Understanding the critical role reading plays in a child’s future, House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton partnered with the Free Library of Philadelphia, Read by 4th and other community groups to give away free books to nearly 150 children. “Reading is fun, educational and opens the door to so many opportunities for our young people,” said McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware. “This event was a way to strengthen literacy skills and encourage our kids to want to pick up a book. Getting them interested early helps keep them on the right path to a brighter future. I am so fortunate to work with community partners who share my passion to put our children first.” Their Youth Literacy Extravaganza at the Sayre Recreation Center Playground gave kids the chance to play fun literacy games while adults received information about the educational programs and services that are offered to families by the city and commonwealth. “Engaging with children and supporting families as they build literacy is a core part of what Read by 4th does in the community. We were excited to be able to bring that work to so many families today at the Youth Literacy Extravaganza,” said Jenny Bogoni, Executive Director of Read by 4th. Other organizations that made today’s event possible included Reading Recycled and Global Citizen. Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton joined St. Joseph’s Preparatory School and other local organizations today to connect 200 boxes of free food with 86 families. Read more
Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton issued the following statement about the resignation of State Representative Margo Davidson: Read more
The Temple University Lenfest North Philadelphia Workforce Initiative is recruiting adult job seekers for a workforce readiness program. Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton partnered with the Church of Christian Compassion and Community of Compassion CDC, Inc. to host a virtual career fair. Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton announced today that $23,993.20 is being awarded to help fire and emergency medical services in Darby. Read more
From support for local businesses to job training, there are a number of grant funding opportunities in Pennsylvania. Here's a look at what's available right now. Read more
There are billions of dollars in surplus money that belongs to the people and should have been used to help fairly fund every school and maybe even cut property taxes for homeowners. I am determined to keep fighting to invest this funding into families across the commonwealth. Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton says there is more than $3.2 million of unclaimed property and money within the communities she serves. Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton is applauding the Latino Affairs Caucus, calling it a reflection of the diverse communities that make up Pennsylvania. “We’ve come so far since the first Puerto Rican members were sworn into the state House, dating back to German Quiles in 1969 and Ralph Acosta some 15 years later,” explained McClinton. “Today, I’m proud to see individuals like Rep. Danilo Burgos in Philadelphia, who is the first Dominican elected to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, adding to the largest delegation to date of Latino members.” Led by state Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Phila., the Latino Affairs Caucus is the first formal bicameral and bipartisan caucus, focusing on issues and policies important to Latinx communities in the commonwealth. “As Pennsylvania’s Latino population has increased over the years, I’m excited to see the number of Latinx members has grown in the state legislature as well,” said Cruz, D-Phila. “Having lawmakers from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds helps strengthen our ability to ensure every voice is heard in Harrisburg.” Other members of the Latino Affairs Caucus include state Reps. Liz Hanbidge and Ben Sanchez, both D-Montgomery, and Manuel Guzman, D-Berks, who is a freshman legislator serving Reading, which is home to the largest community of Latinos in Pennsylvania. "This dedicated group Read more
The same type of collaborative effort used to help stop the spread of COVID-19 is needed to combat gun violence. Read more
It’s impossible to calculate how much we have lost as a state, as a society, thanks to inequitable funding leaving kids behind instead of growing their unlimited potential. It’s time to make sure the playing field is level. It’s time to make sure a line drawn on a map decades ago isn’t a ticket to success for one child while being a ticket to struggle for another. We’ve had the tools, now we have the money. Let’s do this right.” Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton announced today that $100,000 in state funding is going to make critical repairs to two of Bartram’s Garden’s most historically significant buildings. McClinton said the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission awarded the Keystone Historic Preservation grant to the John Bartram Association to fix the roofs and masonry of the county’s oldest barn built in 1775 and the adjacent stable built in 1743. “Not only does Bartram’s Garden provide a safe outdoor space for our neighbors to enjoy, but it also attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year to southwest Philly,” said McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware. “It’s imperative we continue investing these types of dollars in protecting this historic landmark so our local economy and families near and far can benefit for generations to come.” The nonprofit John Bartram Association works to maintain and enhance the 45-acre National Historic Landmark Bartram's Garden and House, as well as inspire people of all ages to care for the natural world through gardening and art. Keystone Historic Preservation Grants provide funding to support projects that identify, preserve, promote and protect historic and archaeological resources in Pennsylvania for both the benefit of the Read more
“It’s better for the purposes of drawing our legislative districts, which are population-based, to count these individuals in the communities they call home. It will result in better, more even representation for all Pennsylvanians.” Read more
House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton is applauding $316,650 in state grants that will help to reduce blight in West Philadelphia and Darby Borough. McClinton said the funding was awarded through the Commonwealth Financing Authority’s Blight Remediation Program and will be dispersed as follows: $16,650 to the nonprofit organization ACHIEVEability to create a comprehensive plan to address blighted and vacant commercial properties affecting West Philadelphia business corridors – specifically focusing on 46 th to 63 rd Market Street as well as the 60 th Street Commercial Corridor. $300,000 will support Darby Borough’s remediation project, which involves acquiring and demolishing properties located at 621 Main St. and 304 Marks Ave. “Cleaning up our communities and investing in long-term improvements not only attracts new people and businesses to our neighborhoods but entices those already here to stay, which ultimately strengthens our local economy,” said McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware. “Blight has also been connected to higher crime rates. By securing these dollars, we help create a safer environment for our neighbors.” The Commonwealth Financing Authority is an independent agency of the Department of Community and Economic Development focused on fostering economic growth. More information about these grants can be found here . Read more
HARRISBURG, May 26 – House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton made this statement after today’s release of a report by the state Inspector General about the Department of State’s failure to advertise a constitutional amendment in the summer of 2020 which halted a ballot question from being put to voters this year: “I want to thank the inspector general for this thorough and complete report. It answers the questions we had about what occurred and I applaud Governor Wolf for making sure it is public. “We were frankly surprised to learn that, throughout multiple administrations since the Pennsylvania Constitution outlined a process for amendments, it appears there were never any written procedures in place to ensure that amendments are advertised. I know the Wolf administration has already implemented policies and procedures to make sure that such an omission is never repeated. “As we are taking stock of this, I call on the Senate leadership to speedily bring up and pass House Bill 951 sponsored by Rep. Mark Rozzi. This is a statutory solution that will end the needless suffering still being endured by so many adult victims of childhood sexual abuse who are simply waiting to have their day in court.” Read more
STATE COLLEGE, May 11 – The workers who have been hit hardest by the pandemic need support. The PA House Democratic leadership team is hosting a rally Wednesday to make the case for workers’ rights to a fair wage, hazard pay and paid family and sick leave and how the PA Rescue plan would do just that. The rally will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 12 at The Borough Building, 243 S. Allen St., State College . The media is encouraged to attend. The PA Rescue Plan includes more than $1.5 billion for job training, hazard pay, wage boosts for direct-care workers and job creation efforts to kickstart the economy in communities across the state. The PRP aims to ensure federal American Rescue Plan funding is invested for immediate impact and long-term success. Additional information about the plan is available at www.pahouse.com/parescueplan . Read more
PHILADELPHIA, May 10 – House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton today hosted a public hearing highlighting her caucus’s proposal to invest federal funding to help Pennsylvania recover, restore and reimagine, starting with investments in green collar jobs. The House Democratic Policy Committee hearing, held at the Community College of Philadelphia, focused on investments in clean energy and how the proposed $50 million investment would get Pennsylvanians back to work in jobs that pay livable wages. The committee heard testimony from: Dr. Donald Guy Generals, president, Community College of Philadelphia; Michael Neill, apprentice training director, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 98; Brian Myers, assistant apprentice training director, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers 98; and Anna Shipp, executive director, Green Stormwater Infrastructure Partners, Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia. “Green collar jobs are high-tech, high-wage and the fastest-growing career sector in any industry,” said McClinton, D-Phila./Delaware. “By investing in the clean energy industry and supporting job training to get workers on the job, the PA Rescue Plan is creating a greener future in more ways than one.” State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, chairman of the Policy Committee added, “The last year doesn’t have to cripple our future. We can use federal dollars to help make Pennsylvania a leader in creating Read more
PHILADELPHIA, May 6 – The Community College of Philadelphia will serve as the backdrop for a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing hosted by Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton on The PA Rescue Plan: Powering Green Collar Jobs. The hearing will be held at 9 a.m. Monday, May 10 at the Community College of Philadelphia, P avilion Building,-- located at 1700 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia . Press and attendees should enter in front of the building on 17th St. The PA Rescue Plan aims to ensure federal American Rescue Plan funding is invested for immediate impact and long-term success. Additional information about the plan is available at www.pahouse.com/parescueplan . Read more
HARRISBURG, May 5 – After weeks of gathering public support for the Pennsylvania Rescue Plan to invest federal dollars to do the most good for working families, the House Democratic Leadership team released the following statement on the next steps to discuss the plan and how it would help us recover, restore and reimagine a better future coming back from COVID-19. “Next week more than $7 billion is coming to the Keystone State as part of the American Rescue Plan, and we have to make sure that money is invested properly, not hidden away in a government vault for a rainy day – because it’s hard to imagine a storm that could hit harder than COVID-19. People need help now. “As USA TODAY network coverage noted, House Democrats have a plan that helps schools, workers, businesses, families, renters, landlords and more while Republicans have no plan to distribute the funds. We urge the majority party to get on board and do the right thing for people everywhere. “We’ve received an overwhelming response to the PA Rescue Plan so far, and next week we’ll be taking the plan to the people with a statewide tour – starting Monday in Philadelphia and Reading talking about investing in infrastructure and rebuilding our downtowns, continuing Tuesday in Pittsburgh and Erie discussing housing, Wednesday in Harrisburg and State College talking worker pay, and finishing up on Thursday in Scranton and Allentown to discuss helping Read more
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