Pennsylvania State Representative District 136
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.
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Robert Freeman
(Dem)
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Pilar Cavallo-Campisi
(Rep)
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing residents of your district, and how would you address them?
What changes, if any, would you support to enable better access, ensure security, and support the processes of our elections?
What are your thoughts on the state budget process? What changes, if any, would you support so that the budget is enacted in a timely manner?
Should the state legislature enact laws concerning the impacts on water, energy, or land use from the development and operation of data centers? Would state regulation of data center development and operation interfere with the authority of municipalities to establish ordinances under the MPC (Municipal Planning Code)?
County
Northampton
Occupation
Legislator
Education
Easton Area High School; Moravian University, BA history and political science, magna cum laude; Lehigh University, MA history.
Qualifications
State Representative, 1982-1994, 1998-present; Chairman, House Local Government Committee, serves on State Planning Boad and Local Government Commission; authored Elm Street program to revitalize urban residential neighborhoods; expertise in smart growth, farmland preservation, land use planning.
Address affordability crisis of high utility rates, housing, and health care insurance. Increase the minimum wage, provide for paid family and medical leave, increase funding for public education. Enact my tutoring bill providing credit to high school seniors and juniors who tutor lower grade students. Promote affordable housing by passing my Lease to Purchase legislation offering pathway for families to purchase the homes they rent. Pass my Property Tax Circuit Breaker bill to ensure property taxes don't exceed a set percentage of household income. Enact my affordable public option health care insurance bill. Protect women's right to reproductive health care. Address climate change. Reduce negative impact of warehouses and data centers.
Provide for in person early voting and make the
deadline to apply for mail-in and absentee ballots earlier to give USPS and counties more time to process ballots. Allow pre-canvassing of mailed ballots up to seven days before an election to ensure results can be reported on Election night after polls close. Clarify the allowable use of county election drop boxes.
Establish by law clear deadlines with benchmark timelines that would have to be met in the budget process. The House and Senate should each be required to introduce and report a proposed budget bill by mid-May allowing two weeks for the public to review both proposals that would then have to be brought up for a vote in each respective chamber by the first week of June. Reform the legislature's rules to require the creation of a special budget conference committee made up of House and Senate leaders chaired by the Governor that would meet publicly every day until an agreement on the budget is reached by the last week of June where upon both chambers will vote on the conference committee report before the June 30th budget deadline.
Yes. I am a co-sponsor of HB 1834 requiring data centers to provide their own energy so as not to cause electric rates to rise for residential customers and I have cosponsored HB 2246 to protect water resources by requiring data centers to report information on water sources they would intend to use and give PA DEP authority to deny permits if there is an adverse risk to water sources or nearby water users. State regulation of data centers should provide safeguards to protect utility rate payers and communities from the adverse effects of data centers. I support HB 2151 to develop optional model ordinances for municipalities to use to better ensure that the negative effects of data center development can be mitigated at the local level.
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