“The Child and Dependent Tax Credit enhancement is not only about fiscal policy and numbers – it’s lifechanging support for families, empowering them to succeed in fulfilling careers without the financial burdens,” said state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila. “It stands as a testament to Democrats’ commitment to empowering families, ensuring that every child's potential is nurtured, and every family's journey is marked by opportunity and shared success." Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 26 – State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., will hold a news conference unveiling a bill he will soon introduce that would modernize the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program by increasing the monthly benefit amount to bring families up to 50% of the federal poverty level and out of deep poverty. The news conference will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27 in Kenyatta’s North Philadelphia district at Germantown and Lehigh Avenues, 19133 . Activists from Philadelphia Community Legal Services will join Kenyatta in his calls for passage of the legislation. Kenyatta’s bill would require that TANF benefits undergo an annual cost-of-living increase to keep pace with inflation and would ensure benefits continue to be effective at providing financial stability to more than 68,500 Pennsylvania families and children receiving cash assistance -- something he said would be a serious life-improving measure for families and their children’s futures. Kenyatta pointed to a report released this week by the Meet The Need Campaign that found that in 1990, Pennsylvania’s benefit of $403 covered 43% of the federal poverty level, but in 2020 the same benefit covered a mere 22%. Furthermore, when accounting for inflation in this period, the TANF benefit has decreased in spending power by more than 50%. State Sen. Katie Muth has also introduced companion legislation to Kenyatta’s bill in the state Senate. Media Read more
A quarter-century after President Bill Clinton signed welfare reform into law, recipients and advocates say Pennsylvania’s interpretation of the law traps families in deep poverty.That could change in 2021. Democratic State Sen. Katie Muth and Democratic State Rep. Malcom Kenyatta have both released memorandums saying they plan to introduce legislation to update TANF “??in order to meet basic and essential needs” of recipients. Read more
HARRISBURG, August 20, 2021 – On the 25th anniversary of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia) and state Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks) announced that they are seeking to introduce companion legislation that aims to modernize the TANF program by increasing the monthly benefit amount to bring families up to 50% of the federal poverty level and out of deep poverty. Read more
HARRISBURG, Aug. 20 – On the 25th anniversary of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., announced that he will introduce legislation this fall that would modernize the TANF program by increasing the monthly benefit amount to bring families up to 50% of the federal poverty level and out of deep poverty. By requiring that the benefits undergo an annual cost-of-living increase to keep pace with inflation, Kenyatta’s bill would ensure benefits continue to be effective at providing financial stability to the roughly 68,500 Pennsylvania families and children receiving cash assistance -- something he said would be a serious life-improving measure for families and their children’s futures. “Eradicating poverty is the moral and economic issue of our generation. No one, especially Pennsylvania’s children, should live in deep poverty, which has long-term effects on their health and well-being for their entire lives,” Kenyatta said. “TANF has served as a lifeline for so many families and children in need for a quarter of a century. As the cost of living increases, the monthly payments from TANF are ineffective at fulfilling the needs of Pennsylvanians relying on it to survive. I urge my colleagues in joining me in ensuring this lifeline meets the moment.” Kenyatta pointed to a report released this week from The Meet Need Campaign that found that in 1990, Pennsylvania’s Read more
Pa. state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta points out that Pa. has yet to pass comprehensive non-discrimination legislation. He says that every single Pennsylvanian should be treated fairly regardless of who they are or who they love and the Pa. Fairness Act would ensure those equal protections. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 29 – State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., today announced that he will soon introduce legislation that would commemorate Jan. 6 -- the date of the deadly right-wing insurrection at the U.S. Capitol earlier this year -- as Democracy Observance Day for Education, Remembrance, and Vigilance, to be referred to as Democracy Observance Day in Pennsylvania. January 6, 2021 was the day when a violent mob of domestic terrorists stormed the federal Capitol and forcibly entered the building, while Congress was meeting to officially tally the Electoral College votes of the 2020 general election, forcing lawmakers and their staff to barricade themselves in secure locations. Insurrectionists also assaulted law enforcement officers. Kenyatta said that this dark day is a day to never be forgotten in America and should serve as a reminder to all Pennsylvanians of how democracy was threatened, the blood spilled in pursuit of protecting it and what is required of citizens to preserve it. “These aggressors who pillaged offices and wreaked havoc upon the People’s House shook the foundation of our democratic republic, revealing how fragile democracy is. As Americans, we must be steadfast in protecting the soul of this nation in the face of conspiracy theories, lies and violence,” Kenyatta said. “My bill would also call for Pennsylvania to also use this day as a time of remembrance by uplifting those who risked their lives to defend Read more
HARRISBURG, June 15 – State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., in a statement today, blasted ongoing efforts by the Pennsylvania GOP to undermine Pennsylvania’s elections with their latest elections bill, House Bill 1300, a 149-page bill that would alter voting deadlines, limit early voting, make mail-in ballot procedures more difficult and mandate IDs for all in-person voters. “You have the same people who have been stoking the raging fire that we’re currently seeing burn up the trust in the sanctity of our democratic process now wanting to come and act like they’re the firefighters,” Kenyatta said, following the Republican-dominated House State Government Committee’s approval of H.B.1300 along party lines. “House State Government Majority Chairman State Representative Seth Grove is drumming up support for his H.B. 1300 by posing it as legislation to increase protections of our state’s elections process. However, Grove is the torcher as it is he who led efforts to undermine those protections. It was Grove who organized the letter—endorsed by his Pennsylvania GOP peers—urging Congress to overturn Pennsylvania’s 2020 General Election results on Jan. 6. “It is Grove who was at the helm of the attempt to get subpoena power to seize those ballots. “It was Grove fronting his pack of rogue lawmaker colleagues here in Pennsylvania and in tandem with their GOP peers across our nation Read more
HARRISBURG, June 8 – State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., released the following statement applauding Dr. Jason Wingard on becoming 13 th president of Temple University and the university’s first Black president its 137-year history. Kenyatta also highlighted the importance of activism which led to this historic appointment. “As a proud Temple University alumnus, I applaud Dr. Jason Wingard on his appointment to become the thirteenth president of Temple University and making history as the first Black president in the university’s 137-year history. Dr. Wingard is impeccably qualified and possesses the ability to connect to Black and Brown students and residents of North Philadelphia. “While we applaud Dr. Wingard’s historic appointment, we must also acknowledge the journey of how we got to this point. Activism matters. “I was born and raised here in North Philadelphia, graduated from Temple University and now represent this community in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Through the years, I watched the university prosper at the expense of my neighbors. Since being elected, I constantly challenged Temple University’s mostly all-white leadership on the dire need for diversity among its ranks-- meaningful diversity that mirrors the surrounding communities acknowledges that reality that these predominantly Black neighborhoods have long suffered the effects of economic Read more
HARRISBURG, June 7 — State Reps. Rick Krajewski and Malcolm Kenyatta, both D-Phila., pushed back against the false right-wing narrative regarding voting integrity efforts Monday, instead promoting the need to increase access to voting for all, and especially for those whose voting rights are under attack. “Over the past 18 months, as we have seen unprecedented movements and victories in the fight against police violence, the defeat of Donald Trump, Democratic control of the U.S. Senate and more; we have also seen a steep increase in attempts by the right-wing elite to disenfranchise the marginalized people who have benefited from these achievements,” Krajewski said during the Defending Democracy event he and Kenyatta led. “That is no coincidence. “Government should be by the people, for the people, but as the people have started shaking things up and dismantling the status quo, their rights to choose their elected officials through free and fair elections have come under attack through farcical efforts to question the integrity of our elections,” Krajewski continued. “We will not stand for this misleading misdirection and we wanted to bring this issue into the spotlight so we can examine the ways in which access to voting must be expanded and voting rights upheld.” “Voter suppression tactics have become as American as apple pie, with almost every generation of Black and brown Americans having to combat Read more
My Spring 2021 Newsletter is here! Read more
Pa. state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta talks about how investments in the Pennsylvania Rescue Plan would support frontline and essential workers, help kids get back to school safely, and create more jobs and opportunities for economic growth. The Pa Rescue Plan is the key to Pennsylvania's recovery after the pandemic. Read more
Wrapping up the last of 14 hearings of the House State Government Committee, Pa. state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta spoke out against false claims of election fraud by many Republicans. He says changes to election rules should make voting easier and more accessible, not disenfranchise more voters. Read more
How far have we come, and how far do we have to go to diminish -- and possibly eradicate -- racism in high schools and college campuses? Our hearing on racism on the topic pulled the curtain on the continued systematic injustice towards minority students on high school and college campuses and the lack of diversity in educators. In some Pennsylvania school districts there is a blatant lack of effort to recruit and retain educators of color and that is problematic. The historic limited access to education for people of color is still happening. Students shared their stories of the mental, physical and emotional toll their experiences with racism and discrimination have had on their well-being. Fortunately, these students turned their painful experiences into meaningful advocacy. Their testimony showed the challenge facing educational institutions in Pennsylvania. Educators, including teachers and administrators play a large role in dispelling hate in their schools. It’s imperative that they are reflective of the communities that they represent but the statistics show, they don’t. While students of color make up 33 percent of Pennsylvania’s population, less than 5 percent of teachers are people of color. Across the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education faculty, 4 percent are Black, 3 percent are Hispanic and just 6 percent are Asian. When students see a diversity that reflects them in their educators, it shows promise. It shows Read more
HARRISBURG, March 25 -- Education and shattering social norms are key in combatting racism in high schools and colleges, as evidenced by testimony at today’s House Democratic Policy Committee hearing hosted by state Reps. Maureen Madden and Malcolm Kenyatta. The Monroe and Philadelphia County legislators led today’s discussion bringing together state officials, students and educators to brainstorm solutions that aim to help break cycles of systemic racism via policy development and implementation. “How do we start conversations that help people understand that freedom of speech should not be a free pass for racism? We all deserve to be respected and the blatant hate and disrespect for others is impacting lives. Hate has no place in our education system. Students go to school to learn, grow and often overcome any barriers the hand that life has dealt them. I’m grateful for this forum today to learn what’s happening in our education system and what lawmakers can do to overcome the racism in our schools,” Madden shared. “Terms like ‘diversity quota’ and ‘affirmative action applicant’ are just some of the covertly racist insults that disparage the merits of students and faculty of color in academia. Ultimately, these slights have devastating effects on the emotional and mental health of these students and faculty, thereby straining their likelihood to graduate and excel at these institutions,” Read more
HARRISBURG, March 23 – Recent incidents of racism involving students at the high school and college levels will be discussed at a House Democratic Policy Committee virtual hearing hosted by state Reps. Maureen Madden and Malcolm Kenyatta. The hearing will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 25. To view the hearing, the media and public can tune in to www.pahouse.com/policycommittee or the committee’s Facebook page -- @PADemPolicy. Media inquiries may be submitted via email to policy@pahouse.net . Madden and Kenyatta will be joined by committee Chairman Ryan Bizzarro and Democratic Policy Committee members to hear from educators, state officials and advocates on how to curb racism with meaningful policy reforms. Additional hearing information will be available by clicking here . Read more
HARRISBURG, March 15 – State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta today issued the following statement applauding his colleagues state Rep. Amen Brown and Sen. Anthony Williams, along with the Office of the Attorney General for reaching a historic agreement with Eagle Arms, the state’s largest gun show promoter, to ban the sale of ghost gun kits at its shows. Kenyatta, who represents Philadelphia’s 181 st Legislative District, said that the ghost gun kit ban is a progressive step in quelling gun violence across the commonwealth, especially in Philadelphia. “I am proud of my colleagues from both chambers and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro for this historic agreement,” Kenyatta said. “Far too many Pennsylvanians have had their lives cut short due to gun violence. We need to make sure these untraceable guns do not end up in the hands of people who shouldn’t have them.” Ghost guns typically start as 80% receivers that are sold in kits without background checks. They can easily and quickly be put together, lack serial numbers so they cannot be traced, and, once fully assembled, can operate as fully functioning firearms. In Philadelphia, 99 ghost guns were recovered in 2019 and 250 were recovered in 2020. More than 80 have been recovered so far in 2021. “In 2020, Philadelphia experienced unspeakable carnage because of guns, particularly these undetectable ghost guns,” Kenyatta said. Read more
The PA House State Government Committee held its fifth of 14 hearings Wednesday on the 2020 general election, which has been settled for months now. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 1 – Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., has been selected to participate in the seventh cohort of the Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows program, an elite group of national, senior-level policy leaders who have the knowledge, skill, and desire to be effective, equity-minded education policymakers at the state level. The program is an initiative of The Hunt Institute, an education policy nonprofit founded in 2001 by former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt. Kenyatta will join 29 other senior-level elected officials from across the country in Cohort 7, bringing the total number of Hunt-Kean Leadership Fellows to 141, which includes former Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale (Cohort 2). Fellows represent all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and the program currently boasts six sitting governors: Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. "In order to ensure that our systems are supporting families, we have to strengthen our schools and classrooms to provide our children with a high-quality education,” Kenyatta said. “As I continue to fight on behalf of all working people, I look forward to learning from The Hunt Institute and engaging with this bipartisan group of policymakers from across the country." The program is named for renowned education governors Jim Hunt and Tom Kean. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 17 – State Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta and Danilo Burgos, both D-Phila, are teaming up to provide free COVID-19 testing in North Philadelphia, with the goal of offsetting the disparities in testing among Black and Latino communities in Philadelphia. The free testing will be provided in partnership with Latino Connection and funded by the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, and will take place on Feb. 20 and March 6, both on a Saturday, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Norris Square Park, 2100 N. Howard St., 19122 . Spanish-speaking staff and volunteers will also be on-site. Kenyatta and Burgos pointed to a report that found that race and ethnicity data for COVID-19 cases are widely unaccounted for in Pennsylvania, especially in Philadelphia. The lag, they said, undercuts the severity of survivability outcomes of both groups. For Latinos, specifically, despite only making up 6% of the population in Pennsylvania, they disproportionately make up 11% of COVID-19 deaths when applying weighted population distributions, according to a study found on the Centers for Disease Control’s website. The lawmakers also said Blacks and Latinos not only remain severely underrepresented in data for cases — collected through testing — but also in the vaccine rollout. Kenyatta, who has put dismantling poverty and systemic racism at the forefront of his legislative agenda, said the pandemic has exacerbated Read more
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