Pennsylvania State Representative District 161
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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Leanne Krueger
(Dem)
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John Mancinelli, Jr.
(Rep)
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
Delaware
Occupation
Representative in the PA General Assembly
Education
Leanne holds an MBA from Eastern University and a BA from Rutgers University.
Qualifications
I have represented HD 161 since 2015. In 2023, I was elected to serve as the Majority Caucus Administrator and serve on the Leadership Team. Prior, I served as Senior Director at the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies and was the first ED of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Phil
Three issues that are important to me and my community are: equitable investments in public education, protecting our environment and safeguarding and expanding women’s reproductive rights. Since my election in 2015, I have worked to protect workers’ rights and the environment. I have worked to bring environmental and labor groups together to find common ground. I co-sponsored LGBTQ anti-discrimination legislation, bills to raise the minimum wage and bills to expand voting access. I have also been a leader and gained national recognition on my work to expand access to reproductive health care, including abortion.
We need to safeguard against attacks on our elections and legislative efforts to make voting harder for people in Pennsylvania. Election audits required by the State showed that Delaware County elections were safe and secure, yet there are those who still spread misinformation. I have co-sponsored bills that would make updates to the mail-in voting rules including practical changes requested by bipartisan groups of county election officials, including 21 days of pre-canvassing and implementing statewide electronic poll books for secure, real-time monitoring of election rolls.
The state’s public school districts are underfunded, and the reliance on local property taxes exacerbates the equity gap across school districts. Funding our public schools fairly and adequately is a constitutional requirement and the Legislature needs to do better. The quickest way to stop the education gap from growing is to drastically increase state funding for public education and institute common sense reform for Charter schools. I support the Governor’s proposal in this year’s budget for a $1.1 billion increase in basic education funding.
I support codifying access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare in Pennsylvania. Abortion is healthcare and I believe personal healthcare decisions should be made between an individual and their doctor. I’ve fought on the House floor against multiple extreme abortion bans and authored a bill to expand and protect access to birth control. I am still working to get my birth control expansion bill through the PA House.
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