Nov 9 Rally for Our Lives / Direct Worker Pay and Managed Care Problems
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Recently, I spoke at a rally to urge greater support for homecare and direct service workers, job sectors typically dependent upon government reimbursement rates. Providers were struggling to maintain staff before the pandemic and have only struggled more since. These critical services represent essential care, and lives are improved by well-trained and supported staff. Harrisburg must do more to help stabilize this workforce and make these careers family-sustaining jobs.
Nov 10 Supporting Businesses and Workers Press Conference
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Wrapped into a press conference on business support, I recently spoke about paid family leave here in PA. Our bipartisan legislation HB2100, “The Family Care Act,” would follow almost a dozen other states in making sure that nearly every worker in PA would have access to paid leave. Our plan would help small and moderate-sized businesses by shifting this cost away from them and creating a statewide system, which would allow them to be more competitive when it comes to employee packages. If you can’t afford to take a leave, then you have no leave, and the Family Care Act is overdue.
Nov 16 Criminal Justice HB 2046
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Our criminal justice system is laden with inequities, and our antiquated over-reliance on the bail system is just one of the problems. Since the state thus far refuses to help, community bail funds (often set up by religious institutions) have stepped up to help many people who can’t pay a bond to get out of jail and return to their lives. Most of them are being held on modest charges; most of them would not
be incarcerated if found guilty on the underlying charges; and most of the people in our county jail are there due to some pre-adjudication reason. HB2046 would be a disastrous bill for community bail funds and, in my opinion, would lead to more poor people being stuck in jail pending trial. That is why I had to speak against this bill, and I hope that it will be vetoed should it get to the governor’s desk.
Reminder: Upcoming Events
November 30th – Energy Assistance Programs
Join Rep. Miller and a representative from the PUC @7 p.m. on Nov. 30 for a discussion on energy assistance programs. Click here to attend the virtual event.
December 8th – Human Trafficking in PA
Rep. Miller, Attorney General Josh Shapiro's Office and the Mt. Lebanon Police Department @2 p.m. on Dec. 8 for a discussion on human trafficking. Click here to attend the virtual event.
Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions about these issues, the legislative process or about any state issue. You may contact me at 412-343-3870 or [email protected].
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