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.
County
Lancaster
Occupation
PA State Representative, HD-49
Education
Bachelor of Humanities and Arts (BHA), Carnegie Mellon University
Qualifications
Current State Representative, former Lancaster City Council President, former Vice Chair of the Lancaster County Democratic Committee, former Program Specialist with Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition.
The Commonwealth needs hundreds of thousands of new affordable housing units, which will require significant state investment, but will make life easier for families, especially woman-headed households with children, boost our economy, and decrease violence and instability. Through the PA Housing Finance Agency and The Department of Community & Economic Development, we can invest in both building new housing opportunities, and restoring thousands of blighted homes across the Commonwealth to a habitable condition. Further the Landlord-Tenant Act is decades old and needs adjustment to protect the rights of tenants and prevent unnecessary homelessness.
No excuse absentee-balloting, or “mail-in” has been a huge step forward for the Commonwealth, but many people continue to be disenfranchised by the associated requirements.
PA election law should cease to treat a missing or inaccurate date, or envelope ordering, as a fatal defect for a ballot, further requiring that County Boards of election notify voters of any fatal defects and allow time for their correction.
Same-day voter registration is also an important frontier to advance ballot access for vulnerable communities, and I would support legislation which advances that goal.
I would support a proposal that advances the twin demands of our constitutions, both equity and adequacy, that is, not merely that student education is funded fairly, but that it is funded fully.
Legislation budgeting that $5 billion dollars that our students are currently being deprived of, must be supported, but we also need to move a larger share of school funding to state responsibility overall, as opposed to the unfair and unpopular property tax-based arrangement we currently have.
Further, all schools which receive funding from the state must comply with state regulations, especially as regards non-discrimination and accessibility, and no scheme should be developed which siphons money from public education to private schools.
First, we ought to make clear in law and Constitution that conduct enshrined in our privacy rights, e.g. terminating a pregnancy, personal relations, marriage equality is protected in the Commonwealth.
Further we would prevent any state funds, particularly Medicaid funds that flow through the Commonwealth, from being used for deceptive “crisis pregnancy centers,”
Finally, we ought to enshrine the Commonwealth as a reproductive health sanctuary state, ensuring that while states across the union attempt to ban abortion, IVF, and contraception, we do not share health data with or assist in the efforts of states who seek to criminalize their own residents who leave their states seeking this care.
