Dear Neighbor,

I must confess that I teared up earlier this year when I viewed a powerful collection of portraits of gun violence victims at an exhibit at Christ Episcopal Church in Media, and this week I was honored to mark the closing of the exhibit at the state Capitol as we push for policies to end the violence.

This week marked the closing of the Souls Shot Portrait Project, which was featured in the Capitol’s East Wing Rotunda throughout September. Started in Philadelphia in 2016, the art project memorializes gun-violence victims by pairing artists with grieving families to create a portrait of the victim.

Our news conference also coincided with the end of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and the one-year mark since the state House failed to pass three common-sense gun reform bills: House Bill 1859, House Bill 1866, and House Bill 1099.

But we’re not giving up on those bills. As the sponsor of House Bill 1859, I noted, “In addition to turning pain into purpose, we’re going to turn pain into policy.”

My bill would allow family members or law enforcement to ask a judge to temporarily disarm someone who is in crisis and who is a threat to themselves or others. It would create a process for the judge to issue an Extreme Risk Protection Order, also known as a “red flag law.”

I lost my father to gun suicide when I was 13 years old, and one of my priorities in Harrisburg is enacting policies that would help ensure others don't have to endure the pain that my family and I experienced.

Thank you to everyone else who participated in this week's event with me: Regina Jones, whose late daughter Isya Stanley is portrayed in the exhibit; House Judiciary Chair Tim Briggs; CeaseFirePA executive director Adam Garber; and Laura Madeleine, co-founder of the Souls Shot Portrait Project.

You can view our full press conference at this link.

I was thrilled this week to help unveil a new nursing pod at the state Capitol that will give nursing mothers a clean, safe, and accessible nursing station. For years, I've offered my own Capitol office to lobbyists and advocates for pumping because the Capitol lacked a dedicated space for them. That's what led me to advocate for this, and I'm grateful to the state Department of General Services for providing this new public nursing space. Pennsylvania moms deserve better than my conference room, and I'm glad we can now offer them what they deserve.

Mail-in voting in PA is simple, safe, and secure. It’s one way that you can make your voice heard. The deadline for requesting a mail-in ballot is Oct. 27. Learn more by watching the video below or visiting www.vote.pa.gov.

Next week, I'm partnering with Zencare Express for a Mental Health Fair in Media. On Saturday, Oct. 10, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., stop by the front of the Delaware County Courthouse, 201 W. Front St., to connect with mental health resources, organizations, and more.

I will be co-hosting a free shredding event with Sen. Tim Kearney on Oct. 17 to help you safely dispose of papers and disks containing sensitive information. It will be from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Springfield Mall parking lot. It's a great way to protect your identity by ensuring documents don't fall into the wrong hands. You can also safely dispose of electronics and, with the Drug Take Back Van from D.A. Tanner Rouse's office, unused medications. Additionally, we'll be collecting nonperishable food for the Food Bank of Delaware County.

Feel free to call my office with any questions at (610) 544-9878.

I'm looking forward to my annual Senior Fair on Thursday, Oct. 22, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Springfield YMCA! Stop by to connect with resources, get your flu shot, sign up for a SEPTA senior pass, and more. I hope to see you there!

My office is a drop-off site for the Delco Book Bank this fall as they collect children's books for Delco families who need them. You can drop off new and gently used children's books at my office at 26 E. 4th St. in Media anytime between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

It's very important to me to stay in touch with local officials, and I recently held my quarterly mayor's meeting with the three mayors in my district. Mayor Michele Roberts of Morton, Mayor Conlen Booth of Swarthmore, Mayor Joi Washington of Media, and I had a wonderful conversation, sharing updates from across their boroughs and from our office.

Thank you to everyone who came to our Flu Clinic last week! If you couldn’t make it or are looking to get your flu shot this fall, the Delaware County Health Department is hosting more flu clinics in the coming weeks! You can find the full list at this link: https://shorturl.at/AxuU4

I had a wonderful time last Saturday at the Upper Providence Township Community Day! My staff and I enjoyed talking with community members and sharing important resources. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a fabulous event.

House Democrats have been working hard to make people’s lives more affordable these days, and one example is a bill that would protect residents of manufactured home community from unfair rent hikes. I supported H.B. 1250 when it passed the House last year, but the Senate has failed to bring it to a vote.

This is a problem affecting more than a quarter-million Pennsylvanians who live in manufactured homes, because speculators and private equity firms have been raising rents significantly to jack up their short-term profits.

You can take action. You can urge the Senate to bring this commonsense solution up for a simple up-or-down vote at this link.

Sincerely,

District Office

26 E. 4th Street

Media, PA 19063-3042
(610) 544-9878

Pennsylvania State Capitol
217 Irvis Office Building

P.O. Box 202165

Harrisburg, PA 17120-2165
(717) 783-4090