Child Care Assistance

March 27, 2020

In the near future we will be introducing legislation to support childcare centers, pre-K, and Head Start programs and their hard-working employees affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Throughout Pennsylvania, non-essential businesses have been ordered to close, including many childcare centers. As we fight the spread of COVID-19, we must institute polices to help working families and small businesses and the people that work for them. During this pandemic, it is critical for Pennsylvania to support childcare for essential workers.

Key, but often neglected components of workforce development are early childhood learning and childcare. At this critical juncture, while our economy is teetering on the edge of disaster, we must invest in early learning programs like Pre-K Counts, Head Start and subsidized childcare. These programs are critical to enabling parents to return to work confident that their children are being properly cared for and are receiving the education they will need to succeed in life.

Payment of Contract Services in Schools during the Pandemic of 2020

March 27, 2020

In the near future I plan on introducing legislation that would amend the recently passed Pandemic of 2020 section of the Public School Code to provide all school contractors with the same protections given to school bus transportation services.

We are in unprecedented times. In the flurry to address outstanding issues that arose in schools throughout the Commonwealth since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees who provide services to schools through contracts were left out. Thousands of workers across the Commonwealth are no longer getting paychecks for services school districts have budgeted for. Compounding their circumstances, many of these individuals have lost their healthcare coverage.

Eviction Protection for All Disaster Emergencies

March 27, 2020

As we take all possible protective measures to prevent the spread of Covid 19 we must begin to mitigate the economic impacts of the shutdown on our constituents.

With my colleague Representative Mary Isaacson, I am introducing legislation which will make it illegal to evict someone suffering unemployment due to an emergency disaster declaration.

Nothing in this legislation prevents any penalties from occurring or incentivizes tenants who are able to pay through unemployment or workman’s compensation to fail to pay rent, however, it does encourage landlords to work with tenants to get through these emergencies and prevents compounding the issue by increasing homelessness.

Covid-19 Food Worker Safety Act

March 25, 2020

In the near future, I will be introducing legislation that would designate workers at food processing/protein facilities across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as “essential employees” and/or “front line employees” for all matters/circumstances, including but not limited to childcare, safety measures and paid leave to be made available to these workers.

These workers are vital to the food supply chain that nourish and feed our communities. It is imperative that Employers should take the following necessary, preventative actions to protect these workers:

Social Distancing: Employers should make available more space(s) for employees to take their breaks and meal periods. This includes opening up any conference or training rooms as well as temporary accommodations, such as a heated tent. Break times should be adjusted to reduce the number of employees on break at any given time. Table configurations should be changed so that the employees are always facing forward and not across from each other.

Providing a Presumption of Eligibility for Workers’ Compensation benefits for Workers that Get Sick in the Workplace

March 25, 2020

I invite you to join me in sponsoring important legislation that will assist our nurses, doctors, EMS, police, firefighters, pharmacists, grocery store employees and so many others are on the frontlines right now. These essential employees are protecting our well-being by keeping our health facilities operating, transporting our vulnerable family members and neighbors to get care, and making sure emergency services available and ensure that we have access to food and necessary goods for our families.

Workers compensation benefits are currently available to them if they get Coronavirus; however, they’re still required to prove that COVID-19 is occurring more in their occupation than in the general population.

SB 1102 – Covid-19 Grocery Store Worker Safety Act

March 25, 2020