi, D-Montgomery. “As this trend continues, businesses are increasingly looking to provide access to EV charging at their locations, as a way of attracting customers or as a benefit to their employees. My legislation would connect the growing demand for electric vehicle charging infrastructure with a successful funding mechanism that is funded through private capital.” Introduced in a previous session as H.B. 1474 , which had previously passed in the House, the legislation would add electric vehicle charging infrastructure projects as an eligible project type under Pennsylvania’s Property-Assessed Clean Energy Program (C-PACE). C-PACE, which was created by Act 30 of 2018 , has facilitated more than $250 million in investments in energy efficiency, clean energy, conservation, and other projects by connecting property owners with long-term financing. The investments are funded entirely through private capital, so it would not impose any financial burden Read more
Legislation introduced by state Reps. Liz Hanbidge and Tim Briggs, both D-Montgomery, to clarify Pennsylvania’s overly complex child custody process passed the House today. Read more
“We tell our children not to trust strangers. We tell our children what they should do when a stranger approaches them. But we also tell our children that you CAN trust your teacher. You CAN trust a police officer,” Pielli said. “How can we allow adults who break that sacred trust to then benefit from institutional leniencies they do not deserve? This legislation, as amended, allowing for sentencing enhancements for a perpetrator in a position of authority, is a step in the right direction.” Read more
HARRISBURG, May 6 – State Rep. Tim Briggs, Majority, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, announced that today the committee voted to approve critical legislation introduced by state Rep. Nathan Davidson that would open a long-awaited path to justice for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. “These bills are about fairness, healing and restoring the rights of people who were silenced for far too long,” Briggs said. “We owe survivors the chance to be heard in a court of law, no matter how much time has passed.” The committee’s action followed a productive hearing held on Monday, where advocates and legal experts offered powerful testimony in support of the legislation. Their voices helped reinforce the urgent need for these long-overdue reforms. Both bills now advance to the full House for further consideration. H.B. 462 : This legislation would provide a statutory two-year window during which survivors of childhood sexual abuse could file previously time-barred civil claims. It also would waive sovereign and governmental immunity retroactively, allowing survivors to pursue justice against state and local agencies. H.B. 464 : This joint resolution would amend the Pennsylvania Constitution to establish a two-year window for survivors to bring forward civil claims that were previously blocked due to expired statutes of limitations. These proposals follow Read more
“To attract and keep our workforce, Pennsylvania must ensure we are competitive with our neighbors,” Shusterman said. “Currently, the pay gap in the Commonwealth trails not only behind the national average, but also behind five of our six neighboring states. The pay gap leads to less income for women to support their families. It also means women experience higher rates of poverty, lower financial earnings over a lifetime, and less money saved for retirement than their male colleagues. It’s past time that our Commonwealth ensures all Pennsylvania workers receive equal pay for equal work.” Read more
“Over a decade ago, Pennsylvania launched the Medical Officer and Health Officer Incentive Program to provide additional financial incentives for skilled medical professionals to enlist in the Pennsylvania National Guard,” Pielli said. “In the time since Act 78 of 2014, this program has proven to be a meaningful tool, bringing highly qualified health professionals into our forces. Read more
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