MY BILL PROVIDES TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY

The barrier preventing county probation officers from wearing body cameras is closer to being removed after my legislation passed the House on Wednesday with overwhelming bipartisan support.

This vote is a meaningful step toward building safer communities and strengthening public trust in the work county probation officers do every day. The bill now moves to the Senate and, hopefully, will reach the governor’s desk to be signed into law.

Read more here.

JEFFERSON SOCIETY VISTS CAPTIOL

Tomorrow's leaders visited Harrisburg this week.

Jefferson Educational Society's Civic Leadership Academy found out what it takes to deliver for the Erie region during this week's visit to Harrisburg. These JCLA students are gathering the skills they need to succeed in school, career, and life. They stopped by my office Monday and returned to Harrisburg Tuesday, visiting with leaders and asking questions.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE MEETS WITH ERIE VISITORS

When the Jefferson Society travels to Harrisburg, I help connect them with key decision-makers. On Monday, my friend and colleague, Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton visited my office to meet with the group and discuss their work.

MEETING THE GOVERNOR

After meeting with Harrisburg leaders, Monday concluded with a brief question-and-answer session with Governor Josh Shapiro.

I’ve been able to help bring significant state investment to Erie County by working alongside strong, dedicated community leaders. I’m looking forward to continuing that work with this next generation of changemakers to secure the investments our region needs.

JUNETEENTH IS FRIDAY

All House of Representatives offices will be closed Friday in observance of Juneteenth. We will begin returning messages Monday morning.

Juneteenth National Freedom Day commemorates June 19, 1865, when union soldiers reached Galveston, Texas – the furthest point in the south – with news of the end of the Civil War. Juneteenth is a day to commemorate emancipation.

SAVE THE DATE, AUG. 17

Join us on Monday, August 17th from 9 a.m. to noon for a one-stop-shop event connecting seniors, caregivers, and families with valuable resources, services, health information, veteran benefits, technology assistance, consumer protection support, and so much more.

Last year’s event brought out more than 1,400 attendees, and we’re looking forward to making this year even bigger and better.

Bayfront Convention Center
1 Sassafras Pier
Erie, PA 16507

Please spread the word, or contact my office if your organization would like to participate.

SUPPORTING WORKERS, SECURING INVESTMENTS TO BUILD OUR WORKFORCE

This week, I talked to workers with SEIU and SEIU Local 668, advocating for investments in this year’s budget that will help our communities. Millcreek Township’s Carole Krouse was with the group, detailing how important and vital these investments are to our communities.

NEW APPARATUS FOR KEARSARGE

My team was on hand this week at Kearsarge Fire Department as they commissioned a new fire truck. The Apparatus Push-In Ceremony is a standing tradition where firefighters activate their apparatus into service. Congrats to Kearsarge and Godspeed to all our volunteers as they carry out their duties.

MILLCREEK STUDENTS VISIT MY OFFICE

It was great chatting with Millcreek students participating in Keystone Boys State. This civics program, sponsored by the American Legion, has participants from across PA work together in a simulated state government. They are running for office and addressing real-world challenges during the camp. Along the way, they develop leadership skills through hands-on experiences and mentorship from accomplished leaders. It's a great opportunity for young men to learn and lead, and it offers the opportunity to learn how to become tomorrow's leaders.

HOW WE VOTED

The House returns each week this month to vote on legislation. While the House passed a budget in April, negotiations with the Senate on a final agreement are ongoing.

This week, we voted to protect consumers by requiring disclosure of content generated by artificial intelligence (HB 95); we established the PA Promise Program to expand access to higher education through scholarships at state-owned and state-related institutions (HB 2084); and we strengthened protections for families by transitioning Pennsylvania to chip-enabled EBT cards to better secure SNAP benefits and reduce fraud (HB 2540).

We also strengthened protections for vulnerable children, including increasing penalties for trafficking infants under one year old to a first-degree felony (HB 1616), ensured children who are sexually exploited are not prosecuted for nonviolent crimes they were forced to commit (HB 2243), and created a Child Victim Recovery Fund to support Child Advocacy Centers across Pennsylvania (HB 2443).

Finally, we passed legislation to protect Good Samaritans by expanding “safe harbor” protections for individuals who assist someone during a drug or alcohol overdose, shielding them from prosecution for reckless endangerment (HB 1944).

You can see how I voted on all these bills here.

STATEWIDE WORK WITH POLICY COMMITTEE

As Chairman of the PA House Democratic Policy Committee and a member of the House Majority Leadership team, I travel across the state with the Policy Committee to hear from workers, seniors, advocates, business leaders, and officials on emerging issues and initiatives. We examine how policies are working for people across the state and identify opportunities to advance reforms that would help even more residents.

The committee has held 71 hearings, hosted by 49 different leaders, across 47 neighborhoods so far, this legislative session.

UP NEXT: The committee kicks off eight weeks of summer and fall travel when we host events in Allegheny County from July 20-22.

CHAMP VISITS HARRISBURG

Having one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time stop by my office on Tuesday was an honor. Larry Holmes—the legendary “Easton Assassin”—held the world heavyweight championship from 1978 to 1985 and is widely regarded as one of the sport’s all-time greats.

Growing up in Easton, Holmes built a remarkable career, including a historic win over Muhammad Ali when his corner stopped the fight. He remains the last boxer to defeat Ali as a professional.

We had a great conversation about my family’s long history in boxing and the many legendary figures we both know.

Larry and his wife, Diane, were in Harrisburg advocating for stronger laws and solutions to combat human trafficking. For years, they have worked to support survivors and advance policies aimed at protecting people, and they continue to push for meaningful action here in Pennsylvania.

They were joined by Superior Court Judge Jack Panella and his wife.

AMERICA 250 EVENTS IN ERIE

This year’s America250PA celebration events began this month. The celebration continues with an August event:

🎉 The America250 Birthday Bash on the Bayfront on August 21st

Additional events throughout the year will feature library reading challenges, local history programming, trivia nights, and more as Erie County celebrates our shared history while bringing communities together for the future.

You can learn more and stay updated by visiting eriecounty250.org.

WE ARE READY TO HELP YOU

So far this year my dedicated team closed more than 7,100 cases. We have completed nearly 650 Property Tax & Rent Rebates, returning $420,000 to the region. If you need help filing your Property Tax/Rent Rebate, trust the professionals — we’re here to make it easy.

Stop by our Millcreek office or contact us if you have questions. A member of my team can also be reached at the Fairview Township Building on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

MY OFFICE CAN HELP YOU

If you need assistance with state programs, my office can help!

Last year, we:

helped 1,200+ people apply for the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program,
resolved 4,500+ issues with PennDOT, and
completed 38,000+ items of casework.

Trust the professionals! Bring your issues to my team, we can help.