Harrisburg – July 1, 2020 – State Senators Jay Costa (D- Allegheny) and Art Haywood (D- Montgomery/Philadelphia) joined Pennsylvania House Representatives Summer Lee (D- Allegheny) and Liz Hanbidge (D- Montgomery) for a telephone town hall hosted by the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) to discuss a Just Recovery for Pennsylvania.
“Not only have communities across Pennsylvania been grappling with the losses and challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have also seen these communities rise up in protest of the unjustifiable killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement,” said Costa, Democratic leader of the Pennsylvania Senate. “Pennsylvania needs a Just Recovery from this pandemic, but we as legislative body must also pass legislation to address the systemic racism that existed prior to COVID-19.”
This telephone town hall comes on the heels of several press conferences held Thursday, June 18, 2020, emphasizing the need for economic and racial justice across the state. Democratic legislators in the Pennsylvania House and Senate announced their bicameral support for a plan that provides ‘A Just Recovery’ to all Pennsylvanians.
“We can’t afford to return to normal as it was, because that normal simply wasn’t working for thousands and thousands of Pennsylvanians,” said House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia). “We must demand real reforms that will ensure the health and well-being of our residents, strengthen our small businesses and protect our communities, specifically our communities who are often marginalized and overlooked when it comes to recovery plans.”
Costa said that the Senate Democratic Caucus not only advocated for the passage of $3.6 billion of federal CARES Act money to be allocated to support small business grants, housing assistance programs, funding for education and childcare, utility assistance, and support for frontline workers across Pennsylvania struggling because of COVID-19, the Senate Democrats have also laid out a legislative police reform package.
“Ending racism and police brutality is our mission,” said Haywood.
Haywood said that he has introduced Senate Bill 611 to require a Special Prosecutor be appointed by the Pennsylvania Attorney General whenever a police officer uses deadly force. Costa also had introduced Senate Bill 458 to create a database to track all disciplinary actions and reports against police officers in the state, as well as requiring more training for municipal police.
The PA Senate Democrats have laid out their entire plan for a Just Recovery at pasenate.com/COVID19. This includes how to protect our frontline workers and best prepare our healthcare systems, how we can provide the much-needed assistance to working people and families, and the economic stimulus Pennsylvania will need as we continue to recover from COVID-19.
“Decades of inequities have led to over-policing of the Black community while simultaneously leading us to poorer health and economic outcomes, which leaves us as sitting ducks when it comes to COVID-19. We have to act swiftly to reimagine and rebuild our communities in a just way, which requires putting the appropriate amount of resources where it is needed the most. Addressing these dual pandemics will help create a society where we no longer expect our communities to be over-policed and over-incarcerated,” said Lee.
There was also a consensus among legislators during the town hall that the COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for our state and revealed the thin margins that individuals have been operating on. A Just Recovery for Pennsylvania is necessary to ensure the financial and physical health of all communities, as well as ensuring that all Pennsylvanians have the right to quality healthcare, education, housing, and social services. The systemic racial challenges that Black people face are also essential to these conversations.
“Our nation is going through a crucial period of reflection and change right now, and Pennsylvania is no exception. From ensuring that we have the tools we need to beat COVID-19 in every corner of our commonwealth to addressing systemic racism at its core, it’s going to take a great accounting just to know what specifically needs to be fixed,” said Hanbidge. “It’s going to take strong political will to commit resources for the work, and it’s going to take open hearts and minds to mount a truly Just Recovery.”
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Harrisburg – June 30, 2020 – Pennsylvania Senate Democrats gathered in the Capitol and through Zoom to discuss the status of their legislative agenda for police reforms, and to announce a statewide Racial Equity Solutions Tour.
PA Senate Democrats introduced a comprehensive package of law enforcement reform legislation on June 10, and in the past two weeks of session have made major progress on their legislative initiatives.
Bills sent to the Governor
HB 1841
- Creates a requirement for incoming police officer applicants to permit for the release of all employment information from previous law enforcement departments.
- Require law enforcement agencies to retain records of disciplinary actions taken against them.
- Requires MPOETC to set up a separations database that will be accessible to all law enforcements departments to search when hiring a new officer
- If a law enforcement agency hires an officer with a separation record that includes offenses such as use of excessive force, harassment, theft, discrimination, sexual offense, coercion, or false reports that agency will have to report back to the commission with a justification on why it hired to officer.
- Hiring reports will be subject to the Right to Know Act.
HB 1910
- Provides for new training for police officers on the use of force, including deadly force, de-escalation and harm reduction techniques, and instruction in community and cultural awareness, implicit bias, procedural justice and reconciliation techniques as developed by the commission.
- Requires that law enforcement officers undergo mental health exams after use of force incidents and creates procedures for working with officers that have PTSD.
Bills sent to the House
SB 459
- Requires that law enforcement agencies record and maintain records of police officers that use force that leads to serious bodily injury.
- Further requires that the use of force reports be reported to the MPOETC.
- The State Police are required to compile aggregate data regarding the use of force reports and make reports to the Legislature on an annual basis.
SB 1205
- Requires that law enforcement agencies develop and adopt use of force policies based on state or national best practices.
- The use of force policy must contain a ban on chokeholds
“As a former law enforcement officer, I understand the pressure that our police officers are under, and I know that we can make common sense reforms to our justice system to make it better and improve its outcomes,” said Senator Costa. “Today’s accomplishments are just a piece of the law enforcement reforms that our caucus and our constituents believe are necessary. Our efforts will not cease.”
As local, national, and worldwide demonstrations began over the killing of George Floyd, the Senate Democrats renewed their commitment to police reform, and have committed to legislative solutions to achieve police reform and racial equity in Pennsylvania.
Costa also said that he was very proud of the passage of House Bill 1841 through the Senate today. The bill would require that MPOETC (Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission) establish and maintain an electronic database containing the separation records that is accessible to all law enforcement agencies in the Commonwealth.
“We do have systemic racism in this county, and in this state. As a legislative body, we need to commit to dismantling the systems that have allowed Black people to be overpoliced, unfairly targeted, and over incarcerated for generations,” said Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D- Philadelphia/Delaware).
Williams also announced that he will be leading the Senate Democrats in a statewide Racial Equity Solutions Tour.
Caucus members will hold conversations, both in-person adhering to CDC guidelines and virtually, throughout the summer in addition to lending their voices to protests and events organized by community leaders.
“We have had enough listening. We know the systemic issues that Black people and Black communities face, this is a tour to gather actionable solutions for change,” Williams said.
Senate Bill 1205, a ban on chokeholds by police, was sponsored by Sen. Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia), and was also passed out of the Senate unanimously last week.
“There is no silver bullet to fix policing in America. While we’re encouraged by the advance of a variety of policy around police reform, I and my colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus are committed to a comprehensive package of reforms that reimagine public safety while investing in areas better suited to serve the diverse needs of our communities. This means the community must be a part of the conversation as we work to address the historic inequities and disparities in government,“ Street said.
It was also noted that the Senate was able to send House Bill 1910 to the Governor today, ensuring increased education and training for Pennsylvania law enforcement when they handle those with diverse backgrounds, victims of child abuse, and how to treat fellow officers experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“The issues we want to address with this tour are not new, however there appears to be growing momentum coming from genuine and concerted desires to understand and rectify the longstanding issues our nation has never fully addressed,” said Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery). “We must seize this moment and enact real policies and protections in Pennsylvania that address racism and systemic inequities in the commonwealth. The movement of these legislative initiatives shows that people are fed up with police abuse. They have shown that protest and civic engagement works. We ask that they not stop, and that they keep on marching.”
“I have been proud to attend multiple peaceful protests for racial justice in Hummelstown, Selinsgrove, Wilkes-Barre, Cheltenham, and Philadelphia. Black Lives Matter protestors have created a moment for change that we must seize to end systemic racism and police brutality,” Haywood said.
Sen. Katie Muth (D-Berks/Chester/Montgomery) spoke about her ‘No Consent in Custody’ legislation, Senate Bill 851. Muth’s legislation had been added as an amendment to HB 256.
“Additional legislative action is needed to ensure true reform to our policing practices here in Pennsylvania,” said Senator Katie Muth. “While the recent action in both the House and Senate is a step in the right direction, the General Assembly must work urgently to pass much needed reform to ensure accountability and transparency in the police system, invest in historically oppressed communities, end systemic racism and police brutality. We have a lot of work to do, and this work is long overdue.”
“We have made important steps on the long road to justice by moving police reforms through the General Assembly in recent weeks. This statewide tour is another step on that road,” said Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware/Chester). “We are going to have community-driven discussions that focus on solutions to end systemic racism and reimagine public safety. I am hopeful the tour will lead to meaningful action, because this moment in history offers us a real chance to live up to our ideals and meet the promise of liberty and justice for all.”
For the full list of Senate Democratic Police Reform bills, visit pasenate.com/reform.
To follow the statewide Solutions Tour for Racial equity, visit senatoranthonyhwilliams.com.
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HARRISBURG, PA − June 24, 2020 − The Pennsylvania Senate today unanimously passed two major pieces of police reform legislation, both sponsored by members of the Senate Democratic Caucus: Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. (D-Allegheny) and Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia).
Senator Costa’s bill, Senate Bill 459, mandates that all police departments maintain records of use of force incidents that detail the event, including the reason for the use of force, detail of the injuries inflicted, as well as property damage or death. Those records are to be forwarded to the Pennsylvania State Police, and reports issued to the General Assembly.
“As a former law enforcement officer, I understand the pressure that our policemen and women are under, and I know that we can make common sense reforms to our justice system to make it better and improve its outcomes,” said Senator Costa. “Today’s accomplishments are just a piece of the law enforcement reform that our caucus and our constituents believe is necessary. Our efforts will continue through the summer.”
Senator Street’s bill, Senate Bill 1205, bans the use of chokeholds in an officer’s efforts to detain an individual and would require every municipal police department to adopt a use of force policy, publish that policy for the public and train its officers to that standard.
“The murder of George of Floyd was a flashpoint that has forced us to reimagine public safety,” said Senator Street. “People from all walks of life converged on cities across America to declare simply “Black Lives Matter.” Prohibiting chokeholds and mandating development of established Use of Force policies for every Law Enforcement Agency in our commonwealth are essential reforms long overdue. I’m proud to join my colleagues from across the aisle to ensure our communities expressions of frustration, pain and protest do not ring hollow.”
Members of the Senate Democratic caucus released a comprehensive package of police reform legislation on June 10 that includes measures to:
The bills to be introduced by the Senate Democratic Caucus will:
- Improve Municipal Police Officer Education and Training
- Institute “8 Can’t Wait” to ban deadly police practices
- Appoint an independent prosecutor for cases of officer involved shootings
- Require civilian review boards and provide grants and technical assistance to improve their performance
- Improve police pay
- Improve standards for the use of deadly force
- Demilitarize law enforcement
- Fund a regional policing incentive program and study
- Ban consent while in custody
- Create a professional oversight and policy development board for police officers
- Enhance civil asset forfeiture protections
- Penalize false reports of “criminal activity” based on race or ethnicity
Details on each of those proposals are included here.
Work on those proposals will continue through the summer and fall session.
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Harrisburg, PA June 18, 2020 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. Announced that the Senate Democratic Caucus offices will be closed on Friday, June 19th to recognize Juneteenth.
Juneteenth, also known as Jubilee or Liberation Day, the holiday celebrates the end of slavery in the United States.
“Over the last month, people across this country have made an effort to address prejudice; they’ve marched in remembrance and outrage over the death of George Floyd; they’ve demanded equity from every level of their government and law enforcement,” Senator Costa said. “The Senate Democrats join those calls and that work, and one of our steps will be honoring Juneteenth as a caucus-wide holiday.”
The Senate Democratic Caucus has been at the forefront of acknowledging Juneteenth for decades. Under the leadership of former Senator Shirley Kitchen (D-Philadelphia) for 20 years, followed by Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) in the past four, a member of the caucus has always offered a resolution in the Pennsylvania Senate marking this holiday.
June 19 is celebrated as the end of slavery, rather than the date of the Emancipation Proclamation because there were hundreds of slaves through the South who did not know they had been freed by President Abraham Lincoln’s earlier decree. On June 19 of 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army reached Galveston, Texas and was finally able to announce to slaves in the southern-most region of the country that they had been freed. Celebrations began almost immediately when General Granger’s order was read:
“The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer.”
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HARRISBURG – June 16, 2020 –The Pennsylvania Senate & House Democratic Caucuses will join workers for virtual press events “based” across the state to highlight that Pennsylvania needs a just recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and justice for black lives.
“As we create the new normal that is the post COVID-19 world, we must not only help out our friends and neighbors who have faced deep economic, health, and safety struggles due to the pandemic, but we also must respond to the historic nationwide protests against racial inequity in this county and the calls for justice,” Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D – Allegheny) said. “These events will discuss the steps that we need to take as a legislative body to achieve a just recovery from this pandemic for all Pennsylvanians.”
COVID-19 has affected every community in Pennsylvania, but it has disproportionately affected Black Americans. According to data from the CDC, Black Americans are more likely to have the coronavirus and to die from COVID-19. This is due to the historic systemic disparities that the Black community faces in accessing quality healthcare, housing, and education.
“We can’t afford to return to normal as it was, because that normal simply wasn’t working for thousands and thousands of Pennsylvanians,” said House Democratic Whip Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia). “We must demand real reforms that will ensure the health and well-being of our residents, strengthen our small businesses and protect our communities, specifically our communities who are often marginalized and overlooked when it comes to recovery plans.”
A Just Recovery for all Pennsylvanians includes:
- racial justice and police reforms;
- making sure that Pennsylvanians returning to work have the resources they need to protect themselves from COVID-19;
- instituting additional small business stimulus packages;
- making sure schools and students have the resources, including internet access, to facilitate proper socially distant learning;
- working towards providing quality housing for every Pennsylvanian;
- instituting tax fairness initiatives;
- and continuing to ensure that all Pennsylvanians have access to the vote so their voices can be heard.
Senate and House Democrats will be hosting events in Philadelphia, Allegheny County, Montgomery County, Delaware County, Bucks County, Chester County, Dauphin County, Lehigh County, and in the Northeastern PA region. These events will bring together members of both legislative chambers to discuss the issues that constituents in their regions have brought to them as the major areas that they want to see change and assistance in as we create our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information follow the PA Senate Democrats and PA House Democrats on all social media platforms, and visit pasenate.com/COVID19.
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Pittsburgh, PA − June 10, 2020 − Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. today announced the award of more than $1.7 million in state grants to fund programs in victims services, addiction treatment and local forensic science improvement.
The awards were made through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
“While addressing COVID-19 related needs and budget gaps remains a priority, many essential services never had an interruption and have continued their critical work,” said Senator Costa. “Today’s grants will help them keep up and improve their services to our community.”
- The University of Pittsburgh’s Program Evaluation Unit will receive $1.6 million for statewide work on the Pennsylvania Opioid Overdose Reduction Technical Assistance Center.
- The Center for Victims will receive $96,000 for Child Advocacy at CAC UPMC Children’s Hospital.
- Allegheny County will receive $27,000 to improve its forensic science work through advanced training and maintenance.
For more information on these grants and others that are available through PCCD, visit their website at pccd.pa.gov/Funding.
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