Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Email Update: May 19, 2025

Email Update: May 19, 2025

In this update:

  • Duquesne Light to Testify Wednesday
  • Reforming Juvenile Justice
  • Upcoming Events
  • Thank You EMS Workers
  • Celebrate 1-4-3 Day
  • And so much more!
 

 

Vote Tomorrow!

Be sure to head to the polls tomorrow and cast a ballot in the Municipal Primary Election if you’re eligible to vote! My office will be closed all day tomorrow, Tuesday, May 20. We will reopen Wednesday May 21, ready to serve you.

Find all the voting resources you need here and information on mail ballot return sites here.

Additionally, please note that my office will be closed Friday, May 23 and Monday, May 26 for Memorial Day.

 

 

Public Hearing on Storm Prep and Power Outages

My colleague Rep. Mandy Steele and the PA House Majority Policy Committee are hosting a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday, May 21 at the Lauri Ann West Community Center at 1220 Powers Run Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15238.

 

This hearing will serve to amplify the voices of the people in our region who were affected by the prolonged power outages in the recent storms. This is an opportunity to hear directly from Duquesne Light and West Penn Power on what went right, what went wrong, and have a community discussion about how we can work together to better prepare for future storms.

 

A livestream of the hearing is available here.

 

I encourage anyone impacted by the recent storms to attend the hearing in person or virtually.

 

 

Legislative Updates from Harrisburg

I am pleased to report that last week in Harrisburg, my colleagues and I worked to advance some great bills supporting voting rights, helping first-time homebuyers, increasing access to advanced breast cancer screenings, and more.

Here are some of the bills that passed the PA House last week:

 

H.B. 1396 (The Voting Rights Protection Act) – Expanding voting access and improving our elections process through critical reforms including providing options for early voting, increasing access to ballot drop boxes, allowing voters to correct minor errors on a mail-in ballot, and allowing for pre-canvassing of mail ballots.

 

H.B. 1263 – Increasing retirement savings options by establishing the Keystone Saves program, a voluntary retirement savings program for workers who currently have no opportunity to save for retirement at their place of employment.

 

H.B. 79 – Ensuring patients are informed by hospitals about financial assistance to avoid medical debt.

 

H.B. 433 – Protecting medical patients by requiring health insurance policies to cover medically necessary diagnostic breast exams, including MRI or ultrasound, without patient cost sharing.

 

H.B. 818 – Helping prospective and established homeowners save to buy their first home by establishing the First-Time Homebuyer Savings Account Program.

 

H.B. 1103 – Allowing mortgage borrowers to buy down their interest rate in order to reduce their monthly payment.

 

H.B. 1263 – Increasing retirement savings options by establishing the Keystone Saves program, a voluntary retirement savings program for workers who currently have no opportunity to save for retirement at their place of employment.

 

H.B. 1144 – Raising pensions for veterans with service-connected blindness, paralysis or limb loss.

 

H.B. 721 – Fighting exploitation of construction workers who are often misclassified by employers as independent contractors and therefore denied better wages, benefits, and workplace protections.

 

Remember that, to become law, these bills must also be passed by the state Senate and then approved by the governor. Visit pahouse.com to read more about the work we’re doing in the PA House.

 

 

Reforming Juvenile Justice in Pennsylvania

Last week, I also spoke at a news conference highlighting the CARE Package, a series of bills to reform our juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania. The changes we are proposing in the CARE Package is based on a report released in 2021 by the state’s bipartisan Juvenile Justice Taskforce including dozens of recommendations that the state legislature has yet to act on.

 

This is all about creating a better justice system that allows youth in Pennsylvania greater opportunities to escape the cycle of recidivism and lead fulfilling and impactful lives.

 

Click here or on the image above to hear me speak on this issue.

 

 

National Focus Group on Juvenile Justice

Continuing my work on juvenile justice reform, I was in Denver over the last several days for the first weekend of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2025 cohort of the Youth Justice Fellows Program. I am already learning so much with this bipartisan group of 17 other legislators about how we can improve the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania through the CARE Package and beyond.

 

Connecting with legislators and leading experts from around the country who are working to create a better justice system for juveniles in their own communities is a unique opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge of what strategies have worked in other states and implement them here.

 

 

Thanking EMS Workers

Join me in celebrating EMS workers here in Allegheny County and across the country during National EMS Week! Thank you for showing up every day to keep us safe.

 

Special shout out to the wonderful folks at Ross/West View EMS for providing CPR and stop the bleed training for my district office staff!

 

 

HubFest is Almost Here

Mark your calendars for June 4! HubFest is happening at the West View Hub, located at 435 Perry Highway in West View. Come on out for an evening of food, music, and community fun.

 

 

Pride in Ross

My staff and I are looking forward to celebrating Pride in Ross Township on June 8! I hope to see you there.

 

 

Celebrating 1-4-3 Day

Remember to spread kindness every day—but especially this Friday on 1-4-3 Day, a statewide call to spread love in honor of Fred Rogers.

 

 

My Office is Here to Help

If you have need assistance with state-related issues like navigating PennDOT, remember that my staff and I are here to help! Reach out at RepKinkead@pahouse.net or call 412-321-5523.

 

Pennsylvania State Capitol

116-B East Wing

Harrisburg, PA 17120
(717) 787-5470

District Office

658 Lincoln Ave.

Bellevue, PA 15202
(412) 321-5523