Pennsylvania State Representative District 202 Choose 1
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 years Salary: $106,422 Vote for ONE.
Biographical Information
County
Philadelphia
Occupation
State Representative and JAG Attorney in PA National Guard
Education
Swarthmore College and Villanova Law
Qualifications
Attorney, Community Organizer, State Representative, lifetime 100% voting scorecard from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates
Campaign Website
http://jaredsolomon.com
Facebook URL
http://www.facebook.com/JaredSolomonPA
X Handle
@JaredGSolomon
Instagram URL
http://www.instagram.com/jaredgsolomon/
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Pennsylvanians, and how would you address them?
Jared knows that good government can do great things because he's made progress in his own neighborhood. He worked with the community to tackle crime head-on with simple and effective solutions like installing better street lighting, converting abandoned properties to public parks, and investing in youth programs — and it is WORKING. After cleaning up the WeLoveU Park and putting an end to short dumping, crime around the park went down 37% in just a matter of weeks. Jared is working to bolster investment in gun crime preventative justice tools that have already shown promise, including gun-violence intervention initiatives- turning blighted properties into community parks, lighting, home repairs, and greening up gun-violence-plagued blocks.
What changes would you support making to Pennsylvania’s voting laws to expand access, ensure security, and support local election officials and processes?
Jared Solomon is proud to be the author of legislation to open Pennsylvania’s closed primaries. Pennsylvania has a closed primary system, meaning that only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party’s primary election. Voters who are unaffiliated are prohibited from voting in a primary election. Jared believes we must embrace the over 1.2 million disenfranchised voters in Pennsylvania who are currently unaffiliated with any political party. By disenfranchising these voters, we are losing a good opportunity to hear new ideas and fresh perspectives. Open primaries would give these voters a voice and strengthen our democracy.
What legislation would you support to comply with the Commonwealth Court's ruling that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and must be reformed?
Jared would support legislation to increase basic and special education funding in a way that moves Pennsylvania towards greater income and racial equity, closes adequacy gaps, invests in school facilities, but also ensures the stability of funding for school districts and results in no substantial losses in state funding.
What changes, if any, would you support making to Pennsylvania’s abortion laws?
Abortion and personal health care decisions are between a woman and her doctor, not politicians. Jared will always protect and defend women’s access to abortion in Pennsylvania. In the State Legislature, Jared introduced legislation to preserve a woman’s right to choose by providing a framework to work with neighboring states to prevent investigations of reproductive health care services, disclosure of records, and negative licensing actions. Throughout his entire tenure in the State House, Jared has maintained a lifetime 100% voting scorecard from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates based on votes on key legislation related to sexual and reproductive health and rights.