HARRISBURG, Oct. 26 – State Rep. Rick Krajewski, D-Phila., today announced that the Pennsylvania Department of Health will administratively introduce changes to the birth certificate process, as proposed in legislation he has introduced that would allow disadvantaged minors to access their birth certificates . “Disadvantaged Black youth are at highest risk of being victims of gun violence in our city,” Krajewski said. “I heard their stories of how the inability to access their birth certificates were holding them back from seeking opportunities to improve their lives, and I knew I needed to act. We introduced House Bill 1475 to remove one of many barriers preventing them from being able to better their lives, and I am grateful for the Department of Health’s partnership on this critical issue.” “This regulatory change is a huge win for my clients who are in foster care or transitioning out,” said Saumya Ayyagari, public health nurse home visitor for Philadelphia Nurse-Family Partnership. “Now they can claim their identity and take charge of their financial, educational and career goals.” “This is a transformational change that impacts young people in our state in a positive way,” said Kendra Van de Water, co-founder and executive director for YEAH Philly. “Not only can working-age youth now have the autonomy and access to get their own birth certificates, but now we’ve helped make Read more
Pa. state Rep. Rick Krajewski says that a single parent working full time at minimum wage is still $2,340 below the poverty line. These are not livable wages. He says these are poverty wages we are expecting single parents to raise children on. It is insulting and it is disrespectful. There is a direct correlation between poverty and gun violence. Krajewski is fighting to raise the minimum wage in Pa. for the first time in 15 years so that fewer children and working parents have to worry about where their next meal is coming from. 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: STATE PROGRAMS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS: Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection: Driving PA Forward Level 2 EV Charging Rebate Program (Funding Source: State Mitigation Trust - Volkswagen Emissions Settlement) Who May Apply : Business, charitable organizations, incorporated nonprofits, local government entities, school districts, and other entities. Use : Rebates for Level 2 EV charging equipment for public use at government owned property, public use at non-government owned property, non-public use at work places, non-public use at multi-unit dwellings. Funds : Maximum rebates of $4,000 per plug for full public access and networked charging projects, $3,500 per plug for multi-unit dwelling projects and $3,000 per plug for all other eligible projects, including workplace charging. Application Deadline : First come, first-served. More Information : Click on https://gis.dep.pa.gov/drivingpaforward/ . Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: Children’s Trust Fund (Funding Source: Children’s Trust Fund) Who May Apply : Any organization operating in Pennsylvania that provides direct services and meets the criteria in this Request for Applications (“RFA”) is eligible to apply. Use : To support community-based child abuse and neglect Read more
STATE PROGRAMS NOW OPEN FOR APPLICATIONS: Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol: Pregnancy Support Services (Funding Source: Federal Funding) Who May Apply : Community service providers able to serve pregnant and postpartum women with stimulant or opioid misuse issues. Single County Authorities (county drug and alcohol offices) and Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) licensed treatment providers are not eligible to apply. Use : To provide pregnancy support services or make referrals to aid pregnant and postpartum women with opioid use disorder. Funds : Approximately 10 to 12 grants up to $600,000 each will be awarded for 18-month projects. Application Deadline : July 13 at 12 PM. More Information : Click on https://www.ddap.pa.gov/DDAPFunding/Pages/Funding-Opportunities.aspx . Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency: 2021-22 PA Academic and Career/Technical Training (PACTT) Competitive Funding (Funding Source: General Fund) Who May Apply : Privately operated residential facilities, community-based providers, and juvenile probation offices that are not currently PACTT Affiliates. Use : To develop programs in the following PACTT service areas that adhere to PACTT Standards in order to gain affiliate status: core programming; academic instruction; work related services; and job skills training. Funds : Grants of up to $20,000. No Read more
While the bill doesn’t directly attempt to limit abortion access, Democrats argued that it would cause hesitation among pregnant people to seek care. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 7 — State Reps. Rick Krajewski and Malcolm Kenyatta, both D-Phila., pushed back against the false right-wing narrative regarding voting integrity efforts Monday, instead promoting the need to increase access to voting for all, and especially for those whose voting rights are under attack. “Over the past 18 months, as we have seen unprecedented movements and victories in the fight against police violence, the defeat of Donald Trump, Democratic control of the U.S. Senate and more; we have also seen a steep increase in attempts by the right-wing elite to disenfranchise the marginalized people who have benefited from these achievements,” Krajewski said during the Defending Democracy event he and Kenyatta led. “That is no coincidence. “Government should be by the people, for the people, but as the people have started shaking things up and dismantling the status quo, their rights to choose their elected officials through free and fair elections have come under attack through farcical efforts to question the integrity of our elections,” Krajewski continued. “We will not stand for this misleading misdirection and we wanted to bring this issue into the spotlight so we can examine the ways in which access to voting must be expanded and voting rights upheld.” “Voter suppression tactics have become as American as apple pie, with almost every generation of Black and brown Americans having to combat Read more
HARRISBURG, June 2 – Today’s roundtable discussion hosted by state Rep. Rick Krajewski further cemented the need for action on how eviction records are handled in Pennsylvania. Krajewski was joined by state Rep. Elizabeth Fiedler, chair of the Subcommittee on Progressive Policies for Working People and members of the House Democratic Policy Committee to discuss how eviction proceedings impact tenants long-term and shared how their legislation would establish eviction expungement procedures. Fiedler explained: “I’m proud to hold his hearing to draw attention to a bill I have, with Rep. Krajewski, that would give people who have faced eviction through no fault of their own, the chance to have their record sealed and move on with their life. An eviction filing can lead to a domino effect of traumatic life-changing events that start with losing your home, and can include losing your community, your support system, your children’s school, your employment and more. We need to do everything we can as a society to prevent that from happening to adults, senior citizens, children and all families.” The committee heard testimony from Catherine Anderson, supervising attorney, eviction diversion program, Philadelphia Legal Assistance; Gale Schwartz, associate director, policy and strategic initiatives, Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania; Anne Wright, chief technology officer, RentHelpPgh; Nicolás Pastore, former legislative intern, Read more
HARRISBURG, May 28 – State Rep. Rick Krajewski, D-Phila., is working on legislation to help people with evictions on their record and the Subcommittee on Progressive Policies for Working People will explore how eviction sealing would impact landlords and tenants. The roundtable discussion will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 2. The media and public are invited to watch online at www.pahouse.com/policy or on the committee’s Facebook page--@PADemPolicy. Media inquiries may be submitted via email to policy@pahouse.net . Subcommittee Chair Elizabeth Fiedler and members of the House Democratic Policy Committee will join Krajewski for the roundtable discussion that will include how current law negatively impacts tenants and protects bad-acting landlords and how the proposed legislation would tackle that using a commonsense approach to ensure Pennsylvanians have access to safe housing. Information about this and other House Democratic Policy Committee hearings can be found at www.pahouse.com/policycommittee . Read more
Gun violence is growing. One Philly school community says enough is enough. Read more
Community members and lawmakers rallied outside of Mitchell Elementary School in Southwest Philadelphia in response to the recent surge of gun violence in Kingsessing. Read more
Democratic House lawmakers introduced a bill to prevent police officers from using traffic stops as a pretext for searches. Read more
I'm hosting a free shredding event May 16. Read more
The U.S. Small Business Administration has announced that the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal will reopen on Saturday, April 24. Updated documents and guidance will be available today (Friday, April 23rd) by clicking here . This is a grant program established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, and amended by the American Rescue Plan Act. The program includes over $16 billion in grants to shuttered venues, and is administered by SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance. Eligible applicants may qualify for grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue , with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees. Eligible entities include: Live venue operators or promoters. Theatrical producers. Live performing arts organization operators. Museum operators. Motion picture theater operators (including owners). Talent representatives. Other requirements of note: Must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020. Venue or promoter who received a PPP loan on or after December 27, 2020, will have the SVOG reduced by the PPP loan amount. Read more
In a hearing of the Pa. House Health Committee, state Rep. Rick Krajewski questioned Dr. Sarah Gutman about how limiting access to abortions does little to lower the number of abortions. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Rick Krajewski expresses his concerns with proposed Republican legislation that could adversely affect the PA Dept of Environmental Protection’s ability to do its job. Read more
PHILADELPHIA, April 20 -- A coalition of local progressive elected officials issued the following statement on the unanimous guilty verdicts in the Derek Chauvin case, and called for systemic change through a new vision of public safety that ends the continual increasing of police budgets, instead investing in communities and public services that prevent violence in all forms. State Sen. Nikil Saval, City Councilmembers Helen Gym, Kendra Brooks and Jamie Gauthier, and State Reps. Elizabeth Fiedler, Rick Krajewski and Chris Rabb issued the following statement: “The violence that was done to George Floyd was simultaneously singular and universal. It was violence enacted on his body, and it was violence done to a family, to a community, to a nation, and to an entire world. The jury’s verdicts signify that the murder committed has been recognized as such by the State: a murder. “This is a reflection of ‘justice’ in accordance with our current systems. But these verdicts alone do not bring healing to a grieving family and to Black and Brown communities across our country. They do not right the fundamental injustice that George Floyd should be alive today. And they do not change the reality that throughout our city and country today, people feel unsafe in their own communities. People feel unsafe because housing is insecure, their families struggle paycheck to paycheck, and if violence happens, few structural supports Read more
HARRISBURG, April 8 — State Reps. Rick Krajewski and Mary Jo Daley have introduced legislation that would protect the privacy of insured dependents by allowing them to opt-in to privately receive confidential health information. “Imagine forgoing pursuit of potentially life-saving health care simply because you're worried that information you want kept private might get shared," said Daley, D-Montgomery. "That's a sad reality in Pennsylvania right now, and it's why Representative Krajewski and I are hopeful this bill to protect the medical information of insured dependents across the commonwealth receives the attention it deserves." Krajewski, D-Phila., said the need to protect insured dependents’ privacy was brought to his attention from a constituent who is a medical student and has seen firsthand the consequences of leaving dependents vulnerable. “This constituent had patients who chose to not seek sensitive care, like sexually transmitted infection or HIV testing and mental health treatment, for fear their insured parent or guardian would find out,” Krajewski said. “Health care is a human right, and any barrier to health care needs to be addressed and resolved so that no one is left unable to get the care they need. “I think this also has implications for people who are LGBTQ+, specifically trans people who may seek hormone replacement therapy that’s covered by insurance,” Read more
Pa. state Rep. Rick Krajewski put his support behind a bill that would establish safety protocols in order to allow essential caregivers to visit loved ones in long-term care facilities. He stressed the need to prioritize the workers in these facilities by providing sufficient wages, PPE, and staffing levels to keep them safe. Read more
PA State Rep Rick Krajewski shares his story. Read more
State Rep. Rick Krajewski, D-188th District, said his constituency in West and Southwest Philadelphia has an estimated one in four children with asthma. Along with the lead and asbestos contamination that is endemic to the public-school buildings his district, the uncontrolled growth of mold has had an impact on the children who attend these schools.“Chronic asthma can be debilitating — even fatal. And it’s shameful that our children are facing lifelong health conditions because of a lack of funding for our school buildings. Capital projects on university campuses have clearly not been hampered by the pandemic,” Krajewski said. Read more
HARRISBURG, March 2 -- State Reps. Liz Fiedler and Rick Krajewski hosted a House Democratic Policy Committee hearing Monday to highlight how an education budget focused on the people could best impact Pennsylvania students, especially the neediest populations. The committee heard testimony from a panel of pre-k advocates, including Shalonda Spencer, director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, Trying Together; Damaris Alvarado-Rodriguez, CEO of Children's Playhouse Early Learning Center; and De’Wayne Drummond, president, Mantua Civic Association Parent Engagement Specialist, Head Start at Philadelphia School District. The panel shared concerns regarding workforce retention, low pay and the need for additional funding so they can increase pay for workers. The panel also described the devastating mental and emotional toll COVID-19 has taken on them, and on childcare center workers and families. They called for renewed investment in the care and education of Pennsylvania’s youngest residents. “I am deeply invested in the equitable education of Pennsylvania’s children from birth on up. As a mother, it’s personal for me and as a legislator, it’s my mission to ensure our children have access to high-quality care and education,” Fiedler explained. “We must draw a line and refuse to let some children be viewed as less valuable than others by the General Assembly. That starts by valuing the labor of the Read more
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