Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus

Raise the minimum wage for working families, Pennsylvania’s economy

Working hard is at the core of what Pennsylvanians are about. Raising the minimum wage is about economic fairness and economic sense: every state around Pennsylvania has raised their wage multiple times since our last raise. The PA House has passed legislation to boost our state's economy by raising the minimum wage and making sure it keeps pace with inflation. This would put more money in the pockets of low-wage workers, money that would be spent on goods and services in our local businesses.

Fill out the form to email your state senator and their leaders in the state Senate to let them know that you support an increase in the minimum wage.

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Republicans: Stop punishing our college students and working families

Dozens of extremist Republican House lawmakers voted to raise tuition by up to $10,000 a year on Pennsylvania students attending Penn State, Pitt, Lincoln and Temple universities.

These tuition hikes will make it nearly impossible for countless students to pursue the American Dream, increase the crushing debt students graduate with, and chase students to other states to learn – and to earn.

More than 10 million Pennsylvanians live within a half-hour drive of a Penn State, Pitt or Temple campus. And every one of us benefits from these economic engines that drive job creation and groundbreaking research into medicine, agriculture, and much, much more.

Extremist Republicans are hurting students. They are hurting communities. They are hurting *you* --putting culture wars and scare tactics above supporting students and schools.

Please, contact your lawmaker. Tell them to put people above politics and demand legislative leaders come back to the Capitol and give our universities the tools they need to prepare our students for a lifetime of success, not a lifetime of debt.

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Tell Senate Republicans "Free the Budget!"

GREAT NEWS! The State Budget passed both the House and Senate and Governor Shapiro has said he will sign it as soon as it lands on his desk. It provides hundreds of millions of dollars – a historic increase -- in new money to schools.

Funding in the 2023-24 budget is targeted to educating our students, creating more family sustaining jobs, helping homeowners stay in their homes, providing mental health services to our communities, getting more State Troopers on duty, supporting all law enforcement, and much more.

All that is left is for the Senate to get the bill to the Governor. Sounds simple right? It is, but Senate Republicans have unilaterally decided to hold the bill in their chamber. This is an unnecessary delay that only hurts our schools, our seniors, our mental health services, State Troopers and so much more.

Please join us in sending the Senate a message. Tell them to free the budget—send it to the governor for final signature. All 13 million Pennsylvanians are counting on us.

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Protecting Nurses. Protecting Patients. Saving Lives.

We’re going to get sick. We might get injured. We’re definitely going to grow older.

When these things happen, we’ll be cared for by nurses, and we want to be sure the nurses taking care of us aren’t overworked, overwhelmed, or handling far too many patients to keep everyone safe.

The Patient Safety Act is the key to our health – and theirs.

House Democrats led the way with a bipartisan plan to get more nurses on the job – to set staffing levels that allow a nurse to safely care for patients to deliver better health care outcomes *and* be able to care for themselves and their families.

Now, the state Senate has to do its job, protect our nurses and SAVE LIVES! Add your voice – because the life you save just might be your own!

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Protect Abortion Care in Pennsylvania

January 22 marked 50 years since Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that finally gave pregnant people agency over their bodies and made abortion legal throughout the country.

Unfortunately, the current Supreme Court overturned Roe last summer, paving the way for states to ban abortion and restrict other critical reproductive health services. This past November, voters across America and in Pennsylvania sent a clear message: pregnant people are not ready to give up their bodily autonomy or their right to make reproductive care decisions for themselves and their families.

Because state laws are now all we have to ensure access to abortion and other reproductive care, we need to continue fighting to protect the right of every person to make those decisions without interference from Harrisburg. The fact that a person can get pregnant should not cancel those rights.

Even in the face of last November’s rejection of their extreme position on women’s autonomy and reproductive care, some Republicans in Harrisburg continue to push legislation that would interfere with people’s health choices, including restricting and even outlawing abortion care. We are determined not to let them succeed.

House Democrats are committed to allowing people to make their own decisions regarding reproductive care and keeping politicians out of doctors’ offices. We are determined not to let politicians in Harrisburg put your life or the lives of your family, friends and neighbors at risk by eliminating access to these essential health service.

Join us and make your voice heard.

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An Effective Education in a Quality School for Every Child

PA needs a system that fulfills the education promise made in our constitution

Pennsylvania’s constitution requires the state to provide every student a meaningful opportunity to succeed in school. All students should have access to a comprehensive, effective, and contemporary public education.

Our current system for funding schools, which relies heavily on local property taxes tied to community wealth and wages, violates this constitutional promise. Students who live in school districts with low property values and incomes or a higher proportion of untaxable property like government buildings & houses of worship don’t receive the same educational resources and opportunities as students who live where property values and incomes are higher.

The result: Pennsylvania has one of the worst disparities in educational support in the nation. This deprives children in communities across Pennsylvania – rural, suburban, and urban – of equal protection under the law. It is unconstitutional, as Commonwealth Court has finally affirmed.

It’s time for the legislature to create a funding system for our schools in which every student and every taxpayer is treated equally. That should be every legislator’s goal moving forward, not denying the reality of our current disparity and trying to maintain a system that does not provide the education every student across Pennsylvania has been promised and deserves.

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CROWN Act

Help Us End Hair Discrimination in Pennsylvania

Did you know that it is legal to discriminate against a person in the workplace, at school, or even in recreational activities in the state of Pennsylvania, simply based on how you choose to wear your natural hair? Well, it’s true. Hair discrimination remains a source of racial injustice and it has serious consequences for African Americans who choose to wear their hair in its natural state.

The Pennsylvania CROWN Act believes that natural hair should be embraced and that there should be no space where wearing one’s natural hair is deemed unacceptable, inappropriate, or unprofessional. Therefore, legislation has been introduced in the PA House of Representatives and in the Senate. This legislation is known as the CROWN Act (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair), and it is not just about hair, but about protecting everyone’s Human Rights.

Join the movement to end race-based hair discrimination by signing on to this petition to urge Pennsylvania Legislators to vote YES on PA CROWN Act, so that we can put an end to race-based hair discrimination. Twenty-two states have or have already passed similar legislation in their states and the Federal government has passed similar legislation in the house of Representatives.

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Justice for Survivors

Demand the PA State Senate pass the House bill to give survivors of childhood sexual abuse a chance at justice

At the end of February 2023 the PA House passed a bill to give survivors of sexual abuse their day in court to finally get justice from their abusers. For decades thousands of children abused by predators and marginalized by institutions like the Catholic Church had nowhere to turn thanks to an antiquated statute of limitations. Governor Shapiro will sign the bill if it comes to his desk.

Now, the PA State Senate must do its job. Help us hold abusers and the institutions that protected them accountable and give survivors justice.

Exija que el Senado estatal de Pennsylvania apruebe el proyecto de ley de la Cámara estatal de representantes para dar a los sobrevivientes de abuso sexual a menores una oportunidad de justicia

A finales de febrero de 2023, la Cámara de Representantes de Pennsylvania aprobó un proyecto de ley para dar a los sobrevivientes de abuso sexual su día en la corte para finalmente obtener justicia de sus abusadores. Durante décadas, miles de niños abusados por los agresores y marginados por instituciones como la Iglesia Católica no tenían a dónde acudir por culpa de un estatuto de limitaciones anticuado. El gobernador Shapiro firmará el proyecto de ley si llega a su escritorio.

Ahora, el Senado del Estado de Pennsylvania debe hacer su trabajo. Ayúdenos a responsabilizar a los abusadores ya las instituciones que los protegieron y a hacer justicia a los sobrevivientes.

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PASS THE PA FAIRNESS ACT

It’s time for civil rights to apply to ALL Pennsylvanians!

In 2020, the United States Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County which found an employer cannot discriminate against an individual because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. While this was an historic victory for civil rights, this decision does not prevent a Pennsylvanian identified as LGBTQ+ to be denied housing, education, and access to public accommodations simply because of who they are or who they love.

Pennsylvania’s lack of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law is an affront to human rights, an embarrassment to this commonwealth and a deterrent for workers and businesses who could help grow our economy.

In 2021, the legislature had an historic opportunity to enshrine civil rights for ALL Pennsylvanians into our state constitution. However, the Republican majority which controls the legislature blocked the amendment. It has become increasingly clear that without the interference of GOP leaders, we have the votes to finally provide statewide discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians.

Join us in asking the Senate to pass the PA Fairness Act.

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Pennsylvania Beagle Bills

Pennsylvania can do much better in protecting animals being bred and used for research in Animal Testing Laboratories and from kennels and dealers who face serious or multiple citations under the Animal Welfare Act.

These “Beagle Bills” restricted the import and sale of animals from kennels and dealers who had serious or multiple citations under the federal Animal Welfare Act, required those breeding dogs and cats for medical or scientific experimentation to keep records, enhanced animal adoption and closed loopholes that prevented cruelty to animal charges in Virginia’s laws.

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