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Pa. House passes bills strengthening worker protections

(May 03, 2023) Rep. Jason Dawkins

HARRISBURG, May 3 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed five pieces of legislation this week that will strengthen worker protections and make the state a safer place to work. “It is time we put working families first. These bills we passed — with bipartisan support, I might add — are a step in that direction,” said House Labor and Industry Committee Majority Chairman Jason Dawkins, D-Phila. “For far too long, the Labor and Industry Committee was concerned with corporate interests and putting employers over employees. And for as long as I am chair of this committee, legislation that benefits workers and invests in good jobs and working families will be a priority.” The Pennsylvania House Labor and Industry Committee reported all five bills out of committee before they were approved by the full House. The legislation is as follows below: H.B. 299 ; which would create the Public Employees Occupational Safety and Health Act to establish workplace safety standards for public sector employees that are consistent with federal OSHA requirements. H.B. 413 ; which would increase specifications for classifying employees as independent contractors in the construction industry. H.B. 760 ; which would allow workers' compensation claimants to receive benefits via direct deposit. H.B. 930 ; which would ensure that Read more

 

Gergely bill passes in the PA House

(May 03, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 3 – State Rep. Matthew R. Gergely, D-Allegheny, issued the following statement today after his first piece of legislation as a state representative, H.B. 829 , passed 199-2 in the House. The legislation would allow employees who work for distributors or importing distributors to also be allowed to work at other licensees’ establishments. “The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on small business profits across the country, including those in the food and beverage industry. Bars, restaurants, and similar liquor license entities are also facing a worker shortage when it comes to hiring experienced and knowledgeable staff. Yet, the current law on the books exercises an exclusive grip and only allows these employees to work at one such establishment at a given time. “House Bill 829 releases those workers from that tight grip and fosters inclusivity among liquor license ventures. Larger and more experienced labor forces will contribute to these businesses turning a higher profit and strengthening local economies. Not only that, having extra money in their pockets will help these workers and their families afford daily necessities and benefit their overall well-being. “This bill is a win-win for Pennsylvania residents and businesses, and I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their collective confidence and support of my first bill. ” House Bill 829 now heads to the Senate for consideration. Read more

 

Smith-Wade-El celebrates House passage of the PA Fairness Act

(May 03, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 3 – State Rep. Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster, praised yesterday’s passage in the House of the PA Fairness Act, which would outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. “I’m honored to be a co-prime sponsor of this important legislation—The PA Fairness Act,” Smith-Wade-El said. “This moment is 22 years and hundreds of elections in the making as Democrats have repeatedly tried to pass legislation that would make Pennsylvania a more equitable place to live and work for our LGBTQ+ community. During this time, many LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians have found themselves to be second-class citizens, at best, in the commonwealth—worried if they would lose housing or a job or their lives because of who they love or who they are. “Pennsylvania for too long has lagged behind other states in outlawing discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression. That must stop. Thanks to the Democratic majority in the House, we have been able to pass this historic legislation. We’ve got to keep fighting so this legislation passes the Senate. The Fairness Act gets Pennsylvania closer to a place where everyone's rights are protected, where citizens would be wrapped in freedom, equality, fairness and justice which is love spoken out loud. I look forward to that day when the Act is signed into law, and Read more

 

Pashinski, O’Mara, Comitta and advocates discuss Hospital Closure Reform

(May 03, 2023) Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski

“When hospitals and health care facilities close or significantly reduce services, patients, doctors, nurses, staff and entire communities suffer,” Pashinski said. “These facilities need oversight because they are not like other businesses, they make the difference between life or death and improve the quality of life for local patients. Even the healthiest person will at some point need help – whether that’s a visit to the emergency room, care for mental health, preventative medicine, or treatment for cancer. House Bill 158 and Senate Bill 184 would ensure that patients, doctors, nurses, staff and their communities have a voice in any major decision to close or reduce services.” Read more

 

Kinsey advocates for child care workers

(May 03, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 3 – State Rep. Stephen Kinsey, D-Phila., hosted a news conference Tuesday in the Capitol Rotunda advocating for greater pay for Pennsylvania child care workers, who make an average of only $12.43 per hour. Kinsey, who has been a long-time advocate for child care workers said Pennsylvania must do better by them. “Child care workers provide such a crucial service to our state socially and economically, yet they’re paid in Pennsylvania’s bottom 2% of employees. That is embarrassing,” Kinsey said. “We must do better by our child care workers, and it begins with paying them a deserving wage. I have advocated for child care workers since before I was an elected official, and I stand committed in my advocacy for them to be paid and treated with the respect they deserve.” Kinsey was joined by many child care workers from First Up, including Director Tyrone Scott. First Up member Rosanna Matos told Kinsey that she would bring a bus full of child care workers to Harrisburg for the event, and she did. Legislative colleagues also joined Kinsey including state Reps. Donna Bullock, D-Phila., Gina H. Curry, D-Delaware, and Justin Fleming, D-Dauphin; and state Sens. Tim Kearney, D-Delaware, and Judy Schwank, D-Berks. Video from the event may be viewed here and photos may be seen here . Read more

 

Bill provides up to $8,000 a year in scholarships aid to aspiring teachers passes Pa. House

(May 03, 2023) PennLive

“We find ourselves in a serious teacher shortage in Pennsylvania and if we don’t quickly find solutions, this crisis will only worsen when more teachers leave and they are leaving,” said Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Berks County, the bill’s sponsor. Read more

 

Pennsylvania lawmakers establish Black-Jewish caucus

(May 03, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

State Reps. Jordan Harris and Jared Solomon, both Democrats from Philadelphia, said the new caucus will explore “the historic relationship between the two groups, reignite the current relationship, and work together to promote social justice.“ Read more

 

Rozzi legislation addressing statewide teacher shortage passes the House

(May 02, 2023) Rep. Mark Rozzi

“Educators are among the most qualified and credentialed professionals, yet they are also deeply burdened with loans stemming from higher education. We need to establish stronger incentives to attract professionals to the field and keep quality teachers here in Pennsylvania,” Rozzi said. Read more

 

House passes Harkins bill to bring OSHA safety protections to public workers

(May 02, 2023) Rep. Patrick J. Harkins

"Today, the House took a critical step toward better protecting hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvania workers." Read more

 

Schweyer: House delivers bills to get – and keep – more teachers on the job

(May 02, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Pennsylvania has been facing a serious teacher shortage problem for many years now as high-caliber teachers are leaving early and districts have been struggling to recruit and retain the same quality teachers. With these measures moving to the Senate, we are now one step closer in helping to improve the quality of education for our children. Read more

 

PA state House passes Freeman tutoring legislation

(May 02, 2023) Rep. Robert L. Freeman

“This proposal is a win-win situation for the students serving as tutors, as well as the students receiving the tutoring," Freeman said. Read more

 

Pashinski & Madden’s PA Preferred Organic trademark bill passes House

(May 02, 2023) Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski, Rep. Maureen E. Madden

“Creating an easily identifiable PA Preferred Brand logo for PA-made organic products is a win for Pennsylvania’s farmers and producers as well as our consumers who know that label means their purchase was grown in PA, by PA Farmers, for PA families,” Pashinski said. Read more

 

Ciresi legislation to simplify unclaimed property claims for heirs passes House

(May 02, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 2 – The House yesterday passed state Rep. Joe Ciresi’s red-tape cutting legislation that would make it easier for relatives to claim a deceased person’s property being held by the state. According to Ciresi, the Pennsylvania treasury holds some $4 billion in unclaimed property, such as uncashed checks, lost stocks or bonds, or closed bank accounts. Due to an inconsistency in inheritance law, some categories of relatives have a harder time legitimately claiming that property on behalf of their deceased relatives. Under current law, surviving spouses, children, parents and siblings can file for unclaimed property using a notarized sworn relationship affidavit, saving them the effort and expense of having to open or re-open the deceased’s estate. But grandchildren, nephews, nieces and others cannot claim by affidavit even if they are the closest surviving relative. “My legislation would change Pennsylvania’s law for claiming unclaimed property to match the existing intestate succession law, making it easier for grandchildren and other relatives to claim money held in the name of their deceased relatives,” Ciresi, D-Montgomery, said “This would only apply to situations where an affidavit can already be used to claim: for properties under $11,000 and when no estate was ever opened or five years have passed since it was opened.” Ciresi learned about this issue from the work his staff was doing trying to Read more

 

Frankel, Schwank encourage colleagues to wear blue ribbons May 3 to support family, survivors of Pittsburgh synagogue attack

(May 02, 2023) Rep. Dan B. Frankel

“Family members and survivors of the Oct. 27th attack live with those events every single day, and the court proceedings and media attention they generate stand to intensify those painful memories,” said Frankel, D-Allegheny. “We can’t erase the trauma for those hurting, but by wearing this ribbon, we can let them know that we stand with them and wish them strength." Read more

 

Lawmakers establish legislative Black-Jewish caucus

(May 02, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Black and Jewish people have come together since the Civil Rights Movement to work together for equity and social justice. We are here to revitalize this relationship to take on the challenges of today. Every legislative victory begins with relationship building and two groups working together to address bigotry will be a great start. Read more

 

Fairness Act passes PA House

(May 02, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

“Today is a historic day, as we take a critical step to make Pennsylvania fairer. The Fairness Act is as simple as it is substantive. H.B. 300 would protect LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from facing discrimination and allow all individuals in the commonwealth to file complaints with the PA Human Relations Commission. Read more

 

Galloway applauds passage of H.B. 413, helping nearly 400K misclassified contractors

(May 02, 2023) Rep. John T. Galloway

HARRISBURG, May 2 – A bill introduced by Rep. John Galloway, D-Bucks, to amend independent contractor standards in the construction industry passed with bipartisan support in the House today. The bill, H.B. 413, now heads to the Senate for further consideration. House Bill 413 would make changes to the three-pronged system that dictates whether a construction worker can be classified as an independent contractor. Currently, a worker can be classified as such if: The individual has a written contract to perform such services. The individual is free from control or direction over performance of such services both under the contract of service and in fact. As to such services, the individual is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation, profession or business. The bill would broaden the scope of the first requirement, adding that an individual must not only have a written contract to perform services, but that the written contract is project specific and contains a particular scope of work and definitive time period to perform the services. Galloway has long sought to tackle employee misclassification, creating a joint task force in 2020 to investigate the issue. Through its investigation, the task force found that, annually, there are over 389,000 Pennsylvania employees who are misclassified as independent contractors. The issue is especially rampant in the construction industry, where employees who are mistakenly Read more

 

Pennsylvania State House forms Black-Jewish Caucus

(May 02, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Concerns over an increase in hate crimes and bigotry have led to a new caucus in the state house. Two minority groups are once again joining forces to be a positive force for good Read more

 

Boyle champions his insurance cyber security bill passing PA House

(May 01, 2023) Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

HARRISBURG, May 1 – Today, legislation ( H.B. 739 ) introduced by state Rep. Kevin Boyle that would require insurance companies and agents to develop cybersecurity policies and report cybersecurity events to the state insurance commissioner passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously. Boyle expressed gratitude to his colleagues for supporting and passing this legislation he championed in the House. “This legislation will go a long way in ensuring insurance consumers’ data is protected online from breachers,” said Boyle, D-Phila. “I applaud my colleagues for joining me to pass this important legislation in the House. Now, it’s up to the Senate to get this bill to the governor’s desk to be signed into law.” This legislation now goes to the PA Senate for consideration. Read more

 

PA House passes HB666, allows Philadelphia Housing Authority to negotiate performance-based contracts

(May 01, 2023) Rep. Donna Bullock

HARRISBURG, May 1 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed H.B. 666 today by a vote of 172-29. This legislation would remove the requirement in the Housing Authorities Law that executive members of the Philadelphia Housing Authority be “at will” employees, enabling the PHA board to negotiate performance-based contracts and compensation arrangements. “This brings the Philadelphia Housing Authority back into alignment with the other 89 public housing authorities in Pennsylvania,” said state Rep. Donna Bullock, D-Phila., the bill’s prime sponsor. “We cannot hope to retain talent, be competitive with other major cities and keep our public housing authority on an upward trajectory if it’s not even legally allowed to compete for executive level staff.” The provisions requiring PHA executive members to be “at will” employees were primarily established in 2011 in response to governance issues with the city housing authority under a prior city administration and previous PHA board. The board was dissolved and the PHA was put in the hands of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under an administrative receivership until 2013. In nine years since, the PHA and its new board have operated to high standards and earned the trust of stakeholders, Bullock said. Read more

 

Pa. House passes bills strengthening worker protections
May 03, 2023

Gergely bill passes in the PA House
May 03, 2023

Smith-Wade-El celebrates House passage of the PA Fairness Act
May 03, 2023

Pashinski, O’Mara, Comitta and advocates discuss Hospital Closure Reform
May 03, 2023

Kinsey advocates for child care workers
May 03, 2023

Bill provides up to $8,000 a year in scholarships aid to aspiring teachers passes Pa. House
May 03, 2023

Pennsylvania lawmakers establish Black-Jewish caucus
May 03, 2023

Rozzi legislation addressing statewide teacher shortage passes the House
May 02, 2023

House passes Harkins bill to bring OSHA safety protections to public workers
May 02, 2023

Schweyer: House delivers bills to get – and keep – more teachers on the job
May 02, 2023

PA state House passes Freeman tutoring legislation
May 02, 2023

Pashinski & Madden’s PA Preferred Organic trademark bill passes House
May 02, 2023

Ciresi legislation to simplify unclaimed property claims for heirs passes House
May 02, 2023

Frankel, Schwank encourage colleagues to wear blue ribbons May 3 to support family, survivors of Pittsburgh synagogue attack
May 02, 2023

Lawmakers establish legislative Black-Jewish caucus
May 02, 2023

Fairness Act passes PA House
May 02, 2023

Galloway applauds passage of H.B. 413, helping nearly 400K misclassified contractors
May 02, 2023

Pennsylvania State House forms Black-Jewish Caucus
May 02, 2023

Boyle champions his insurance cyber security bill passing PA House
May 01, 2023

PA House passes HB666, allows Philadelphia Housing Authority to negotiate performance-based contracts
May 01, 2023