judy-schwank
Maternal mortality crisis among top concerns for state lawmakers, Shapiro admin
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.
Want to avoid a veto? Fix the process, Pa. Sen. Schwank says | Wednesday Morning Coffee
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
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.
Undocumented students deserve to go to college. We need to provide the path | Opinion
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
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
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 […]
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
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
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
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 […]
Let’s work for – not against – women’s health in 2021-22 | Opinion
Let’s craft, discuss and pass legislation that helps all women, all children, all families.
Hughes: It’s ‘a crime to have $1.3B sitting around’; Ahead of budget debate, Senate Dems release plan for unspent CARES cash
With round two of this year’s budget debate looming, Senate Democrats have rolled out their plan to spend $1.3 billion in unspent federal COVID-19 relief funds.
‘That could be any of us’: Senate Dems propose $10M safety grant program for Pa. houses of worship
"Event after event has unfolded across our commonwealth," one of the proposal's backers said. "We have to act on this."