Rep. Steve Samuelson joins his colleagues and members of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers at a state Capitol press conference to discuss helping counties, helping people, and helping Pennsylvania with better budgets.

Rep. Steve Samuelson participates in the first day of House Appropriations Committee Budget Hearings with testimony from the Departments of Revenue and Aging, as well as the Independent Fiscal Office.

Rep. Steve Samuelson takes the Oath of Office and is sworn in as a state representative to begin serving the constituents of the 135th legislative district.

Rep. Steve Samuelson participates in a moment of silence as lawmakers call for action on police reform bills currently stalled in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Steve Samuelson attends a rally calling for emergency school facilities funding and support for the re-drafted Emergency School Repair Funding bill.

Rep. Steve Samuelson makes comments during the House debate on the 2019-20 state budget.

Rep. Steve Samuelson delivers some of the 3,100 diapers that his office collected from the community for the Salvation Army of Bethlehem.

Rep. Steve Samuelson joins colleagues and advocates from PennEnvironment calling for Pennsylvania to transition to 100 percent renewable energy by the year 2050.

Rep. Steve Samuelson meets with Northampton Community College students and staff during “Community College Lobby Day at the Capitol” on April 10.

Rep. Steve Samuelson is surrounded by advocates for redistricting reform as he speaks at a rally to end gerrymandering in Pennsylvania.

AARP honors Rep. Steve Samuelson for fighting to increase Lottery Funds for Home & Community-based programs that serve older adults in Pennsylvania with the 2017 AARP Capitol Caregiver award. Pictured from left to right are: Joanne Grossi, AARP Pa. volunteer state president, Bill Johnston-Walsh AARP Pa. state director, Rep. Steve Samuelson, Estella Hyde, AARP Pa. volunteer state president emeritus and caregiving champion.

Rep. Steve Samuelson welcomes 15-year old Mia Senick to the House floor. Mia started an on-line petition to bring back Pennsylvania’s mandatory helmet law for all motorcycle riders after her father was killed in a motorcycle accident.

Rep. Steve Samuelson welcomes a group of students and professors from Lehigh University.

Rep. Samuelson at the Alzheimer's Promise Garden with members of the Angels Against Alzheimer's Walk team during the Lehigh Valley Walk to End Alzheimer's on September 30, 2017.

Students from Moravian Academy visited the Capitol.

Students from William Penn Elementary visit the state Capitol.

Rep. Steve Samuelson speaks at the Department of Aging’s event celebrating May 2017 as “Older Americans Month” in Pennsylvania.

Rep. Steve Samuelson is joined by members of “Fair Districts PA Coalition" at a Capitol rally urging support for redistricting reform and hoping to establish a citizens’ commission to redraw state and congressional maps.

Rep. Steve Samuelson congratulates Genesis Velazquez, from The Bethlehem Club, for being one of the recipients of the 2017 Boys and Girls Clubs of Pennsylvania “Youth of the Year” award.

Rep. Steve Samuelson, the Democratic Chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, comments after the Department of Aging delivered their testimony at the start of the second week of state budget hearings.

Rep. Steve Samuelson speaks during the first day of budget hearings on the 2017-18 state budget.

Representative Samuelson welcomed students from Our Lady of Perpetual Help to the State Capitol today.

After hearing Gov. Tom Wolf’s budget remarks, Rep. Samuelson is encouraged by the governor’s strong commitment to increasing education funding, enhancing drug treatment proposals, creating a severance tax on natural gas drilling, and raising the minimum wage to $12 an hour.

Representative Samuelson welcomes Special Olympics to the House floor.

Representative Samuelson on the House floor with former member, Karen Ritter.

Rep. Samuelson presents a copy of House Resolution 150, honoring Lehigh University’s 150th anniversary to Dr. John D. Simon, the school’s 14th president. Behind them is the statue of Asa Packer, an industrial pioneer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who founded the school in 1865.

Rep. Steve Samuelson has joined Republicans and Democrats in the state House and Senate to form a legislative workgroup committed to removing the crass politics from the redistricting process. The Bethlehem lawmaker says any serious discussion about reforming government begins with redistricting and devising sensible, compact districts. The lawmakers attending the June 2 news conference announcing formation of the workgroup stressed that redistricting reform must begin now to have a new system in place when district maps are redrawn again for the 2020 census.

Rep. Samuelson greeted Victoria Deluhery, Miss Keystone's Outstanding Teen, and her mom in the House chamber in February. The Deluherys were at the Capitol for a ceremony recognizing 2014 title holders from the Miss Greater Hazleton Scholarship Organization.

Gov. Tom Wolf outlined a very aggressive agenda during his March 3 budget address before the state House and Senate. The 2015-16 budget is due by July 1, 2015.

Rep. Samuelson, Democratic chair of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, toured the Pennsylvania Lottery headquarters in suburban Harrisburg to learn about some new advances in gaming technology. The lottery has contributed nearly $24.7 billion to programs benefiting older Pennsylvanians. Here, Robert Fisher, general manager of Scientific Games, Inc., and Sil Lutkewitte, lottery executive director, explain advances in vending equipment design. Another image from the tour is available by clicking here.

As Democratic chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, I was eager to help spread the word that annual enrollment for Medicare, which enables enrollees to change their Medicare coverage, runs through Dec. 7. I joined the state Department of Aging and APPRISE counselors, who counsel Medicare beneficiaries on their benefits and help consumers make well-informed decisions, during a news conference in the state Capitol. The department’s toll-free number for questions about Medicare coverage is 800-344-4319. More images from the Capitol event are available by clicking here.

As Democratic chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, I was honored to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pennsylvania’s landmark Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly – PACE – program. PACE, which has been emulated across the country, has helped 1.4 million Pennsylvanians pay for medications and serves more than 300,000 Pennsylvanians annually. At left is Tom Snedden, director of the PACE program. Brian Duke, secretary of the state Department of Aging, is seen on the right. More images from the celebration in the Capitol can be seen by clicking here.

As Democratic chair of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, Rep. Samuelson visited the University of Pennsylvania's Institute on Aging to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease research and treatments. Here, Rep. Samuelson discusses how Alzheimer's affects brain degeneration with John Robinson, autopsy coordinator at the Center for Neurodegenerative Research. More images from the tour can be seen by clicking here.

Rep. Samuelson received a Service to Education award at East Stroudsburg University's Legislative Fellow Breakfast. From left are Drew Johnson, Student Senate president; Dr. Andrew Whitehead, APSCUF legislative chair and professor and chair of the Department of Early Childhood & Elementary Education; Rep. Steve Samuelson; Dr. Marcia Welsh, ESU president; Patrick Ross, chair of the ESU Council of Trustees; and Efia King, Student Senate vice president.

Rep. Samuelson learns about the challenges facing grandparents who are raising their grandchildren during a hearing in May in Harrisburg.

Rep. Samuelson celebrates the grand opening of the Senior LIFE program in Bethlehem on May 14.

Rep. Steve Samuelson (standing, center) joins guests on the floor of the state House of Representatives to mark the House’s adoption of his resolution designating November 2013 as “Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness and Education Month” in Pennsylvania. The resolution notes that more than 400,000 Pennsylvanians have Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder, and that 667,000 family members and others help to provide unpaid care to a loved one or other person with Alzheimer’s or a related disorder, saving the state more than $9 billion in costs.

Rep. Samuelson is Democratic chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee and a member of the Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Disease Planning Committee, which is developing a comprehensive plan for the state to address the Alzheimer’s disease crisis. The representative is pictured with (standing, from left) Alzheimer's Association Legislative Fellow Amal Mahrouki; co-sponsors of the resolution state Reps. Kathy Watson, Bill Kortz and Tim Hennessey; and (seated, from left) George and Mary Reed of Lancaster County and Dennis and Mary Henley of Adams County. You can watch a video about Alzheimer’s in Pennsylvania here.

Rep. Samuelson and state Rep. Mike Schlossberg take a tour of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Bethlehem as part of a delegation from the bipartisan state House Manufacturing Caucus. The caucus also toured other local firms creating family-sustaining jobs in the region such as the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania/Tech Ventures, Orasure Technologies and IQE.

Rep. Samuelson joins a delegation from the bipartisan state House Manufacturing Caucus for a tour of Lehigh Valley firms creating family-sustaining jobs for area residents. The day-long tour covered visits to the Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania/Tech Ventures, Orasure Technologies and IQE.

Rep. Samuelson talks with Ann Molesevich, president of Behavioral Health, during a visit to Sacred Heart Hospital's Older Adult Behavioral Medicine Center in Allentown. The tour and subsequent lunch meeting allowed Rep. Samuelson to learn more about addressing behavioral issues as part of health care for senior citizens. The inpatient program at Sacred Heart works with older adults to maintain or improve cognitive skills and physical health while developing social skills and self-esteem.

Rep. Samuelson and Rep. Daniel McNeill welcome residents to their 2013 Senior Citizen Fair held May 17 at the East Side Youth Center in Allentown. You can view more images in the "2013 Senior Citizen Fair" slideshow gallery.

BUDGET HEARINGS CONTINUE - As state budget hearings continue in Harrisburg, Rep. Steve Samuelson, Democratic chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee, quizzes Secretary of Aging Brian M. Duke about how recent budget cuts and the cost of consulting for Gov. Corbett's attempt to privatize management of the state lottery will affect senior citizen programs in Pennsylvania.

Rep. Steve Samuelson (standing, left) celebrates the governor's signing of an executive order creating the Pennsylvania Alzheimer's Disease State Planning Committee, which will work to address the growing Alzheimer's disease crisis in Pennsylvania. As Democratic chairman of the House Aging and Older Adult Services Committee, Rep. Samuelson will be a member of the new panel.

State Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Lehigh/Northampton, highlights several critical questions that have not been answered about how privatizing management of the state lottery could impact senior services and benefits in Pennsylvania. Samuelson, Democratic chairman of the House Aging & Older Adult Services Committee, spoke during a House Democratic news conference at the state Capitol protesting the governor's rush to sign a contract with a British management firm without legislative oversight or public hearings.

Rep. Samuelson is sworn in to begin the 2013-14 legislative session during ceremonies at the state Capitol on Jan. 1, 2013.

Rep. Samuelson meets a class from Spring Garden Elementary School in the House of Representatives chamber at the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

Students from William Penn Elementary School visit the state Capitol and meet with Rep. Samuelson.

Rep. Samuelson meets with students during University of Pittsburgh Day at the state Capitol in Harrisburg.

Rep. Samuelson visits with students from Covenant Christian Academy of Bethlehem, Pa. on the floor of the state House of Representatives in Harrisburg.

Students from Seton Academy in Bethlehem, Pa. visit the state Capitol in March 2012.

Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-Lehigh/Northampton, a member of the House Appropriations Committee, asks a question during hearings on Gov. Tom Corbett's 2012-13 state budget proposal. The proposal would continue and expand drastic cuts to public education, as well as state and local health and social service programs.

Rep. Samuelson presents Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grant checks to the city of Allentown. In the photo to the left, he is joined by Fire Chief Bob Scheirer and Mayor Ed Pawlowski. The $10,000 check will be used for fire hazardous materials equipment and fire investigation equipment. In the photo to the right, Samuelson is pictured with Police Chief Roger MacLean and the mayor. The department will use the $5,000 grant to launch a Civilian Police Academy.

Rep. Samuelson presents Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development grant checks to the city of Allentown. In the photo to the left, he is joined by Fire Chief Bob Scheirer and Mayor Ed Pawlowski. The $10,000 check will be used for fire hazardous materials equipment and fire investigation equipment. In the photo to the right, Samuelson is pictured with Police Chief Roger MacLean and the mayor. The department will use the $5,000 grant to launch a Civilian Police Academy.