Grant program established to assist minority-owned businesses impacted by COVID-19
Relief is coming for Black-owned businesses that have been severely impacted by the coronavirus crisis. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development established a $100 million Historically Disadvantaged Business Revitalization Program for small...
Wolf plans to sign bill calling for report on primary election problems
HARRISBURG — The state Senate voted unanimously to send Gov. Tom Wolf legislation that would require the Department of State to produce a report on the primary for lawmakers to use to determine if changes need to be made ahead of the presidential election. Wolf plans...
State Senate Policy Hearing on the Impact of COVID-19 on the African American Community
At the request of state Senators Art Haywood (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), Anthony Williams (D-Philadelphia/Delaware, Vince Hughes (D-Philadelphia), and Shariff Street (D-Philadelphia), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing to discuss the...
State officials join Haywood for town hall discussion on voting by mail
State Sens. Vincent Hughes, Sharif Street, Larry Farnese and Anthony Williams joined Sen. Art Haywood for a telephone town hall meeting last week to address the option of voting by mail for the June 2 primary during the COVID-19 crisis. The five Pennsylvania senators...
Plan to reopen PA gets a closer look in the Senate
The plan to reopen Pennsylvania is getting a closer look as members of the Senate met in a remote hearing Monday that included testimony from multiple leaders including PA Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine.
The meeting follows Governor Tom Wolf’s announcement last week that 24 counties in the northwest and north-central regions of the state will transition out of the ‘red’ phase into the ‘yellow’ phase beginning at 12:01 a.m., Friday, May 8.
Coronavirus Latest: State Senators Grill Pennsylvania Health Secretary, Appear To Try To Poke Holes In Reopening Plan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Pennsylvania’s health secretary was put in the hot seat on Monday about the commonwealth’s reopening plan. In a virtual hearing, state senators grilled Dr. Rachel Levine over Pennsylvania’s plan to reopen.
Some Republican senators appeared to try to poke holes in the plan.
A small idea to help neighbors becomes $46,000 local relief fund
Bob and Nancy Elfant said they were doing what many of us have done for the past month – stay at home, observing social distancing guidelines and reading the daily news accounts of COVID-19 and its toll on both the health and economic wellbeing of people in the...
After early show of bipartisanship, Pa. lawmakers splinter over next COVID-19 steps
Uncle Bobbie’s Coffee and Books, a small shop in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood, officially closed down on March 16. Store manager Justin Moore has technically been unemployed since then. But he said in the last few weeks, he’s actually been putting more work...
PA House and Senate leaders advocate for worker’s rights
Pennsylvania House and Senate leaders joined together for workers rights. In a virtual news conference Monday morning, members discussed advocacy for paid sick leave, better workplace protections, and other efforts to help PA workers during the coronavirus pandemic....
Democrats present legislation for working families during COVID-19
Legislation presented Monday addressed various protections for essential workers such as workers compensation, paid leave, protection against retaliation, and child care assistance. Leaders from the Democratic caucuses of the state House and Senate on Monday presented...
Pennsylvania Democratic state legislators to push for help for state’s working families, frontline workers in coronavirus pandemic
Some Pennsylvania lawmakers are signing on to what they’re calling the American Working Families Relief Action Plan for dealing with the personal financial impacts on Pennsylvania working families and on those working on the front line in dealing with the...
State lawmakers wonder is enough being done to address post-COVID-19 Pennsylvania?
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Desperate times call for desperate measures, and there’s an uncommon sense of bipartisanship currently on display at the Pennsylvania Capitol building throughout the last few weeks. Well, only partly at the Capitol.
Callers discuss virus outbreak with Haywood, Evans
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and Dr. Scott Goldstein recently joined state Sen. Art Haywood for a digital town hall meeting to discuss the novel coronavirus. “Right now we are at a lull before the storm and hopefully we can keep everyone’s anxiety at a very low level,” said...
Sen Haywood, U.S. Rep Dwight Evans hold telephone town hall over COVID-19
State Senator Art Haywood, who serves the 4th district, which includes Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, conducted a live telephone town hall meeting to address community members’ concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans and Doctor Scott Goldstein, an...
Pennsylvania Senator Art Haywood Talks About COVID-19 Resources
Pennsylvania Senator Art Haywood is nervous about the COVID-19 pandemic. “Right now we do not know who is affected by we are getting testing centers up and running in the region. There are the highest at risk. 2 Citizens that may be experiencing symptoms an the...Mt. Airy nonprofit gets $50,000 from state for kid reading project
State Sen. Art Haywood late last month presented a ceremonious check from the state for $50,000 to the Mt. Airy Community Development for Corporation to increase reading within his 4th Senatorial District. “We know that reading by fourth grade is a key to a lifetime...Protections for vulnerable Pa. seniors lag, reforms to guardianship system ‘stuck’
More than five years ago, Pennsylvania identified widespread problems with its system of appointing and overseeing guardians — the legal decision-makers, chosen by judges, who manage the affairs of adults who are unable to care for themselves. In response, the state...
Gov. Wolf proposes increased gun violence prevention grants
Earlier this week, Governor Tom Wolf joined advocates and legislators at Parkway Northwest High School For Peace and Social Justice in Philadelphia to discuss Community Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction grants, which will be distributed by the Pennsylvania...