As the Stop and Go Legislative Task Force completes their two days of public hearings at City Hall, the Philadelphia House Delegation voiced their support of the group’s work to put an end to the nuisance establishments in the city. The task force convened two days of public input from law enforcement, state agencies, local officials, business owners and residents. Stop and Gos are convenience stores or neighborhood delis that also sell beer and liquor, usually without the proper licensing and oversight. People who purchase the alcohol can consume it right outside of the establishment. Read more

"This tax incentive will go a long way in having more employers include financial assistance for child care in their strategic business plans, creating a more stable workforce in Pennsylvania while continuing to help families re-enter the job market,” Cephas said. Read more

Known as Act 43, the bill -- sponsored by Pa. State Rep. Jose Giral, D-Phila. -- will require tow truck drivers to provide photographic evidence of a violation before they can tow or remove a vehicle.“I am pleased to see this commonsense measure signed into law,” Giral said in a statement shortly after the bill was signed into law.. “This will benefit everyone involved, the courts, drivers and towing companies, and will ensure greater accountability and transparency in our city.” Read more

HARRISBURG, July 2 – As Pennsylvania lawmakers work to finalize the state budget and tuition bills are hitting mailboxes for the fall semester, two state lawmakers are looking to provide needed financial relief to student borrowers. State Reps. Jennifer O’Mara, D-Delaware, and Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., have introduced legislation ( H.B. 2476 ) that would exempt tuition reimbursement from the personal income tax, as well as codify that student loan forgiveness is not taxable income. According to the lawmakers, current and former college students in the U.S. have taken out approximately $1.75 trillion in student loans. Pennsylvania borrowers have an average of $39,375 in debt, making the state the third-highest average for student loan debt. The cost of both public and private four-year colleges has tripled since 1980, even when accounting for inflation, contributing to the need for students to take out more loans. “Pennsylvania is a state where borrowers struggle with student loans more than most,” O’Mara said. “It’s even more disheartening when they are handed a tax bill for what relief they do get from their employers in the form of tuition reimbursement. Students are constantly evaluating their career and financial paths to include ways to make college more affordable. When they find an employer who wants to help with those costs in exchange for getting a great employee, they shouldn’t be Read more

HARRISBURG, July 1 – State House lawmakers today passed legislation introduced by Rep. Danilo Burgos, D-Phila., that would get more fresh fruits and vegetables into schools while supporting locally grown products. Burgos’ bill ( H.B. 2420 ) would establish the Keystone Fresh Program, which would include three grant programs to provide opportunities for school districts, farms, food hubs, and local food aggregators to incorporate locally grown fresh foods into Pennsylvania schools. “ Schools across Pennsylvania serve more than 157 million lunches per year , providing critical nutrients to children across the state and making them one of the largest potential markets for agricultural producers in Pennsylvania,” Burgos said. “Despite having a child nutrition budget of more than $729 million per year, schools self-report that they spend less than 2% of those funds on Pennsylvania-grown foods. Local food purchasing incentive legislation , like the Keystone Fresh Act, would address this problem by establishing a grant program incentivizing schools to purchase, promote and serve local foods in their meal programs.” According to Burgos, similar LFPI programs in 16 other states have been an effective and innovative strategy, increasing the quantity of local foods served in school meals and creating an essential market for farmers. Research has shown LFPI programs generate a local Read more

HARRISBURG, June 26 – On the heels of a new report detailing racial biases in the U.S. healthcare system, state Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., today emphasized the need for her legislation that seeks to resolve the subconscious biases of healthcare providers in the state so they can improve patient care and adapt practices for the diverse communities they serve. A lengthy report released today by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine laid out the harms of structural racism in the U.S. healthcare system to minority populations and offered solutions to combatting the problem. Cephas’ legislation ( H.B. 2178 ) to address the biases of healthcare providers in Pennsylvania was introduced in April. Under Cephas’ bill, each person applying for a license or certification issued by a health-related board within the Department of State would be required to complete training regarding implicit bias and cultural competence. Such training would, at minimum, include an understanding of implicit bias and include practical techniques to reduce unconscious bias and improve cultural competence. “There is extensive evidence and research of implicit bias in our healthcare system, resulting in the unequal treatment of patients based on race, gender, weight, age, language spoken, income and insurance status, and most often leading to negative health outcomes for poor people and communities of Read more

PHILADELPHIA, June 21 – Nearly 10,000 people of all ages braved the heat to connect with their neighbors, support local businesses and have some family-friendly fun, according to state Rep. Morgan Cephas, D-Phila., a coordinator of West Philadelphia’s annual street food festival held last night. “I am so grateful to the many community partners who make The Overbrook Night Market a great event year in and year out,” Cephas said. “Despite the heat, the people came out again this year to celebrate their neighborhood, have some fun and support local businesses, talented artists and our culture. I look forward to its continuing success.” Now in its fourth year, and co-hosted by Overbook West Neighbors Inc., the event featured 35+ food trucks and vendors, a family zone with kids’ activities and three DJs. There was a special appearance by Miss Philadelphia, Tynecia Wilson, and local leaders including City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore-Richardson, Councilmember Jeffery Young, Jr. and District Attorney Larry Krasner. Residents also had the opportunity to connect with resources and local businesses and organizations including PCOM, PECO and MainLine Health, along with Penn Medicine, Independence Blue Cross, Xfinity and Cobbs Creek Foundation. Cephas and her staff also were on hand to help people with state-related programs, services and issues. The mission of The Overbrook Night Read more

“This has been a terrible time for the University of the Arts students, staff and alumni,” said Policy Committee hearing host state Rep. Ben Waxman, who represents portions of Philadelphia including the UArts campus in Center City. “They have been treated in such a way that is frankly unacceptable. The University of the Arts’ leadership has refused to provide information, even after throwing the lives of thousands of people into chaos because of their incompetence.” Read more