HARRISBURG, May 14 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives today unanimously passed legislation that would allow family of members of the Pennsylvania National Guard to claim additional education benefits each time the Guard member reenlists or renews their service commitment, the bill’s co-prime sponsors, state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Craig Williams, announced. House Bill 865 would amend the state’s Military Family Education Program – also known as the Pennsylvania GI Bill – to clarify that the program’s education benefit is renewable each time a Guard member reenlists or renews their service obligation for an additional six-year term. “Our military men and women sacrifice so much when they commit to serve, and their families also sacrifice each time they say goodbye to a loved one leaving for duty,” said Venkat, D-Allegheny. “The Military Family Education Program is an excellent way of giving back to these families while also boosting Guard recruitment and retention. “As written, the existing law leaves some uncertainty regarding whether the education benefit is renewable. By making clear that the benefit is available each time a Guard member reenlists or renews their service commitment, our bill would give greater effect to this powerful program.” “House Bill 865 honors the full scope of service that Guard members and their families provide,” said Williams, Read more

EDGE 2.0 tax credit expansion leveraging Shapiro’s Lightning Plan advances Read more

HARRISBURG, May 13 – In a move to help fight medical debt, the Pennsylvania House today passed bipartisan legislation that would ensure patients are better informed about hospital-based financial assistance programs and how to access them, announced the bill’s co-prime sponsor, state Rep. Arvind Venkat, D-Allegheny. House Bill 79 , which Venkat introduced with state Reps. Nate Davidson, Tarik Khan, Bridget M. Kosierowski, Andrew Kuzma, Jim Rigby and Tim Twardzik, would mandate the development of standardized, plain-language hospital financial aid forms, which would be shared with patients on intake and discharge, displayed on billing paperwork and posted publicly on hospital and state health websites. “Hospital-based financial aid can help patients avoid life-altering medical debt, yet many patients are unaware that these programs even exist or how to access them,” said Venkat, an emergency physician and legislator who sits on the House Health Committee. “Our legislation would make sure patients receive this information in a standardized, easily understandable format so they can reap the benefits of these programs. Our bill would also require hospitals to suspend billing pending a decision on the patient’s application. Making the system more accessible and user-friendly for patients will help prevent all Pennsylvanians from accumulating medical debt.” “As a nurse practitioner, I’ve seen how Read more

“Blight hurts every type of community in Pennsylvania, from rural areas to Main Street business districts,” Markosek said. “It weakens property values, drives away investment, and disrupts neighborhoods. But when communities address blight head-on, they can stabilize neighborhoods, renew interest from property owners and developers and attract small businesses and new housing.” Read more

HARRISBURG, May 12 – With the growing demand for GLP-1 medications to treat obesity, state Reps. Arvind Venkat and Bryan Cutler are preparing to introduce legislation that would ensure those drugs remain available to Medical Assistance patients while significantly cutting costs to the state. The bill would allow Pennsylvania to purchase GLP-1 medications for Medicaid patients at a lower cost by implementing a “subscription model” – a system in which a state agrees to pay a certain amount per treatment up to a cap, at which point the drug manufacturer provides additional treatments at no cost. “GLP-1 drugs that treat obesity can also help patients avoid serious and costly diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and potentially others,” said Venkat, a physician and legislator who is a member of the House Health and Human Services committees. “For the state, healthier outcomes for Medicaid patients translate to significant cost savings. “The challenge is that these medications are costly to the state now, while the savings from lower disease rates won’t be realized until future years. By implementing a subscription model, our bill would help the state significantly reduce upfront costs without limiting the number of patients who can receive needed treatment for obesity.” The subscription model – colloquially also known as the “Netflix model” Read more

"This is a victory for common sense, public health and communities who have paid the highest price under prohibition," said state Rep. Dan Frankel, who chairs the House Health Committee. "We cannot allow the missteps of other states to stop us from ending the harmful policies of cannabis prohibition. Instead, we have the opportunity to chart a new course that protects public health and benefits Pennsylvanians whether they use cannabis or not." Read more

HARRISBURG, May 7 – The Pennsylvania House today adopted state Rep. Rob Matzie’s resolution recognizing the importance of railroads and their impact on the commonwealth’s history. Matzie, who is chairman of the House Majority Caucus, said he introduced H.R. 187 – recognizing May 10, 2025, as “National Train Day” in Pennsylvania – as a reminder of how railroads transformed the commonwealth’s landscape physically, economically and socially. “From the mid-1800s on, the rail industry played a huge role in powering our economic growth and shaping our landscape,” Matzie said. “Once businesses were freed from having to rely on water-based shipping, they began locating all over the state, and towns and urban centers began growing up around them. “At the same time, the rail industry’s demand for materials and fuel boosted our steel and coal industries, and with new trains carrying our steel, iron and coal throughout the state and beyond, we grew into an industrial powerhouse.” Matzie said that today, trains also play a key role in easing congestion on our roads, linking cities and rural communities and providing a means of mass transportation that is more environmentally friendly than air travel or gas-powered cars. National Train Day was first established in 2008 and is celebrated annually on the Read more

Legislation creating state logo to identify veteran-owned businesses advances Read more

Powell’s legislation would make it possible for clerical workers, bus drivers, janitors, lunch staff, security and related positions employed by the school district to apply for unemployment compensation during an extended break between school terms. Currently, these staff members are forced to rely on temporary positions over the longer breaks to pay bills and feed their families. Read more

HARRISBURG, May 6 – The PA House today passed bipartisan consumer protection legislation introduced by state Rep. Arvind Venkat along with state Reps. Rob Matzie and Tom Mehaffie that would prohibit businesses from charging additional fees for providing paper account statements. Venkat, D-Allegheny, said the measure would shield lower-income people, older adults and others with limited access to digital technology from unnecessary and often hidden financial burdens. House Bill 81 would classify paper statement fees as an unfair or deceptive practice. While businesses could still encourage digital options through incentives, they would be forbidden from charging consumers more when they prefer paper copies of their account statements. “Far too many Pennsylvanians – especially seniors, those on fixed incomes, and people without reliable internet – rely on paper statements to manage their finances,” said Venkat, the prime sponsor of the bill. “Charging a fee just to access basic account information and manage one’s finances is an unnecessary expense for consumers. This legislation puts an end to that.” Financial institutions sometimes charge between 50 cents and $5 per month for paper statements – fees that can add up to $60 annually per account. These charges disproportionately impact consumers least able to afford them. “This is about fairness,” said Read more