This week at the Capitol I joined in recognizing Black Maternal Health Week, an annual effort held from April 11-17 to raise national awareness about Black maternal morbidity and mortality rates, health conditions affecting Black mothers, and improving lives. To help address the maternal health crisis in Pennsylvania, I support a package of eight bills – known as the Pennsylvania Momnibus – that would improve maternal health outcomes for Pennsylvanians, especially Black mamas. Read more
As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, I am honored to have a major role in the development of our state’s annual budget. All budget bills must start in the House, and I was delighted to introduce this year’s budget bills (House Bills 2333-2337) into the legislative bill system this week. I take my role in this seriously, but there’s always a laugh to be had, especially when I navigated my first year of this process. I will keep you updated as the budget moves forward throughout the spring. Read more
Gun safety is not a partisan issue. When a gun goes off, when the bullet leaves the chamber, it doesn't ask for party registration. The truth is that the bills sent to the Senate are commonsense measures that have garnered bipartisan support. It’s time for Senate leaders to stop playing political games and act on them. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, April 4 – Members of the Philadelphia House Delegation today joined gun safety advocates to call on the state Senate to take up legislation ( H.B. 777 ) passed by the House last week that aims to eliminate the proliferation of “ghost guns” in Pennsylvania and crack down on those who buy or sell them, along with other gun reform bills passed by the House in this legislative session. The bill, sponsored by state Reps. Morgan Cephas and Malcolm Kenyatta, both D-Phila., would make selling or purchasing a firearm or firearm parts without serial numbers a felony. Cephas said these untraceable firearms are a main driver of crime, especially in Philadelphia. “Ghost guns are far too easily obtainable in Philadelphia, leading to day-to-day gun violence that has no end,” Cephas said. “For far too long, the Pennsylvania legislature has been singularly focused on what we do after crimes are committed with guns, rather than the unfettered access to these deadly, untraceable weapons. I am thankful that the House, under our new Democratic majority, moved this commonsense legislation to the Senate and now call on our state senators to give it the attention and consideration it deserves.” House Speaker Joanna McClinton noted the other gun safety bills sent over to the Senate in addition to H.B. 777, including legislation that would allow for the temporary removal of firearms from Read more
As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, it is my duty to oversee funding earmarked in the state budget for grant programs like the Multimodal Transportation Fund. As state representative for the district, it is my honor to help bring these state dollars back to projects in our community. These grants will improve Philadelphia’s transportation infrastructure and the well-being of our communities. Read more about the grants awarded Tuesday for our community. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 26 – House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris, D-Phila., today announced that two transportation infrastructure projects in his legislative district were awarded state grants totaling $1.85 million. According to Harris, the Philadelphia Department of Streets was awarded $1.6 million to improve the street alignment of the intersections of Grays Ferry Avenue, Bainbridge Street and South 23rd and 24th streets. The Schuylkill River Development Corporation also was awarded $250,000 to rehabilitate two sections of bulkhead along the Schuylkill Banks trail located in the city. “As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, it is my duty to oversee the state funding earmarked in the state budget for grants programs like the Multimodal Transportation Fund,” Harris said. “As state representative for the district, it is my honor to help bring back these state dollars to projects in our community that will improve Philadelphia’s transportation infrastructure and the well-being of our communities.” Harris said the grants, which come from the Department of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund, are awarded to encourage economic development and ensure that a safe and reliable system of transportation is available to residents of the commonwealth. Funds may be used for the development, Read more
HARRISBURG, March 25 – State Reps. Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, and Elizabeth Fiedler, Rick Krajewski and Majority Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris, all D-Phila., today introduced H.B. 1769 that would seal some records in certain cases such as no-fault evictions. “Millions of renters across the commonwealth are struggling to find housing because one mistake or emergency had led to an eviction on their records,” Smith-Wade-El said. “After these no-fault evictions, households often struggle -- sometimes for months -- to find housing, which can result in devastating consequences, including the breakup of families, the loss of employment, and even ending up homeless. This legislation would help give Pennsylvania renters a fair chance at finding housing by establishing procedures for limited access to eviction records. Our Fair Housing Access legislation is a commonsense step that would make it easier for working-class Pennsylvanians to access housing.” According to the legislators, as soon as an eviction is filed, it becomes a permanent mark on someone’s background, making harder to find housing. The record remains even if the case was withdrawn, the tenant endured domestic violence, or the court found in favor of the tenant. Smith-Wade-El said that evictions disrupt workforce development for large swaths of communities and strain existing social support systems throughout the state. These records can put vulnerable Read more
As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, this week I shepherded to and through the full House legislation that would send an additional $300 million annually in state funding to Pennsylvania’s mass transit systems. Read more
The PA House will return to legislative session next week. As chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, I’m excited to get moving on negotiating the substance of what will become the state’s 2024-25 budget. In addition to the budget, which includes putting resources in place to grow jobs, make great schools and ensure our seniors have the services they need…to name a few, House Democrats are working on legislation that truly puts the interests of people first. Read more
“Tackling the growing climate crisis demands a comprehensive approach – one that balances protecting our environment, strengthening our economy and cutting costs for families. Governor Shapiro recognizes that Pennsylvania can and should be a clean energy leader, and House Democrats commend him on his leadership and for prioritizing this critical issue. Read more
House Appropriations Committee public hearings on the 2024-25 state budget wrapped up this week with final testimony given by the Department of Education on its plans to implement Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposals to invest more in our children, educators and school infrastructure. I invite you to visit the House Appropriations Committee budget hearings page, where you can find written testimony from each hearing and link to the video recordings of each hearing. Read more
The April 23 primary election is less than two months away. Make sure you register to vote by April 8 and check to see if your voter registration information is up to date. Vote.phila.gov is your one-stop-shop for voter services. There you can find answers to frequently asked questions, the latest news and information, vote-by-mail information, secure ballot drop box locations and so much more. Read more
My latest constituent newsletter contains information about my work as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, state programs and services available to you and much more. Read more
This week marked the start of state budget hearings by the House Appropriations Committee. Over the course of three weeks, as chairman of the committee, I oversee and guide these hearings where officials from state agencies testify on how their departments plan to implement their portion of Gov. Shapiro’s budget proposal, while committee members ask questions. Read more
“This expanded tax credit for working families is what a people-first agenda looks like," said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Jordan Harris,” D-Phila. "House Democrats continue moving legislation in a direction that will improve the lives of all Pennsylvanians, young and old, and we look forward to continuing to do what’s best to improve communities in Philadelphia and around the state.” Read more
HARRISBURG, February 6 – Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders today issued the following statement on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2024-25 state budget proposal, which makes important investments in education, jobs and communities, creating new opportunities for strengthening Pennsylvania without raising taxes: “Governor Shapiro laid out a comprehensive proposal that builds on last year’s historic investments in education while recognizing the important work of the Basic Education Funding Commission. House Democrats remain committed to fulfilling our constitutional and moral obligation to fund our public schools to ensure that every child, regardless of their ZIP code, has access to a quality public education. We look forward to working with the governor and our colleagues to deliver on that obligation. “As our economy continues to strengthen, this is a critical moment in time to invest in our workforce and economy. Governor Shapiro’s proposal prioritizes investments that will attract and retain businesses while growing our workforce. “We’re very encouraged that this plan makes key investments without raising taxes or diminishing our healthy surpluses. “To be clear, House Democrats insist that we fulfill our constitutional and moral obligation to fund our public schools; that we do more to invest in our colleges and universities; that we make smart investments to attract and retain businesses Read more
Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders' statement on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s comprehensive economic development plan for Pennsylvania: Read more
House Democratic Leaders' statement on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s plan to build a student-first streamlined higher education system to ensure higher education is affordable and accessible to all. Read more
Pennsylvania House Democratic Leaders today issued the following statement on a report and recommendations passed by the Basic Education Funding Commission today: Read more
HARRISBURG, Dec. 27 – With an aggressive agenda in 2023, the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus advanced the commonwealth’s economic outlook and helped working families and seniors across the state by driving policies that return more money to the people who make our local economies thrive. Read more
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