HARRISBURG, May 11 – As federal emergency funds begin to reach states and local communities, two state representatives from opposite ends of the commonwealth are proposing legislation that would ensure a portion of those payments reach Philadelphians -- not just big corporations -- and also create a mechanism for future payments. “We need to do so much to support our neighbors right now. Part of that is making sure federal relief dollars get straight to people -- not just big corporations,” said state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., one of the legislation’s authors. “While this universal income is a modest start, it will help many people now and will hopefully provide a blueprint for distributing future federal funds directly to the people.” Under the lawmakers’ proposed legislation, every adult (18 and older) would receive a $250 check from the state, funded by federal coronavirus funding. People whose current information is in the PennDOT driver’s license or state ID database, the voter registration system, or who have submitted 2019 PA taxes, would automatically receive a check. The program would provide a framework for future distribution of federal relief dollars to people. The funds would not impact a person’s eligibility for any other program or assistance. “I know the struggles my neighbors and their families are facing, struggles that many faced even before our current crisis. While Read more
Conditions continue to change rapidly during this public health emergency. This COVID-19 UPDATE is designed to facilitate the flow of information between health and government officials and the residents of our community. Read more
This COVID-19 UPDATE is designed to facilitate the flow of information between health and government officials and the residents of our community. Read more
HARRISBURG, April 17 – State Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta, Danilo Burgos and Elizabeth Fiedler, all D-Phila., introduced a resolution urging Congress to also acknowledge the roughly 10 million undocumented workers in any COVID-19 financial response legislation. The resolution comes as the federal government issues portions of the historic $2 trillion financial assistance package to individuals and businesses to help mitigate the adverse economic impacts resulting from the pandemic. “There are roughly over 10 million undocumented people living in America paying billions of dollars in state and federal taxes yearly, yet many will never benefit from the services they constantly contribute to,” said Kenyatta, who represents the 181 st Legislative District. “In this time of desperation, our government should not be complicit in watching this vulnerable population that has time and again proven themselves to be a pillar of America’s economy continue to suffer.” Burgos, representing the 197 th District, concurred with Kenyatta saying, “Undocumented immigrants consistently pay about 8 percent of their income in taxes, a sizeable percentage for many who are relegated to working low-paying jobs with no benefits. These workers produce many of the essential goods we heavily rely on, even more so during this pandemic, yet they receive nothing for their labor.” Adding to Burgos’ assertion, Read more
HARRISBURG, April 15 - Last week Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., introduced HB2382, a bill that will ensure fair access to housing for tens of thousands of families across Pennsylvania- by expunging or sealing not for cause eviction records. Under the current system, tenants have an eviction record from the moment a case is filed against them, regardless of the outcome of the proceedings. Even if they never end with an eviction, if a case is withdrawn, and even if a tenant wins and is found not at fault. The filing stays on their public record and haunts them for years, making it nearly impossible to secure stable new housing. Many landlords rely on general record screening and will not rent to anyone with a filing on record, often disqualifying otherwise ideal applicants. “Every Pennsylvanian has a human right to housing,” Fiedler said. “It is unacceptable that we have a system where people are being denied housing because they have an eviction filing on their record even though they were found not at fault. No one should be punished for something they didn’t do, or for past hardships that were no fault of their own. ” “Many of my clients have been denied access to housing because of their eviction records, oftentimes without ever being evicted,” said George Donnelly, Independence Fellow at the Public Interest Law Center. “These records are created right when the case is Read more
PHILADELPHIA, April 9 – In light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., today sent a letter to Gov. Tom Wolf expressing her gratitude for the governor’s swift pandemic mitigation responses and urged him to call on businesses to put in place additional public health strategies to slow the spread of the coronavirus across the commonwealth. “While grocery stores, pharmacies and other essential businesses remain open to meet the public’s needs, we urgently need a set of health and safety protections to be put in place,” Fiedler said. “We must act boldly and swiftly to protect those working hard to ensure essential service delivery.” In her letter, which includes more than 42 signatures and is supported by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, Fiedler pointed out that Pennsylvanians working at jobs deemed essential need additional protections while they put themselves at risk to ensure many other Pennsylvanians are provided food, medicine, gas and other necessities. “Pennsylvania’s essential businesses provide a valuable role in the current Covid-19 pandemic. However, these essential businesses also have a responsibility to keep their workforce safe, their customers safe and our general public safe. A good number of employers are taking this seriously, but there are bad actors that exist in Pennsylvania that are risking the health and safety Read more
Rep. Fiedler's letter to Gov. Wolf urging protections for frontline workers Read more
HARRISBURG, April 8 – While child care centers remain closed across the commonwealth to combat the spread of COVID-19, state Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler (D-Phila.) and Mary Jo Daley (D-Montgomery) are introducing legislation to help Pennsylvania’s childcare centers and workers weather this crisis. A recent survey found nearly one-third of the 605 childcare providers who serve more than 44,000 children in Pennsylvania would not be able to reopen if their facilities are closed for more than a month. Fiedler, the mother of two young children said: "Right now to help save lives, we need to stay home if we can. So many working families, including my own, rely on quality childcare in our community to educate and care for our children. We need to act now, so that when our families go back to work, childcare centers and workers will have their doors open, ready to care for our state’s children.” Fiedler and Daley’s plan would provide: Funding for childcare centers to cover costs, including payroll, benefits, utilities and loss of tuition payments associated with COVID-19 closure. Resources for Pre-K and Head Start, allowing these programs to extend into the summer and alleviate early childhood learning losses for students. "The closing of childcare centers was among the many difficult decisions made by our governor in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but I believe it was the Read more
Conditions are changing rapidly during this evolving public health emergency. This COVID-19 UPDATE is designed to facilitate the flow of information between health and government officials and the residents of our community. Read more
To protect our community, and slow the spread of COVID-19, our office will be closed for appointments and for walk-in services until further notice, beginning Monday, March 16th. We will remain open for constituent services via telephone or email. Health officials have directed that the best way to slow the spread of coronavirus is to increase our 'social distance' - keeping apart from one another as much as possible. Our office staff remains available to work with you by telephone or email on your state-level needs and concerns Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Please call us at 215-271-9190 and leave a message, or email us at RepFiedler@pahouse.net . We will get back to you! Read more
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HARRISBURG, Feb. 4 – The House Democratic Philadelphia Delegation today lauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s 2020-21 budget proposal for including many of the priorities they identified as important to improving the quality of life for Philadelphians and for people across Pennsylvania, according to Delegation Chairman Rep. Jason Dawkins, D-Phila. Wolf outlined his proposal before a joint session of the General Assembly this morning. Led by Dawkins, members of the Philadelphia Delegation met with the governor earlier in the year to stress their budget priorities, including state funding to rid Philadelphia schools of toxins and fix crumbling infrastructure; funding to reduce waiting lists and provide more support for seniors, people living in poverty and those with disabilities; raising the minimum wage to a living wage; creating good jobs with an education plan to provide the skills to fill them; and addressing poverty and gun violence as a public health crisis. “The Philadelphia Delegation is grateful for Governor Wolf’s vision for the state in this, his sixth budget plan,” Dawkins said. “His proposals are people-focused and seek to provide more opportunities for everyone, not just the privileged few. We will be a loud voice in making sure they are included this year.” Dawkins said the governor’s budget proposal includes $1.1 billion to ensure students, teachers and staff can learn and work in classrooms that aren’t Read more
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