Responding to RFK Jr.’s autism comments; town halls this week; shred your documents – and more!

Rep. Abigail Salisbury April 28, 2025 | 3:53 PM

Hope to see you at my town hall this week!

This is a reminder that I will be hosting my first two town halls of 2025 this week.

The Braddock Hills town hall will take place Wednesday, April 30 from 6-8 p.m. at the Borough Building, 1300 Brinton Rd., and the Rankin town hall will take place Thursday, May 1 from 6-8 p.m. at Rankin Christian Center, 230 3rd Ave.

Stop by to share your priorities for our community, network with neighbors, and enjoy some light refreshments! Questions? Call the office at (412) 273-3400.

Please stay tuned for details about additional town halls I will be hosting in the future.

Standing together – and speaking out – at the state Capitol

During a recent news conference, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that autism “destroys families” and that children with autism will never pay taxes, hold a job, play sports, write a poem, or go on a date.

As an autistic person, I found it surprising and disappointing to hear statements like this coming from our nation’s highest health executive.

Ultimately, however, it does not matter whether RFK Jr. sees value in people with autism. People have inherent value simply because they are people – regardless of what diagnosis they have or what contributions they make. Click on the image above to hear more.

Just after the autism event, I attended a Capitol news conference marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. During this beautiful and solemn event, we heard from a survivor and listened to uplifting remarks from her great-granddaughter.

Also at the state Capitol last week, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Gov. Milton Shapp’s historic 1975 executive order – the first of its kind in the nation – banning discrimination against state employees based on sexual orientation.

Despite that historic landmark, the commonwealth now lags behind more than 20 other states that already enacted a comprehensive anti-discrimination law. Although my House colleagues and I passed The Fairness Act – which would prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression – the bill is still stuck in the state Senate. You can help by urging Senate Republicans to act on it.

Progress on my bill to help communities beat blight

Last week, the House passed my bill that would give communities a powerful tool in the fight against blight. The bill would allow municipalities to designate abandoned, blighted properties as available for acquisition by a land bank after at least five years of neglect and repeated warnings to the property owner to remediate the property. You can read more here.

In other news, the House also passed bills that would:

reduce hunger by encouraging food donations.
increase aid for affordable housing.
raise awareness of veterans’ benefits.
extend a law that protects people from losing eligibility for PACE/PACENET low-cost medications because of annual COLA adjustments to their Social Security.
remove an outdated, unfair law that prevents the spouse of a deceased Pittsburgh firefighter from receiving pension benefits if they remarry.

Visit this page to read more about these bills and others that are making progress in the state legislature.

Funding our frontline heroes

Last week, I joined Gov. Josh Shapiro, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, other local officials, and area firefighters to support the governor’s call for more funding to help fire departments meet recruiting, retention, equipment, and other costs. Our first responders answer the call 24/7 – despite constant budget constraints that impact resources – and we need to do everything we can to support them in their lifesaving work.

Bring your documents for secure shredding on Saturday, May 3!

I am hosting a free document shredding event with state Rep. Joe McAndrew on Saturday, May 3 from 9 a.m. to noon (weather permitting). Please bring up to two paper bags or standard-size trash bags of documents for secure, on-site shredding. Also, please consider bringing an unexpired non-perishable food item for our local food bank!

Come learn about the state budget Monday, April 28!

Come hear Appropriations Committee Majority Chairman Jordan Harris discuss details about the State Budget today, April 28, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Penn Hills Library, the Tony DeLuca Room, 1037 Stotler Rd., Pittsburgh.

Finding funding & help with state matters

If you are searching for a state grant program, you can access the state’s new online search tool here. You can also find a listing of the latest state grant openings at this page.

Please remember that my staff can help with a wide range of state-related matters, from obtaining a disability placard or bus pass to filing an application with the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program or other program. Stop by or give us a call to see how we can help!

You can read my e-newsletter in a way that’s preferable to you by visiting my legislative website here and clicking on the accessibility icon in the lower right corner.