HARRISBURG, January 16, 2019 − Today, the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus released its committee assignments for the 2019-20 legislative session.
“Committee meetings offer our members and the public the best opportunity to learn about legislation, and it’s important to assign Senators based on their interest and experience in the subject of each committee,” said Senator Costa. “I believe we have a great roster of committee chairs and members here that will delve into the issues of our caucus’ platform.”
The committees, listed here alphabetically, will have the following members from the Senate Democratic Caucus.
- Aging & Youth: Maria Collett (Chair), John Sabatina, Jr., Judy Schwank, Christine Tartaglione
- Agriculture & Rural Affairs: Judy Schwank (Chair), Andrew Dinniman, John Sabatina, Jr., Sharif Street
- Appropriations: Vincent Hughes (Chair), Judy Schwank (Vice Chair), Jay Costa (Ex Officio), John Blake, Maria Collett, Art Haywood, Daylin Leach, Steve Santarsiero, Sharif Street
- Banking & Insurance: Sharif Street (Chair), Lisa Boscola, James Brewster, Larry Farnese, Christine Tartaglione
- Communications & Technology: Steve Santarsiero (Chair), Jay Costa, Tim Kearney, Lindsey Williams
- Community, Economic & Recreational Development: Larry Farnese (Chair), John Blake, Lisa Boscola, Wayne Fontana, John Sabatina, Jr.
- Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure: Lisa Boscola (Chair), Maria Collett, Larry Farnese, Steve Santarsiero, John Yudichak
- Education: Andrew Dinniman (Chair), James Brewster, Daylin Leach, Lindsey Williams
- Environmental Resources & Energy: John Yudichak (Chair), Andrew Dinniman, Daylin Leach, Anthony Williams
- Finance: John Blake (Chair), Art Haywood, Vincent Hughes, Katie Muth
- Game & Fisheries: James Brewster (Chair), Lisa Boscola, Andrew Dinniman, John Yudichak
- Health & Human Services: Art Haywood (Chair), Katie Muth, Judy Schwank, Sharif Street
- Intergovernmental Operations: Wayne Fontana (Chair), Art Haywood, Vincent Hughes, Katie Muth
- Judiciary: Daylin Leach (Chair), Larry Farnese, Art Haywood, John Sabatina, Jr., Steve Santarsiero
- Labor & Industry: Christine Tartaglione (Chair), Tim Kearney, Lindsey Williams, John Yudichak
- Law & Justice: James Brewster (Chair), Wayne Fontana, Christine Tartaglione, Anthony Williams
- Local Government: Tim Kearney (Chair), John Blake, Steve Santarsiero, Judy Schwank
- Rules & Executive Nominations: Jay Costa (Chair), Lisa Boscola, Larry Farnese, Wayne Fontana, Vincent Hughes, Anthony Williams
- State Government: Anthony Williams (Chair), Maria Collett, Katie Muth, Lindsey Williams
- Transportation: John Sabatina, Jr. (Chair), John Blake, James Brewster, Tim Kearney, John Yudichak
- Urban Affairs & Housing: Katie Muth (Chair), Wayne Fontana, Tim Kearney, Sharif Street
- Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness: Lindsey Williams (Chair), John Blake, Maria Collett, Andrew Dinniman
Harrisburg, PA – January 10, 2019 – On behalf of the 12,000 Pennsylvania federal employees, contractors and subcontractors who are not receiving a paycheck during the partial federal government shutdown, Senator Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery), Senator Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia), Senator Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) are taken steps to help those in need.
After hearing reports from constituents facing financial hardships during the shutdown, the senators wrote the 10 largest banks, relative to number of branches, in Pennsylvania. Their hopes are to share information about banks’ existing assistance programs or to spur action on behalf of working people with banks that have not addressed the issue.
“Ten years ago, we bailed out failing banks during a recession and now it is time to help working people during their financial crisis,” Sen. Hughes said. “These hard-working folks are suffering through no fault of their own. The least we can do is get them help until are get paid again.”
Motivations for the letter came from the senators understanding that 78 percent of U.S. workers live paycheck to paycheck and there are no furloughs for essential expenses. Mortgages, rent, groceries, car payments and other bills must be paid whether the government is functioning.
“We cannot stand by and do nothing while these federal employees are left without paychecks,” said Sen. Costa. “These are folks ready and willing to work in service of the federal government, but now face eviction and piling bills. I hope that financial institutions are willing to step up to help them, and I’ll do everything in my power to ensure these federal employees are not punished for this shutdown.”
In total, there are 62,000 federal workers in Pennsylvania and about 12,000 who are furloughed or working without pay. Nationally 800,000 federal employees have had their jobs disrupted, with 380,000 furloughed or sent home without pay. These figures speak to an economic crisis that must be addressed, the senators said.
“As the stalemate in Washington is about to enter its fourth week, thousands of hard-working Pennsylvanians are suffering a very heavy burden,” Sen. Tartaglione said. “I can’t think of any greater commitment to purpose and level of professionalism than we are seeing from those who want to work, but can’t, and from those who continue to work, but aren’t receiving their just compensation. It is imperative that we do all we can as a community to support them in their time of need.”
Rallies and protests across Pennsylvania also drew the attention of the senators who have made the fight for working people a central issue. Pennsylvania’s furloughed federal workers not receiving paychecks include TSA officers, federal prison workers, national park workers and employees of the Environmental Protection agency.
“The financial strain placed on federal government employees, contractors and subcontractors in the commonwealth continues to grow,” Sen. Street said. “This is a heavy burden on individuals and families who they cannot endure such hardships for an extended period of time. Banks have an opportunity to mitigate these hardships and must help the people. As the Democratic chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee, I encourage the banks to act with urgency in this regard.”
The full letter to the banks can be found here.
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Harrisburg – January 7, 2019 – Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, Jr. today announced the Democratic chairs for each of the Senate committees in the 2019-20 legislative session, which officially began earlier this month.
The committees, listed here alphabetically, will be chaired by the following members:
- Aging & Youth: Maria Collett
- Agriculture & Rural Affairs: Judy Schwank
- Appropriations: Vincent Hughes
- Banking & Insurance: Sharif Street
- Communications & Technology: Steve Santarsiero
- Community, Economic, & Recreational Development: Larry Farnese
- Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure: Lisa Boscola
- Education: Andrew Dinniman
- Environmental Resources & Energy: John Yudichak
- Finance: John Blake
- Games & Fisheries: James Brewster
- Health & Human Services: Art Haywood
- Intergovernmental Operations: Wayne Fontana
- Judiciary: Daylin Leach
- Labor & Industry: Christine Tartaglione
- Law & Justice: James Brewster
- Local Government: Tim Kearney
- Rules & Executive Nominations: Jay Costa
- State Government: Anthony Williams
- Transportation: John Sabatina, Jr.
- Urban Affairs & Housing: Katie Muth
- Veteran’s Affairs & Emergency Preparedness: Lindsey Williams
“The Senate Democratic Caucus has an ambitious set of priorities for this legislative session, and we believe this team of committee chairs will provide the research and forums for us to tackle those issues,” said Senator Costa. “I’m looking forward to the work each of these committees will produce over the next two years.”
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