Pennsylvania has seen a series of hospital and maternity-unit closures, especially in rural areas across PA.  Public health infrastructure is split between a relatively lean state Department of Health and 60-plus local health departments and state-served counties.  We need a comprehensive state plan or major investment to rebuild the public health workforce & modernize the data systems.  

Every Pennsylvanian deserves to get the care they need when they need it. 

Every Pennsylvanian deserves reliable healthcare they can afford, no matter their job, income, or background. Programs like Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, and the Affordable Care Act help millions of families stay healthy, feed their children, and retire with dignity. These programs should be supported and funded, not cut for tax breaks for the ultra rich.

Every child in PA deserves a public education that gives them the tools and opportunities to succeed. 

Decades of underfunding by the Pennsylvania Legislature has left public schools districts, many of them rural, severely underfunded with limited means to raise local revenues to maintain programs and services.  Our continued reliance on property tax revenue to fund public education has created a system where children from wealthier families and higher income communities have more resources and opportunities than students from less privileged backgrounds. This is an unsustainable system for students, school districts, and taxpayers. We must fully fund public education and identify new revenue sources to meet the constitutional requirement to fully fund public schools.

Did you know that over 70% of large corporations operating in Pennsylvania pay NOTHING IN TAXES?  

This upside down tax system taxes low- & middle-income people and small businesses too much while allowing the richest people and largest corporations to get away without paying their fair share. This has led to less and less revenue for the state to use for important things like education, infrastructure, and other services that people and local communities need.

We must shift Pennsylvania away from one of the most regressive tax systems in the nation, lower the tax burden on low- and middle-income households,

and ensure the wealthiest Pennsylvanians and corporations finally pay their fair share.

The Pennsylvania Legislature hasn’t raised the minimum wage in our Commonwealth for TWENTY YEARS! $7.25 per hour  is STILL our minimum wage today in PA,  with a tipped minimum wage of $2.83 per hour. 

What’s worse? Employers in Pennsylvania can still get a waiver to pay people with disabilities a subminimum wage and incarcerated workers can make as little as $0.19 per hour. 

• Research has found that for every 10% increase in the minimum wage, the poverty rate decreases by about 5% in the long run; a full 38% of workers who would benefit in PA have a family income below 200% of the poverty level. 
• Raising the minimum wage would have concrete impacts on nearly one in four people who would see an increase in their wage.

TIME TO RAISE THE WAGE!

We need to expand Pennsylvania’s public transit systems to grow our economy and connect more Pennsylvanians to jobs, healthcare, and essential needs.

 We must create policies to improve transit access, transit jobs, and transit funding.  Funding transit benefits all Pennsylvanians. Every county has public transit whether it’s buses, senior services, or transportation services for people with disabilities. This is about all of us.

Cutting transportation doesn’t save money, it shifts the cost back onto rural families who are already stretched thin. We need a budget that keeps our communities connected.

 Pennsylvania has an energy crisis — and Pennsylvania residents are paying the price. Electricity bills are going up largely because we are relying too much on a single energy.  Expanded renewable energy is a solution to the energy imbalance that is causing rising prices. Increasing clean energy in PA will mean cleaner air and fewer asthma attacks, more stable energy bills over time, good-paying jobs that keep young people in Pennsylvania, & stronger rural economies. We’re in this crisis because Pennsylvania has clung to coal, oil, and gas – outdated, fossil fuels that are getting more expensive and less reliable by the day. Clean energy is the path to affordability.  We must act now to lower costs and protect households.

Time to stop hate & discrimination in PA!

Every person has a right to live freely and without fear.  I will fight for the fair treatment and civil rights for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians.  I have always supported & promoted protections & fairness for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians .  In Pennsylvania, the Human Relations Act does not extend protections for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians in Housing, Employment, and Public Accommodations. I support The Fairness Act that would extend protections to the LGBTQ+ community with the inclusion of sexual orientation and gender identity. 

I will work to make sure that local, safe, & equitable healthcare is accessible for LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians.  I support fair & equal rights for all and when elected, I will take bold action to end discrimination and inequality.  I will stand up for justice and be your champion in Harrisburg.

Partisan gridlock has taken its toll on the legislative process in Harrisburg.

In Pennsylvania, in an average legislative session, less than 7% of bills introduced get a final vote. 

I support reforming the legislative rules so that bills with bipartisan support may be heard, & bills introduced by members of the minority party can be heard and considered. Bills passed from committee with bipartisan support should be guaranteed a vote on the chamber floor.  Bills passed by one chamber should be considered by the other chamber. We must fix the structural flaws in our legislative process in order to address all of the important issues facing Pennsylvanians.

As your state senator, I will improve accessibility for people with disabilities.  I believe that we can help thousands of children and adults with disabilities across the commonwealth by supporting, funding, and providing access to quality educational programs & services, including easily accessing healthcare and mental healthcare, preparing young people with disabilities to transition from secondary education to adult life, assisting adults with disabilities prepare, obtain, and maintain employment, improving access to reliable transportation to get to work, and expanding housing options and choices for people with disabilities.  We must ensure that all Pennsylvanians are treated with respect and dignity, and have a chance to prosper and succeed.