HARRISBURG, July 12 – State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, praised the 2024-25 PA budget passed Thursday by the General Assembly for delivering historic investments in public education that will help address longstanding funding inequities existing between wealthy and lower-income school districts in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s 2024-25 budget includes $1.3 billion in funding for public schools statewide. “This budget delivers historic investments in public education, making good on our promise to address longstanding, chronic underfunding of lower-income school districts,” Smith-Wade-El said. “This state budget takes a serious step forward in fulfilling the state constitution’s requirement that Pennsylvania provide ‘a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.’ “I am proud to say that this year’s budget has increased funding for the School District of Lancaster, Penn Manor, Hempfield and Manheim Township.” The budget increases funding for Lancaster County school districts, including over $10.8 million in increased funding and cost savings for school districts in the 49th Legislative District: School District of Lancaster: $6.8 million Penn Manor: $4 million Hempfield: $2.3 million Manheim Township: $3.2 million “This year’s historic investments are a promising new start, but we need to continue on an audacious Read more

The state House passed legislation today authored by state Reps. Lisa Borowski and Paul Takac that would protect communities from losing access to vital health care services due to health system consolidations and closures, by providing the state attorney general with tools to shield Pennsylvanians from corporate mergers that would devastate the availability of health services and increase patient costs. Read more

HARRISBURG, July 3 –State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El’s legislation (H.B. 1477) that will allow for the electronic submission of municipal plans and ordinances passed the state Senate Monday and is now on its way to the governor’s desk. The legislation will amend the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code to enable municipalities to make certain transmittals and submissions -- including proposed comprehensive plans/land use ordinances and amendments to such -- through electronic means. “This bill will codify what is already current practice -- emailing plans and land ordinances -- in order to eliminate the confusion about whether such transmissions are permissible,” said Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster. “Planners and consultants within the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development requested this clarification be put into law. This bill will help cut government red tape and streamline processes in DCED and other government agencies.” This bill was first introduced as H.B. 1592 in the 2021-22 session. Inquiries about the legislation can be directed to Smith-Wade-El’s office at 717-283-4218. Read more

HARRISBURG, July 2 – A longtime advocate for the unhoused in Lancaster, state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El secured a $67,000 state grant for the Lancaster Redevelopment Fund, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, for the emergency shelter at the Otterbein United Methodist Church, which will open in Dec. 2024. The Lancaster County Redevelopment Authority, with support from the Lancaster Redevelopment fund, will carry out the renovations, lease, and management of the emergency clinic. The YMCA of the Roses will operate the shelter and funding of the operations will be provided in part by the Lancaster County Homeless Coalition. “We have a growing unhoused population in Lancaster, with the Lancaster County Homeless Coalition’s showing a 13.5% increase this year from 2023,” Smith-Wade-El said. “With stagnant wages and the skyrocketing cost of housing, more and more people are becoming homeless. We need to make sure our neighbors have somewhere to go until they get on their feet, particularly as the cold weather sets in.” The YMCA of the Roses’ emergency shelter at Otterbein United Methodist Church will be the county’s only low-barrier shelter in the winter, containing 80 beds. ( Low-barrier shelters offer a warm and dry place to stay without preconditions like sobriety.) “I am very glad that the unhoused in our community will have somewhere safe to stay during the Read more