HARRISBURG, July 1 -- Legislation that would expand access to blood pressure monitors for Medicaid and CHIP enrollees introduced by state Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny, passed the House today (147-55). House Bill 1234 would expand the state’s Medical Assistance programs to cover medically necessary and clinically accurate home blood pressure monitors for pregnant and postpartum enrollees. “I am deeply committed to improving maternal health and birth outcomes. Hypertension affects up to 10% of pregnancies, a rate that has surged 25% over the past two decades and remains a leading cause of maternal and infant mortality, particularly among Black moms and birthing people,” said Mayes, co-chair of the Pennsylvania Black Maternal Health Caucus. When left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can lead to preeclampsia, eclampsia, preterm birth, heart attack, stroke and even death. “Every pregnancy deserves the highest standard of care, and that includes access to essential tools like home blood pressure monitors. Expanding access through evidence-based practices ensure we are putting the health and lives of pregnant people first, no matter their income,” Mayes said. This bill comes after the House passed H.B. 1088 – introduced by Rep. Mandy Steele, D- Allegheny – earlier this month. That bill requires coverage of at-home blood pressure monitors in private Read more
Grants available as of Wednesday, Sept. 27 Read more
“With gun violence increasing all across the country and this shooting so close to home, we must continuously work to prevent gun violence, address the housing crisis and the effects of gentrification, and allocate mental health resources, so that we may never endure such trauma in our neighborhood, or in our country, ever again,” Mayes said. “Redlining, which creates barriers for people of color to own a home, and gentrification are intertwined in Pittsburgh’s housing crisis. We must address these systemic issues as we continue to support our neighbors in Garfield. That way we may repair the damage caused by this shooting and prevent gun violence.” Read more
“Addressing severe maternal morbidity also addresses issues for Black maternal health as severe maternal morbidity rates increased by 51% for Black, non-Hispanic patients in Pennsylvania,” Mayes said. “As Black women are 3.5 times more likely to die during pregnancy-related complications and more than 10% of Black people report discrimination in health care, we must work to address severe maternal morbidity and more to ensure health care is equitable for all Pennsylvanians.” Read more
“Thanks to this grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the City of Pittsburgh will improve infrastructure for motorists and pedestrians who utilize the Bloomfield Bridge, which connects Bloomfield and Polish Hill,” Mayes said. “Through this project at the intersection of Liberty Avenue and the Bloomfield Bridge, we may ensure safe transportation is accessible for all residents.” Read more
“While these new regulations expand protections for Pennsylvanians, we must codify these regulations into law,” Mayes said. “We must pass the Fairness Act and the CROWN Act in the Senate to enshrine these protections into law and prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, hair type, hair texture or hairstyle.” Read more
“Crisis pregnancy centers are deceptive organizations that operate under the guise of providing health care to pregnant individuals, but instead are sources of misinformation that delay access to reproductive health care,” Mayes said. “I applaud Governor Josh Shapiro for announcing that the contract with Real Alternatives, which partners with CPCs, will expire in 2023.” Read more
“With the House Democratic Caucus majority, we continue to deliver for Pennsylvanians by passing the CROWN Act, which would prohibit hair discrimination, thereby ensuring all Pennsylvanians have greater and equal opportunities,” Mayes said. “After four years of House Republicans refusing to act, we have now made progress with the CROWN Act, thanks to my co-sponsor, Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, who previously introduced the CROWN Act in 2021 and 2019, though it did not receive consideration under House Republican leadership.” Read more
As part of the state budget, H.B. 611 appropriates more than $2.3 million to address the Black maternal health crisis, $567 million in Basic Education Funding and $100 million for the Level Up supplement to expand investments in public schools, $50 million in continued funding for the Whole-Home Repairs program, $20 million for the new Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance program and $2 million for the new Fresh Food Financing Initiative. Read more
“Consistent with its ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Biden-Harris administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan, creating greater structural economic barriers to higher education by overturning affirmative action and now, student loan debt relief,” Mayes said. “While U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepts six-figure gifts, the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to help Americans with student loan debt, continuing trends of the U.S. Supreme Court exceeding its power.” Read more
“With the end of Pride Month upon us, it is evident that today’s ruling aims to chip away at the foundation of LGBTQ+ rights,” Mayes said. “The U.S. Supreme Court continues to overturn progress we’ve made to establish and expand civil protections of LGBTQ+ Americans. Rooted in hypotheticals, the highest court in our country chose to rule in favor of a plaintiff’s hypothetical business and hypothetical clientele, attacking the LGBTQ+ community in the process. This ruling dismantles the progress we made since the Stonewall Riots, which was a riot for justice and a right for humanity led by trans women of color. This ruling is an affront to the meaning of Pride Month, when LGBTQ+ members should feel proud of their identity, today and every day.” Read more
“The Supreme Court’s ruling closes a window of opportunity for students of color systemically excluded from higher education, thereby reversing decades of progress by allowing racial inequity in higher education,” Mayes said. “This decision is a significant setback for Black and Brown students, but also civil rights in the U.S. We must continue to enhance our investments in K-12 education to support students of color so that we can remove barriers to higher education.” Read more
Long before the Dobbs decision was handed down, the Women’s Health Caucus fought to ensure that Pennsylvanians have the right to make private, personal medical decisions. And we always will. Read more
“When issuing its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court advanced a right-wing agenda when it overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away from millions of Americans the right to control their bodies and their reproduction,” Mayes said. “With the House Democratic Caucus majority, we continue to work to ensure a constitutional ban on abortions will not pass in the General Assembly and to introduce proactive legislation to protect abortion access, thereby protecting Pennsylvanians’ right to make their own medical decisions, without the interference of Pennsylvania state legislators or the U.S. Supreme Court.” Read more
“To ensure health care is equitable, I introduced the Preserving Fertility for Patients Act to require insurance providers to pay for fertility preservation services and assistive reproductive health services, which will enhance access for all Pennsylvanians,” Mayes said. Read more
“With my partner expecting a child this summer, this bill is personal to me,” Mayes said. “As Black women are 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, S.B. 262 will ensure the Department of Health accurately reports maternal morbidity and provide us with data so that we may take legislative action to prevent maternal deaths. Read more
“I am thankful that the House State Government Committee reported the CROWN Act out of committee today,” Mayes, D-Allegheny, said. “Previously introduced by Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, the CROWN Act did not receive consideration under a House Republican majority in 2021 and 2019. With the new House Democratic majority, we can now make progress to ensure all Pennsylvanians are equal by prohibiting hair discrimination.” Read more
The CROWN Act (H.B. 1394) would update Pennsylvania’s current anti-discrimination law to prohibit discrimination based on hair type, hair texture or hairstyle. Read more
Better tracking and reporting will ensure that Black mamas and birthing individuals are heard. We know that Pennsylvania needs more people in the medical and perinatal field who look like the people they are working alongside to deliver healthy babies and eliminate birth outcome disparities. This data can help us identify the areas where we need more professionals, such as doulas, who can provide emotional, informational and physical support before, during and after childbirth. Read more
"As the first out lesbian ever to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and a long-time local and national LGBTQ+ rights activist, it means the world to me to lead this march and parade on the 50th Anniversary of the first Pride in the United States," Mayes said. Read more
HARRISBURG, May 17 – State Rep. La’Tasha Mayes, D-Allegheny, was recently appointed by PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Phila., to serve on the Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council. Mayes will serve on the council for the 2023-24 legislative session to oversee the Southwestern Veterans’ Home alongside 14 other members and Adjutant General Mark Schindler. “It is an honor that Speaker McClinton appointed me to serve on the Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council,” Mayes said. “My mother, an Army veteran, dedicated herself to this country as a public servant and she instilled a passion for justice in me. It is a privilege to give back to the community and help veterans in one of the six veterans’ homes located in Pennsylvania.” As part of the council, Mayes will attend quarterly meetings for the Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council. Meetings are open to the public. The Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council will host its next meeting Friday, July 19. Additional information is available at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ website . Read more
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