Pennsylvania State Representative District 24
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.
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LaTasha D. Mayes
(Dem)
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Pennsylvanians, and how would you address them?
What changes would you support making to Pennsylvania’s voting laws to expand access, ensure security, and support local election officials and processes?
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?
What changes, if any, would you support making to Pennsylvania’s abortion laws?
County
Allegheny
Occupation
Elected Official
Education
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, University of Pittsburgh (1999-2003), Master of Science in Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University (2004-2005), Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy Certificate, University of Pennsylvania (2019)
Qualifications
Current State Representative, Founder and Former President & CEO, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, 24 Years of Public Service to the Greater Pittsburgh Region
In spite of the pressing issues they face, Pennsylvanians are taking care of their families, going to work and contributing to their communities. Access to healthcare is a widespread issue for Pennsylvanians of all backgrounds. Access looks like traveling to other counties for basic care, being uninsured or underinsured, dealing with crushing medical debt, the inability to go to appointments or pay for prescriptions, poor quality care if you are low/no-income and fear of discrimination that can be fatal in the case of Black maternal mortality. I serve on the Health Committee that advances important legislation, I co-founded the PA Black Maternal Health Caucus and I am working to ensure everyone in my district has health insurance coverage.
We must increase state funding to invest in free, fair and secure elections and the proposed state budget increases the Department of State line item by $9.3 million. We now have automatic voter registration, and we must maintain its funding each year. The budget includes a $5 million increase for voter education and direct outreach as well as additional funding for counties to administer elections which can be costly. Increasing poll worker pay is imperative to have the elections workforce we need. We must pass the K. Leroy Irvis Voter Protection Act that includes early voting locations, same day voter registration, ballot curing and pre-canvassing. As an Appropriations Member, I am working to ensure we fund the expansion of voting rights.
The Commonwealth Court ruling was unequivocal in determining that our school funding system is unconstitutional. Depending on your zip code, a student's opportunity to learn is limited based on if they live in a low-wealth versus high-wealth school district which contributes to inequitable investments in education. Our commonwealth needs a fair funding formula that does not pit school districts against each other, increased investment in the basic education fund to address the $5.4 billion adequacy gap across our 500 school districts and work against vouchers that imperil the financial future of our public schools. We must also increase the state's share for special education and equitably invest in career and technical education programs.
As a Reproductive Justice national leader, community organizer and policy advocate for nearly 25 years, I have devoted my life to ensure that we all have the Human Right to control our bodies and our reproduction. My work on state-level policy for abortion rights is rooted in my 18 years as leader of New Voices for Reproductive Justice that continues to operate across Pennsylvania and Ohio. I continue this work as State Representative and we must codify the explicit right to abortion in the state constitution which I am working on with my colleagues, I am introducing a bill with another colleague to reverse TRAP laws that closed abortion clinics over the last decade, and we successfully defunded Real Alternatives crisis pregnancy centers.
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