PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 20 – State Representative Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., released the following statement regarding a complaint she filed today with the Pennsylvania Department of Health: “Today I filed a state Department of Health COVID-19 complaint against the Pennsylvania State House for failing to ensure safe working conditions, including for the refusal to wear masks and social distance on the House floor and even in committee meetings held in confined spaces. This drastic step reflects the high stakes that we face in protecting the health and safety of all staff and members who step foot in the building, as well as their families and communities at home.” Fiedler said that she did not make the decision to file the complaint lightly but felt it necessary after reckless disregard for safe working conditions within the Capitol walls continued eight months into a deadly and intensifying pandemic. “Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, families, schools and small businesses across the state have been hit hard. We are now facing another very serious wave of COVID-19 illness with hospitalizations reaching 2,900 on Thursday — more than at the peak in April. While families across our state mourn the loss of loved ones and are taking the difficult step to stay away from many people they love this holiday season, the unsafe working conditions within the Capitol continue to contribute to the pain and suffering felt across the state. In fact, Read more
Eviction & foreclosure letter. Read more
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
HARRISBURG, March 30- Pennsylvanians are experiencing layoffs and furloughs in unparalleled numbers due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, and they need relief. On Friday, state Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila, Sara Innamorato, D-Allegheny, Summer Lee, D-Allegheny, and Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, announced they are working on legislation to ease the burden on and increase protections for all Pennsylvanians by implementing a rent and mortgage freeze. “Across the commonwealth, families are facing the terrifying prospect of not being able to pay their rent or mortgage for the foreseeable future,” Fiedler said. “People are making choices about whether they will pay their mortgage or rent, buy food, or pay for medicine. By freezing rent and mortgage payments we can ease some of the financial stress our constituents face right now.” "These bills uphold a social contract: we're asking folks to stay home, so our responsibility is to protect those homes," Innamorato said. "April 1st is right around the corner and we have to keep people safe and economically secure as they navigate an unprecedented crisis." Other states are also looking at ways to provide relief from rent and mortgage payments; New York’s state legislature has introduced S8125A, a bill suspending rent payments for certain residential and small business tenants for 90 days, while both New York’s and New Jersey’s governors announced a 90-day 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
Read my Winter 2020 Newsletter now! Read more
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
HARRISBURG, Jan. 29 – Members of the House Democratic Philadelphia Delegation, led by Rep. Jason Dawkins, today applauded Gov. Tom Wolf’s plan to include funding to address lead issues in public schools, including those in Philadelphia, in the budget. “Our children deserve to learn, and our teachers deserve to teach, in schools that don’t make them sick,” said Dawkins, chairman of the Philadelphia Delegation. “This is something that we can all agree on. But for far too long, our children, teachers and anyone else who has entered school buildings in Philadelphia have taken their own lives into their hands because often lead and asbestos were lurking inside. “My delegation colleagues and I are overjoyed at the news that Governor Wolf will be making investments in lead and asbestos remediation projects in our schools. Finally, we can take the steps to make our school buildings safe places to learn and to teach,” Dawkins said. “After so many of us have fought for so long to bring attention to this crisis, we are so grateful that Governor Wolf is making this a priority.” Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., secretary of the Philadelphia Delegation, agreed that it’s great news Wolf plans to prioritize the funding to allow schools to get rid of toxins. “We won’t rest until this money is a reality,” Fiedler added. “Every single Pennsylvania student Read more
HARRISBURG, Jan. 27 – State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., and state Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Phila., issued the following statement, expressing optimism in response to news that Gov. Tom Wolf will be proposing a budget with “significant resources” for asbestos removal and toxin cleanup in school buildings: “We are glad Gov. Wolf is prioritizing the needs of Pennsylvania students and educators in the upcoming budget. The issue of toxic school conditions is most prominent in Philadelphia — where six schools have been closed this academic year because of environmental concerns. But make no mistake, schools across the state are facing similar infrastructure needs that are just as pressing in nature. We must adopt a plan that addresses the immediate concerns, as well as a long-term strategy to ensure every child is able to attend a healthy, safe 21st century school.” Wolf previously sent about $12 million in aid to Philadelphia, but the crisis remains substantial and affects students statewide. Fiedler and Hughes have introduced legislation that outlines $125 million in emergency funding to schools across the state with exposed asbestos, lead paint and crumbling buildings. Fiedler said, “Right now, our educators and students are in the middle of a public health emergency. It is a moral outrage that the toxic conditions continue in our schools. Every single Pennsylvania student, educator and school Read more
HARRISBURG, Jan. 14 – Today, state Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler, D-Phila., and Liz Hanbidge, D-Montgomery, hosted a Capitol news conference to discuss legislation that would require informed patient consent for all procedures performed while under anesthesia. The bill will be introduced this week. “Right now, patients who walk into the hospital for a procedure, may not be aware of what happens while they are under anesthesia. No patient should ever be subjected to an exam or procedure without their explicit consent, especially if they are under anesthesia,” Fiedler said. “It’s time for that to stop; we must protect a patient’s right to decide what happens to their own body.” “Think about the necessary trust that we place in our physicians to allow them to work on our bodies, so often we are literally putting our lives in their hands. It never occurs to one that they are going to violate that trust. And there are different levels of violation of trust, but physical intrusion in this manner is one of most grave,” Hanbidge said. “Our legislation protects people against non-consensual pelvic, rectal and prostate exams. We are asking our colleagues to continue supporting this legislation, protecting women, and making sure that every voice is heard and every body is protected.” Fiedler and Hanbidge were joined at the news conference by Amal Bass from Women’s Law Project and Keren Sofer, an Read more
Materials from a joint House-Senate Democratic Policy Committees public hearing hosted by State Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler. Read more
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