Description of office: The General Assembly is the legislative branch of government in Pennsylvania. It is composed of two houses: the Senate is the upper house, and the House of Representatives is the lower house. A majority vote in both houses is necessary to pass a law. The PA House of Representatives consists of 203 members representing one district each, with an equal number of constituents. Representatives must be at least 21 years old, have been a citizen and a resident of the state four years and a resident of their respective districts one year before their election, and shall reside in their respective districts during their terms of service. The House develops budget packages, makes taxation decisions, allocates spending, and passes laws (including redistricting in collaboration with the Senate). The House also has the exclusive authority to impeach public officials. Representatives also serve on various policy committees that may propose legislation.Term: 2 yearsSalary: $113,591Vote for ONE.Note: On Democratic and Republican primary ballots, voters will also choose members of the State and County Committees. We do not list these candidates on Vote411. For information on these candidates, we suggest you contact your local Democratic or Republican Party committee.
County
Indiana
Occupation
Retired Registered Nurse
Education
Mount Aloysius College Cresson PA Associate Degree in Nursing May 1994, Penn State University Dubois PA Sept. 1990-May 1992 completion of all general education courses for Associate Degree in Nursing
Qualifications
As a Registered Nurse I was trained to identify and address the needs of my clients. This allows me to identify issues that impact the residents of District 66, format solutions and carry those out to benefit our residents.
The most pressing issue I feel in District 66 is Minimum Wage at 7.25 since 2009. This issue impacts much more than just a paycheck. With wages this low the impact reaches out to the ability to afford housing, food, health care access and many more everyday costs. I would address PA Senators personally to understand the importance of passing the increase to minimum wage would be a first step in meeting the needs of our residents. The next step would be to work towards introducing and passing a Health Care for All bill that would provide health insurance to all Pennsylvanians at a much lower out of pocket cost. With these two changes our residents would have a much higher chance to be fiscally secure.
I believe that PA has safe and fair elections. Having worked as a poll watcher several times I have developed a strong respect for those who work the polls and know firsthand how fair and safe they keep our elections. I would support a bill making election day a holiday which would enable those who work an easier time to get to the polls. I would also work towards organizing transportation to the polls for those who have difficulty getting there.
In the last several years it has become apparent to me that the state budget process is broken. Much of the issue seem to be the focus is on what PAC or lobbyist is supporting the Representative/Senator and not on what is best for the residents of our state. To this end I would like to see campaign finance reform that limits the amount of money/influence a group has within our state government. I believe that this would help to streamline the process.
Currently close to our district I am monitoring several situations where AI data Centers are proposed for development. I do believe that laws should be enacted to protect our environment. I understand the MPC may be impacted however the risk to our environment as well as health implications to our residents must take precedence. It is my belief that AI Data Centers should be regulated, as have many other industries, when it comes to environmental risks.
County
Jefferson
Occupation
PA State Representative
Education
Some College
Qualifications
Current State Representative, 25 years of business ownership experience, past Borough Council member and president, community service through the local Chamber of Commerce and Rotary Club
Good quality, family sustaining jobs. We need to address this by creating a business friendly atmosphere by making taxes fair and our permitting processes quicker so that companies want to bring their business here.
Voter ID is very important. If both sides of the issue would come together and discuss how to make the ability of obtaining an ID easier for those that find it hard, I think we could come up with a system that would guarantee that the person voting is who they say they are. We need to support those in need of obtaining proper documentation with guidance and making it economically feasible.
The budget process is quite aggravating. We do what we can do to ask for our tax money to go where it will help people. We ask for fraud to be found and eliminated. Ultimately the final budget is negotiated by a few people. We as rank and file legislators get very little time to actually digest the budget before we have to vote on it. I am a proponent of enacting a law that says if we don't pass a budget by June 30th, the past year budget would automatically be used until a budget is passed.
We need data centers. Most everybody has a smart phone, internet, computer, etc. The need for data is ever increasing. They want to come to Pennsylvania because of the abundance of energy we have here. The problem is their need for electricity and water. We need to find a balance within our communities between the data centers and the citizens of the area. I am a proponent of data centers producing their own power. Keeping them off the grid so we can try to alleviate the current rise in electricity prices. With that said, I don't always feel that state wide laws are fair to everyone in different areas and like to have local municipalities keep their authority over local issues and laws.
