I hope to see you this evening at my Q & A on legislative issues important to our district! The event will be held this Monday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Forest Hills Westinghouse Lodge, at 799 Barclay Ave. Parking is available, and light refreshments will be provided.

This is a reminder that the deadline to enter the 1st Regional Greater Pittsburgh Regional Civics Bee has been extended! Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 are invited to submit a short essay responding to a prompt. Top essayists will advance to a live quiz competition, testing their knowledge of civics, government, and community engagement. Visit this page to learn more.

Last week in committee, I voted to advance a bill that cracks down on back-room decision-making and reinforces the 24-hour public notice rule for government meetings, including municipalities and school boards. When it comes to your tax dollars, transparency isn’t optional. This bill is now on its way to the full House for consideration.

I also voted for – and the House passed – bills that would:

• Increase penalties for repeat protection-from-abuse order offenders
• Standardize juvenile diversion practices, which steer youth suspected of certain low-level offenses away from formal processing in the juvenile justice system
• Facilitate transfer of juvenile offenders from detention to treatment
• Require schools to offer age-appropriate education programs to teach students about child abuse
• Toughen consequences for threats at schools and colleges
• Give drivers with disabilities a greater voice
• Prioritize workplace safety for food processing workers
• Promote advanced methods of clean manufacturing

Visit this page to read more about these and other bills in the House.

On Thursday, our office attended Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato’s signing of an executive order designed to eliminate barriers to affordable housing and expand local supply. Initiatives include the creation of a housing investment fund, a mandate for officials to conduct a housing needs assessment, and other measures. Visit this page to read more.