judy-schwank

‘This is only a start’: Shapiro, lawmakers celebrate signing of maternal mortality bill

BY: - October 31, 2023

The act — formerly known as Senate Bill 262 — was introduced by state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and requires Pennsylvania’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee to share each reportable maternal mortality and morbidity event with the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Pa. lawmakers introduce Abortion Protections Package, proposing safeguards for patients, providers

BY: - July 18, 2023

Just over a year since the U.S. Supreme Court gave state legislatures authority over abortion and its legality, two Pennsylvania Democrats are preparing a legislative package ensuring protections for reproductive care.

Mother Kissing Sleeping Baby

Legislators welcome funds for maternal health included in House-approved budget bill

BY: - July 13, 2023

The current iteration of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s first state budget includes a first-of-its-kind $2.3 million investment in expanding maternal health programming and implementation of prevention strategies to reduce maternal mortality in Pennsylvania.

Maternal mortality crisis among top concerns for state lawmakers, Shapiro admin

BY: - March 12, 2023

In his first budget address to state lawmakers last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro said that “for the first time” the commonwealth is going to put “real resources” into studying the root causes of Pennsylvania’s high maternal mortality rate, which is three times higher for Black women. 

COMMENTARY

Want to avoid a veto? Fix the process, Pa. Sen. Schwank says | Wednesday Morning Coffee

BY: - July 20, 2022

It wouldn't kill Republicans to bring Democratic bills to a vote once in a while, the Berks Co. lawmaker says.

Campus-based child care has helped student-parents; Democrats evaluate expansion, affordability

BY: - April 28, 2022

In Pennsylvania, the average annual cost of infant care is $11,842 — $987 per month — according to data from the Economic Policy Institute. The estimated care for a 4-year-old costs $9,773 — $814 each month. 

COMMENTARY

Undocumented students deserve to go to college. We need to provide the path | Opinion

BY: - March 10, 2022

Nineteen states allow undocumented students to pay in-state tuition rates. Pa. should join them and make an education dream come true.

Republican-penned amendment declaring no constitutional right to abortion advances to full Senate

BY: - January 25, 2022

Republicans, who hold the majority in the General Assembly, appear to have adopted the strategy to circumvent Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, and his veto pen since successfully curtailing the office’s emergency powers through a referendum.

Dog law Senate bill ‘unlikely’ to move forward, aide to top Pa. senator says

BY: - October 2, 2021

Despite a funding deficit more than two decades in the making, a bill to increase dog license fees and boost funding for Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Dog Law Enforcement, likely won’t see a vote this session.  Legislation (SB 232) sponsored by state Sen. Judy Schwank, D-Berks, in February, is unlikely to see a vote in the […]

COMMENTARY

Lawmakers need to pass, and Gov. Tom Wolf needs to sign, this cost-effective measure addressing disparities in access to STI prevention and treatment | Opinion

BY: - May 16, 2021

While COVID-19 vaccination efforts are underway, we expect to see more patients with undiagnosed and untreated STIs.

They’re ‘unsung heroes’: Pa. officials pay tribute to farm workers who kept food on the table during pandemic

BY: - May 11, 2021

The employer-sponsored mobile vaccination site at the mushroom farm is the result of a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Latino Connection and Highmark Blue Shield, which aims to reach the commonwealth’s diverse and underserved populations. 

Pa. House, Senate bills would mandate protections, sick leave for meatpacking, food processing workers

BY: - April 28, 2021

Like hundreds of thousands of Americans, Carmen Dominguez has seen the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic up close. A union steward at a JBS beef plant in Souderton, Montgomery County, Dominguez saw two of her colleagues die from the virus as it began its deadly sweep across the commonwealth last spring. On Wednesday, she traveled […]