Benham begins second term in state House

Serving Brentwood, Mount Oliver, parts of Pittsburgh

Allegheny County Delegation    January 4, 2023 | 11:47 AM

HARRISBURG, Jan. 4 – State Rep. Jessica Benham took the oath of office in the state Capitol yesterday to begin her second term representing the 36th Legislative District in Allegheny County.

For her second term, Benham said she plans to continue fighting for legislative changes that promote access to health care, public education, improvements to critical infrastructure, public safety, workers’ rights and more.

“I pledge to continue fighting for working families in Pennsylvania, many of whom are currently struggling to get by,” said Benham. “My colleagues in Harrisburg and I are eager to continue working to pass legislation that will make material changes for those most in need.”

As one of the few openly LGBTQ+ members in the General Assembly, Benham was recently named co-chair of the PA House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus alongside state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., positioning the pair to lead on championing bills like the PA Fairness Act in the 2023-24 legislative session.

In addition to pursuing policy changes in Harrisburg, Benham said her office on Brownsville Road is ready to help constituents with a variety of state-related services, including home heating assistance, children’s health insurance, prescription drug and property tax/rent rebate assistance. Residents can visit RepJess.com to find out more.

The 36th Legislative District includes about 62,000 residents in the boroughs of Brentwood and Mount Oliver, as well as parts of wards 17, 18, 19 and all of wards 16, 29, and 32 in Pittsburgh.

The Honorable Judge John McNally administered the oath of office, which marked the beginning of Pennsylvania’s 207th legislative session.

The Democratic Caucus continues to become more reflective of the commonwealth, with 35 women and 34 people of color among its membership. This also is the largest and most diverse class of freshmen legislators in over a decade; there are 26 new members and 8 are women.

Attention news editors: A photo to accompany this release can be downloaded here.