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
Chester
Occupation
PA State Representative - HD156
Education
Temple Univ. School of Law, JD, May 2000; Temple Univ., BA Pol. Sci., Dec. 1988; East High School, H.S. Degree, June 1984; U.S. Army JAG Corps/Legal Specialist, Distinguished Honor Graduate, APR. 1990, U.S. Army Airborne Paratrooper Course, Dec. 1994; Teach for America Summer Institute, Sept. 2011.
Qualifications
Public Service - Army Veteran, a West Goshen Twp. Supervisor, a Correctional Officer & Counselor, a Public Defender attorney, volunteer Teacher, a County Recorder of Deeds and a State Representative. I have successfully legislated, managed and balanced multibillion dollar government budgets.
Affordability is our most pressing issue. Affordable housing, healthcare, childcare, utilities, education, and even food remain too costly for too many of our residents. Our caucus has consistently fought for and won historic firsts for PA’s working families like a Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, PA Child & Dependent Care Tax Credits, and increased spending for our children’s education. We have recently passed HB200 for Paid Family Leave, HB1834 to protect consumers utility bills from Data Centers, and again passed a bill to raise the minimum wage (HB2189) that the State Senate chooses to continually ignore. It’s time for them to stop supporting tax breaks for billionaires and service cuts and start helping our working families.
I support an earlier timeframe for mail in ballots to be pre-canvassed before election day to ensure that every eligible vote counts and help mitigate delays. Conversely, since the USPS changed its policy of processing mail locally to regional sorting centers, we face serious mail delays. As such, we need to extend the date by which mail in ballots can be accepted to match the same time frame as military and overseas ballots. I also support: additional secure drop off boxes, on-site voter services availability, making election day a state holiday, more civics curriculum to educate students on the voting process, ongoing mandatory audits to protect against election tampering and hacking, and investing in safe election technology.
The impact late budgets have on our community is devastating. We can focus on the biggest sticking point first – the lack of revenue to address rising costs. My caucus and I seek to address that issue without raising individual taxes, by supporting new revenue generating bills like legalizing marijuana, taxing skill games, closing corporate net income loopholes, and even raising the minimum wage which would not only benefit working Pennsylvanians and the overall economy but also bring in $53.3 million in estimated revenue & save $300 million in Medical Assistance benefit costs. Pass these first and then budget accordingly. The Senate remains silent on all of these proposals without offering any of their own except unacceptable cuts.
The state should enact such laws without interfering with the authority of local municipalities to create their own ordinances. A good example is HB1834 that recently passed the House with my support. This bill protects ratepayers from rising electricity costs; requires data centers to cover the full cost of grid upgrades, transmission & reliability needs; requires data centers to contribute to universal service programs & supplement the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP); and requires Data Centers to use an increasing amount of in-state “clean firm” energy, improving energy reliability, reducing emissions, and creating good local “green” jobs for Pennsylvanians in industries destined for growth.
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