HARRISBURG – October 9, 2024 – Today, the Pennsylvania General Assembly gave final approval on legislation by Sens. Pat Stefano (R-32) and Jay Costa (D-43) that would allow magisterial district judges to grant Pennsylvania drivers who are unable to pay the fees and fines of their suspended license the option to pursue community service as a payment alternative. This initiative would only apply to drivers whose suspension resulted from routine violations.
“The ability to drive is essential in rural Pennsylvania,” Stefano said. “This legislation will empower Pennsylvania drivers struggling to escape the prison of debt, created by those fines and fees from traffic violations, to get back on the road so they can continue to contribute to our local communities.”
Senate Bill 1118 would also allow those who currently have suspended licenses – due to inability to pay certain fines and fees – to be provided with the option of community service if a judge sees fit. The community service payment alternative could additionally apply to suspensions related to driving with a suspended license.
“Today is a great day for justice reform in Pennsylvania,” said Costa. “This bipartisan legislation stands to make an enormous difference in the lives of low-income drivers who cannot afford the fines to reinstate suspended licenses. By allowing judges to assign community service instead of financial penalties for drivers already struggling to make ends meet, we can ensure workers get to jobs, patients get to doctor’s appointments, kids get to school and families can live their lives. I look forward to seeing this legislation put to work in our communities.”
During the bill’s passage in the House of Representatives, a variety of amendments were added to the legislation for structural changes. Alterations to the bill included increasing the response time for an individual to receive notice of a license suspension and reducing the soon-to-be law’s effective date from 26 to 18 months.
“This has been many years in the making. Sen. Costa and I first introduced this legislation, three legislative sessions ago, following a study that showed that failure to pay fines and fees and failure to appear in court are the two most common reasons for a license suspension among young drivers,” Stefano said. “I’m happy to see this initiative finally come to fruition.”
The bill now heads to the governor’s desk for enactment.
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HARRISBURG, PA – October 9, 2024 − Today, four members of the Senate Democratic Caucus filed suit in Commonwealth Court against President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, Senator Joe Pittman, and Senator Jarret Coleman in order to halt a subpoena compelling Secretary of Revenue Pat Browne from turning over sensitive taxpayer data. Yesterday, Senate Resolution 334 was adopted 28-22 ordering the Sergeant-at-Arms to bring Pat Browne before the Senate.
Senators Jay Costa, Vincent Hughes, Tina Tartaglione, and Nikil Saval joined forces to file suit in Commonwealth Court to challenge the subpoena issued by the Intergovernmental Operations Committee, noting that the Senators were asked to take an illegal vote compelling the Secretary of Revenue to violate a taxpayer’s private records; to ask the Court to enjoin enforcement of the subpoena; and to ask the court to hear the matter expeditiously.
<“We have been clear from the beginning that Senate Resolution 334 is inappropriate and should not be enforced,” said Senator Costa. “A resolution cannot and must not override the rule of law, specifically Act 24 of 2021. Secretary Browne is following the law as it is written. The lawsuits brought by my colleagues and me support Pat Browne in his following the rule of law.”
Footage of Senator Costa’s remarks during the floor debate on SR 334 is available here.
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HARRISBURG, PA − October 8, 2024 − Today, Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) filed discharge petitions on three critical bills that have been stuck in committee due to inaction from Senate Republicans, who have refused to bring these bills and hundreds of others up for a vote. All three bills passed the House with bipartisan support in 2023.
These petitions require the full Senate to vote on whether to move a bill out of committee without a committee vote. For over 15 months, the three bills have sat in Committee without a vote.
The three bills for which Senator Costa filed Discharge Petitions are as follows:
- HB 300, known as the Fairness Act, would protect LGBTQ+ individuals from discrimination in Pennsylvania in the areas of housing, education, or access to public accommodations. This bill passed the House of Representatives 102-98 on May 2, 2023, and has sat in the Senate State Government Committee since May 3, 2023.
- HB 714 would close loopholes that allow certain gun purchases to happen without a background check. This bill passed the House of Representatives 109-92 on May 22, 2023, and has sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee since June 2, 2023.
- HB 1018 would establish Emergency Risk Protection Orders so that an individual experiencing a crisis can be temporarily disarmed after a hearing before a Judge. This bill passed the House of Representatives 102-99 on May 22, 2023, and has sat in the Senate Judiciary Committee since June 2, 2023.
“My colleagues and I in the Senate Democratic Caucus will not let bills about community safety and anti-discrimination go down without a fight,” said Senator Costa. “Protecting LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from hatred in housing, schooling, and community spaces is the bare minimum of what we owe them. Expanding background check requirements for gun purchases will keep firearms out of the hands of bad actors. Emergency Risk Protection Orders will keep people we love alive when they are experiencing a crisis, from veterans to parents to students and beyond.
“As we approach the end of our legislative session, we will do the hard work the Senate Republicans refuse to do in order deliver safety, opportunity, and quality of life to every Pennsylvanian.”
The popularity of these bills flies in the face of the inaction they have seen in the Pennsylvania Senate. A Pew report indicates that 70% of Republicans and 92% of Democrats favor background checks for private firearm and gun show sales. In 2019, an APM Survey indicated that 77% of Americans support Emergency Risk Protection Orders. Over three quarters of US adults want to see legislation protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination per a 2022 study from the University of Chicago. And just today, Spotlight PA noted the popularity of these bills, even across party lines, with 63% of respondents saying they strongly or somewhat agree with an agenda that includes gun safety and nondiscrimination legislation.
With single-digit session days remaining before Sine Die, movement on these popular and bipartisan bills is critical if they are to be signed into law before November 30.
Learn more about the Senate Democrats’ commitment to fighting for every Pennsylvanian here.
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HARRISBURG, PA – August 27, 2024 – Today, Auditor General Tim DeFoor released the results of a performance audit of state contracts and oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) used by Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ (DHS) HealthChoices Medicaid Program.
In response to the findings and framing of this report, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa and Senator Art Haywood, Democratic chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, released the following statements:
“This performance audit offered an opportunity for the Auditor General to engage meaningfully in a conversation with the Department of Human Services about protecting patients, local pharmacies, and health practitioners across Pennsylvania,” said Senator Costa. “Instead, we received an audit that fails to capitalize on the work of the House and the Senate and misleads taxpayers regarding industry practices. I am deeply discouraged that we have not harnessed this moment to take on abuses of PBMs, and I certainly anticipate much more work in this space as we move forward to deliver quality, affordable healthcare to every Pennsylvanian.”
“I am very disappointed in the Auditor General. After the tremendous bipartisan legislation to address practices of PBMs that hurt pharmacies he has issued a false audit,” said Senator Art Haywood, Democratic chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. “Instead of auditing the federal and state definition of spread pricing, which we prohibit, he is auditing his own definition. This is an unfortunate abuse of power and unacceptable.”
The Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a hearing about pharmacy deserts and PBMs in April 2024. Footage of the hearing and written testimony from speakers is accessible here.
Read more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to quality, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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PITTSBURGH, August 9, 2024 – After years of advocacy, on Friday local lawmakers, families and service providers gathered at a local group home to highlight life-changing investments for the intellectual disability and autism (ID/A) communities contained in the new state budget.
This year’s state budget includes a historic $354.8 million in federal and state funding to provide more resources for home and community-based service providers. This includes $280 million to help raise wages for the direct support professionals who care for Pennsylvanians and are the backbone of the system.
“I am so proud that this year’s budget included crucial dollars to support our friends and neighbors with disabilities, and the people who care for them,” said state Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa, D-Allegheny. “We absolutely must continue the fight to make care affordable and accessible to the ID/A community, and to care for our commonwealth’s caregivers who support them. I look forward to continuing to expand on the great work we’ve done, and I’m grateful to have colleagues and leaders who keep this conversation moving forward.”
In addition to increased funding for services, this year’s budget included $74.8 million to continue the process of clearing the emergency waiting list – ensuring more Pennsylvanians receive the care they need and deserve. That funding builds on the $17 million allocated last year to begin a multi-year effort to eliminate the emergency waiting list.
“For years we have heard from the community and from caregivers that there are needs that we must address,” said Rep. Dan Miller, D-Allegheny and House Majority Whip. “This year’s budget starts to keep the promises we have made and is an important downpayment toward ending waiting lists in our commonwealth. We still have more work to do, but I want to thank the Governor for his leadership in this arena and for being a true champion of the ID/A community.”
The funding increase also increases support for service providers, which aims to improve the overall quality and accessibility of services
“Emmaus Community is a well-recognized provider of quality services for people with intellectual disability and autism,” said Emmaus CEO Karen Jacobsen. “We recognize Dan Miller’s support for community-based services for people with disabilities and we deeply appreciate his and Sen. Costa’s leadership. We are also grateful to Gov. Josh Shapiro for understanding and investing in Intellectual Disability and Autism services!”
These historic financial commitments represent a significant investment in supports for individuals with intellectual disabilities/autism, directly contributing to their ability to lead fulfilling lives in their communities and represent a major step forward toward meeting the needs of this community in Pennsylvania.
“As a family member, I thank Gov. Shapiro and the Pennsylvania legislature for listening to people with intellectual disabilities and autism and families across Pennsylvania and then taking action to include $354 million in the 2024-2025 Budget for the waiting list and rate increases,” said Nancy Murray. “This is the first year of Gov. Shapiro’s multi-year growth strategy, so we still have work to do, but it is a much appreciated first step.”
PITTSBURGH, PA − July 23, 2024 − Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who serves as chair of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD), joined state leaders at the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh to announce the availability of $10 million in funding for nonprofit organizations to protect the safety and security of their facilities.
With the passage of the 2024-25 budget, the Shapiro-Davis Administration secured twice the amount of funding provided through this program last year to support much-needed planning, training, equipment, and technology upgrades for places of worship, community centers and other nonprofit entities.
“Hate has absolutely no place in Pennsylvania,” Lt. Gov. Davis said. “No matter what you look like, who you love or how you worship, every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe in their community. With the additional $5 million investment that the Shapiro-Davis Administration secured in this year’s budget, even more nonprofit organizations will have the resources they need to keep their members and visitors safe from threats and acts of violence.”
Speakers Include:
Shawn Brokos, Pittsburgh Jewish Federation
LT. Gov Davis
Senator Jay Costa
Representative Dan Frankel
Representative Abigail Salisbury
Tree of Life CEO Carole Zawatsky
