HARRISBURG, April 17 – The PA House today passed legislation introduced by state Reps. Dan Frankel and Arvind Venkat that would prohibit medical employers from using restrictive noncompete agreements that prevent doctors, nurses and other medical professionals who leave a job from practicing elsewhere. The lawmakers, both D-Allegheny, said they introduced H.B. 1633 to end an unfair practice that limits options for providers, disrupts patients’ long-term relationships with their trusted physicians and makes it more difficult for Pennsylvania to attract talented medical professionals. “This legislation deals with employment contracts for health care providers, but it’s really about patient care – it protects the long-term patient-care giver relationship that builds trust and improves outcomes,” said Frankel, who is majority chairman of the House Health Committee. “We know it’s not always easy to find the right health care provider, and it’s important that our laws not interfere with your ability to maintain that crucial relationship.” Venkat said, “As a physician-legislator, I know that noncompete covenants unnecessarily restrict patient access to the clinician of their choice and make Pennsylvania a less desirable place for health professionals to practice. I am proud to have worked with Representative Frankel to pass this bipartisan legislation through the state House to improve patient access in Read more
Rep. Venkat's April 2024 Newsletter Read more
“Medical debt is a burden on thousands of Pennsylvanians and raises health care costs for everyone in our state,” Venkat said Tuesday. “As an emergency physician, I have seen patients who died from delaying care due to their fear of the medical debt they had and might further accrue.” Read more
NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Agriculture: Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program Who May Apply: Agricultural producers or processors and nonprofits, for-profits, local government entities, and institutions such as schools, universities or hospitals that operate middle of the food chain activities or invest in equipment that will benefit middle of the supply chain activities. Use: Activities that expand capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling or distribution of targeted local and regional agricultural products Funds: Grants will be awarded to the extent that funds are available. Grant requests shall be between $10,000 and $100,000. Application Deadline: May 15, 2024 More information: PDA Website Department of Health: WalkWorks Grant Program Who May Apply: Municipalities located in either a PA Department of Health State Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) priority county or in communities with an overall percentile rating above 60 in the PA Department of Environmental Protection’s PennEnviroScreen Tool. The 10 current SPAN counties include Clearfield, Erie, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, Northumberland, and Philadelphia. Use: Funds and structured pre-planning assistance will be available to a limited number of municipal and/or multi-municipal applicants to complete the steps necessary to prepare to apply in the future for funds Read more
While Shapiro included the $4 million in his budget for this initiative, legislation to enact a debt program already exists. Representative Arvind Venkat’s Medical Debt Relief Act passed out of the PA House last summer with some bipartisan support (114-89). Read more
Representative Arvind Venkat, an emergency room physician and the bill’s prime sponsor, highlighted the success of a similar program in Pittsburgh that eradicated $115 million in medical debt for over 24,000 residents with a $1 million investment. Read more
“As a physician, I am well aware of the importance of not only treating illnesses, but also preventing them, thereby reducing the need for costly interventions down the line. The mission of Community Health Centers like ours goes well beyond providing affordable care to individuals,” said Garrow. “Health Centers play a crucial role in filling the overall gaps in healthcare, serving as a safety net, reaching out to underserved communities, rural areas and populations with limited access to healthcare services. That’s why I’m honored to support Governor Shapiro and Representative Venkat in their efforts to commit to debt relief for low-income Pennsylvanians.” Read more
Additionally, Governor Shapiro’s proposal advocates for transparent healthcare practices to curtail the accumulation of medical debt. Representative Arvind Venkat, an emergency physician and legislator, emphasized the significant impact of medical debt on healthcare costs and public health. Read more
“One of the joys of being an ER doc is that I get to care for anyone, no questions asked. But I also get to see the gaps in our health system and in our communities, and medical debt is a prime example of this,” Venkat said at the press conference. “In my nearly 25-year career as an emergency physician, I’ve seen more and more patients who fear seeing a physician due to the cost of health care and the debt that they may accrue.” Read more
“That is as good a return on state dollars that we’re likely ever to see,” Venkat said Tuesday. Read more
NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Department of Transportation: Automated Red Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements Grant Program (ARLE Program) Who May Apply: Local governments, planning organizations, or Commonwealth agencies. Use: Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, roadway safety, mobility, and capacity upgrades, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, local technical assistance program projects, and traffic signal improvements. Funds: PennDOT anticipates $32 million available with the intent of funding worthwhile projects that can be completed at a relatively low cost. Application Deadline: A pre-application scoping form is required to be submitted by April 30, 2024. Feedback will be provided by May 31, 2024. The application period will be open from June 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024. More information: PennDOT Website Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Intermediate Punishment Treatment Program Who May Apply: Counties Use: Funds for the proposed program must be used to support restrictive conditions that are imposed as part of a county probation sentence and may be used for needed drug and alcohol-related services, and mental health treatment and supportive services for eligible individuals Funds: Funding is contingent upon the availability of funds in the FY 2024-25 budget. Application Deadline: May 1, 2024 More information: PCCD Website Department of Community and Economic Development: Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) Read more
Physician-lawmaker Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny) said in a memo seeking cosponsors for House Bill 1869 that nearly half of fatal allergic reactions to food happen at restaurants. The bill would require food allergy awareness posters to be displayed in employee areas of restaurants. It would also require menus to list food allergens and request customers to inform their servers of any allergies. Read more
“Our first responders provide lifesaving services every day for our community, and we must ensure that they have the resources they need to keep our communities safe,” Venkat said. “As an emergency physician who works with EMS, a former member of the MFPAA Board, and now as our state representative, I advocated vigorously for this grant and am glad that it has come to fruition to the benefit of our community.” Read more
“With McCandless ranked as largely below average for walkability and most errands requiring a car, these funds will make McCandless more accessible for pedestrians,” Venkat said. “In 2022, more than 7,500 pedestrians died in the U.S., the highest since 1981. These investments in McCandless will ensure that we enhance our community’s walkability, as well as safeguard lives.” Read more
“I introduced this legislation after speaking with my constituent Kathy Briden of Franklin Park, whose son Matthew tragically died after accidentally being exposed to peanuts while eating at a restaurant in Allegheny County,” Venkat said. “Nearly 50% of deaths caused by food allergies occur at restaurants and retail food establishments. These deaths are preventable. House Bill 1869 would help ensure food safety at restaurants, protecting millions of Pennsylvanians with food allergies.” Read more
NEWLY LISTED PROGRAMS Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Intermediate Punishment Treatment Program Who May Apply: Counties Use: Funds for the proposed program must be used to support restrictive conditions that are imposed as part of a county probation sentence and may be used for needed drug and alcohol-related services, and mental health treatment and supportive services for eligible individuals Funds: Funding is contingent upon the availability of funds in the FY 2024-25 budget. Application Deadline: May 1, 2024 More information: PCCD Website PROGRAMS OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS: Department of Agriculture: Farm Vitality Planning Grant Who May Apply: Farmers, prospective farmers, and others may apply. Use: Strategic business planning to expand or diversify farms or support transition of ownership. Funds: $500,000 in funding is available. Grants shall not exceed $7,500. Application Deadline: Applications will be received until funds are exhausted. More information: Pennsylvania Bulletin Commission on Crime and Delinquency: Recruitment Incentives for Law Enforcement Who May Apply: Local law enforcement agencies, campus or university police, railroad or street railway police, airport authority police, and county park police. Use: Funding is explicitly to support Act 120 training and recruitment activities for law enforcement officers that will take place between Oct. 19, 2023 and June 30, 2025. Funds: $14 million in Read more
“It’s estimated that one in five Americans, predominantly those who are Black, Hispanic and of the working poor, had no insurance before the Affordable Care Act, and the result was the real loss of life and the real harm that was done from not being able to access healthcare,” State Rep. Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny) said during a press conference on Thursday. Read more
“The beautiful thing about medical debt relief is that you can acquire, you can purchase medical debt for pennies on the dollar,” said Venkat. “It’s substituting for what is now a very broken system with debt buyers and debt collectors.” Read more
HARRISBURG, March 20 – A group of Pennsylvania state and local elected officials today issued a statement urging the U.S. Senate to move forward with considering President Joe Biden’s nominee Adeel Mangi to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which is based in Philadelphia and covers the tri-state area. If confirmed, Mangi would become the first Muslim American to serve on a federal appeals court and just the third Muslim American federal judge. State Reps. Tarik Khan (D-Phila.), Arvind Venkat (D-Allegheny), Patty Kim (D-Dauphin, Cumberland), and Jason Dawkins (D-Phila.); state Sens. Nikil Saval (D-Phila.) and Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia); Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija and Philadelphia City Councilmember Nina Ahmad said the following: “As Asian-American and Muslim-American elected officials representing diverse communities in Pennsylvania, we stand with and strongly support President Biden’s nomination of Adeel Mangi to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Mr. Mangi is an excellent candidate and highly qualified individual whose nomination is now at risk due to a right-wing smear campaign tainted with Islamophobic rhetoric and outright lies. “We are extremely disturbed that the nomination of a highly qualified judicial nominee would be in doubt because of the fact he is Muslim. Hate has no place in Read more
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