PITTSBURGH, PA − June 12, 2025 − Today, Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chair Nick Miller held a second hearing to continue the dialogue on what is needed to safeguard Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and economy through a skilled and dependable workforce.
“Today’s hearing provided an opportunity for more stakeholders to share their insights on the challenges that workers encounter today,” said Senator Miller. “I am appreciative of the testimonies shared from union members and the organizations that represent a large portion of the workforce. It is crucial to guarantee that employers do not create an uneven playing field for workers.”
“Senate Democrats stand united and clear: We are fighting tooth and nail for the rights of Pennsylvania’s workers and their families,” said Senator Costa. “It was an honor today to hear from labor leaders who testified to the urgency of reforms that level the playing field and allow workers to get ahead. I look forward to taking what was said during today’s hearing and working with my colleagues in the House and the Senate to deliver economic justice for every Pennsylvanian.”
“This hearing is an opportunity to ensure that our workforce is treated with the dignity they deserve,” said Senator Pisciottano. “Protecting the rights and safety of workers is not just good policy, it is essential for building a resilient economy and infrastructure. Every Pennsylvanian deserves the right to a safe workplace, fair wages, and the freedom to organize without fear of retaliation. I’m proud to stand with labor and my colleagues in the fight for fair, comprehensive worker protections.”
“Today’s hearing underscored that the legislature needs to strengthen worker rights and protections—because a right that cannot be enforced is just a suggestion,” said Senator Williams. “Our testifiers made plain that they need meaningful enforcement mechanisms and whistleblower protections against retaliation in order stand up for themselves and their coworkers against corporate greed. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues to get legislation passed that provides these tools. Laws that are weak in protecting workers hurt all of us.”
John Schultz from Laborers Local 373 stated strong prevailing wage laws protect local wages and strengthen local economies.
“Unfortunately, there are some flaws in the state enforcement and application of these laws,” Schultz said. “Worker misclassification, right-to-know and RACP process that awards state funded to projects that directly undermine the intent of prevailing wage laws.”
Prior to today’s hearing, the Senate Democratic caucus’ reform legislation to prevent and address misclassification, sponsored by Sens. Kane, Tartaglione, and L. Williams as Senate Bill 72, was advanced unanimously from the state Senate Labor and Industry Committee this week.
Ron Meischter from Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters emphasized workers misclassification is a serious issue, but it is also affecting everyday people.
“Misclassifying workers increases medical costs due to unfunded liability at hospitals,” said Meischter. “When a misclassified worker is hurt on a project and they go to the hospital, they can’t claim its workers’ compensation because they’re not covered under it, and they don’t have their own medical benefits. So, it becomes an unpaid bill and leaves providers asking the government and asking insurers for help.”
Geoff Foringer said Pennsylvania legislature must amend the PA Prevailing Wage Act to include offsite custom fabrication for public works projects, strengthen oversight and enforcement against worker misclassification, and provide clear definitions and guidelines to prevent contractors from undercutting their competitors with labor standards.
“This is not just a labor issue. It is a taxpayer issue. It is a fairness issue,” said Foringer. “And it is a matter of ensuring the quality and safety of public construction. Let us protect skilled workers. Let us uphold fair competition. And let us make sure our laws reflect the realities of the modern construction industry.”
Todd Farally, from Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 19, urged Pennsylvania Senate to support the inclusion of custom fabrication under the Pennsylvania Prevailing Wage Act.
“For over 60 years, a significant portion of labor—custom fabrication work completed offsite—has been excluded from these protections,” said Farally. “This omission has left thousands of skilled workers fabricating project-specific components like HVAC duct systems, plumbing assemblies, electrical units, and more, without the prevailing wage they deserve. These components are specifically designed and manufactured for individual projects, with unique job numbers and detailed time documentation linking the work directly to public projects. Yet, the workers fabricating these critical parts are not protected under the Act.”
Mike Varholla, IBEW Local 5, stated that a study commissioned by the Department of Labor found 10% to 30% of employers have misclassified some of their workers.
“A typical construction worker is classified as an independent contractor can lose up to $20,000 a year in income and benefits,” said Varholla. “They do not qualify for overtime pay; they are no longer able eligible to participate in unemployment insurance or worker’s compensation if they get hurt on the job.”
Brittney Rodas from UFCW Local 1776, testified to the importance of representing the meatpacking and food processing workers that includes supporting legislation such as SB 406, sponsored by Senator Tartaglione, and Senator Schwank that directly addresses workplace safety in Pennsylvania’s meatpacking and food processing industries.
“In Pennsylvania, our injury rates mirror these national trends. And behind these numbers are real people, many of them immigrants, people of color, and individuals for whom English is not their first language,” said Rodas. “These workers perform physically demanding labor in fast-paced environments to serve our communities. These essential workers are relying on us to improve their working conditions, the same we rely on them to provide food for our families every day.”
Testifiers for today’s hearing included:
- John Schultz, President & Business Agent – Laborers Local 373
- Ron Meischker, Director of Industry & Labor Compliance – Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters
- Geoff Foringer, Business Representative – Sheet Metal Workers Local #12
- Todd Farally, Political and Legislative Director – Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 19
- Mike Varholla, President – IBEW Local 5
- Brittney Rodas, Legislative and Political Representative – UFCW Local 1776
Senator Nick Miller was elected Policy Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus in December 2024. Today’s hearing was his seventh as Chair.
Footage of the hearing, as well as the written testimony of the panel, is available at PASenatorMiller.com/Policy. Photographs and downloadable video are available upon request.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats commitment to protecting our commonwealth’s healthcare needs and other legislative priorities at www.pasenate.com.
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Testimony
HARRISBURG, PA – June 9, 2025 − Today, State Senators Jay Costa and Camera Bartolotta reintroduced legislation to prevent Electric Shock Drowning (ESD) in Pennsylvania’s docks and marinas.
ESD has become the catch-all phrase to encompass all in-water shock casualties and fatalities. ESD is usually the result of the passage of a low-level AC current through the body with sufficient force to cause skeletal-muscular paralysis. Such a current can render a swimmer unable to move, swim, or attempt to stay afloat while immersed in fresh water, eventually causing the person to drown.
This legislation will require all boat docks and marina operations comply with the following:
- Provide appropriate main overcurrent protective devices or ground fault protection
- Provide an initial electrical inspection and then every five years thereafter.
- Install permanent safety signage notifying the public of electric shock hazards in water around boats, docks and marinas.
This legislation has been championed by the family and friends of James DeAngelo, a McMurray hockey player who died of electric shock drowning on July 4, 2021, at the age of 23. John Hilzendeger started The James DeAngelo Foundation to promote electric shock drowning awareness and prevention.
“I cannot imagine losing a child to such a terrible travesty as Electric Shock Drowning, and it’s a solemn honor to be doing my part to prevent this from happening to anyone else,” said Senator Costa. “This commonsense legislation will go a long way in ensuring that spending time in Pennsylvania’s beautiful bodies of water does not end in a preventable catastrophe. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate and House to address this issue and deliver on safer recreation boating opportunities.”
So far, a bipartisan group of sixteen State Senators have joined as cosponsors to the legislation in addition to Senator Jay Costa and Senator Camera Bartolotta as prime sponsors. Those legislators include Senator Art Haywood, Senator Nick Miller, Senator Judy Schwank, Senator Doug Mastriano, Senator Elder Vogel, Jr., Senator Tina Tartaglione, Senator Carolyn Comitta, Senator Dave Argall, Senator Vincent Hughes, Senator Wayne Fontana, Senator Tim Kearney, Senator Nick Pisciottano, Senator Nikil Saval, Senator Amanda Cappelletti, Senator Lindsey Williams, and Senator James Malone.
“After the heartbreaking loss of a young boy to drowning in Washington County, I’ve made water safety one of my top priorities,” Senator Bartolotta said. “Pennsylvania’s many lakes, rivers, and streams offer incredible outdoor experiences, but they also demand that we take responsible steps to protect lives. This bill will empower people with the knowledge they need to make safe, informed choices while enjoying the outdoors.”
Learn more about Electric Shock Drowning here.
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Sharing personal stories, statewide data, and personal experiences, legislators urge Republicans at the state and federal level to join them in opposing cuts to critical social safety net programs
HARRISBURG, PA − June 2, 2025 − On Monday, June 2, Senate and House Democrats banded together for a rally in the Capitol to raise awareness of the catastrophic impacts Trump’s budget proposal would have on Pennsylvania’s families. Together, Senators and Representatives called on their Republican colleagues to join them in defending access to care, medication, and healthy food that Trump and Musk’s DOGE cuts threaten to rip away.
“Our message is extremely simple: Care, not cuts,” said Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa. “It is not too late for Republicans who represent Pennsylvanians in the halls of power to join us in condemning a budget bill that will take care from our grandparents, food from our babies, and hospitals for our communities. We cannot stand idly by and allow this bill to move forward, and we call on our colleagues across the aisle to raise their voices with us in defense of every Pennsylvanian.”
“We are part of a coalition of state legislators from across the country who are calling out the big, ugly bill and the damage it will do to our constituents. There is no state in the country who has the capacity to cover the cuts that are included in this bill,” said Senator Vincent Hughes, Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair. “The United States is the richest country in the world. We should be having a conversation about how to expand healthcare, education support, food support for families, and jobs that pay better wages, but instead we’re forced to talk about this big, ugly bill.”
On May 22, a budget bill that would strip 15 million Americans of health insurance and 3 million families of healthy food was passed in the US House of Representatives. This legislation will be detrimental to Pennsylvania communities and puts incredible pressure on the PA state budget to bridge the funding gap the federal government threatens to create. These cuts will be especially harmful to rural areas, where hospitals, often the largest employers of the areas, are the backbone of economies.
“The huge ugly bill would carry out the greatest redistribution of income from people at the bottom and middle of the income distribution to the top,” said Marc Stier, Executive Director of the PA Policy Center. “The cuts to Medicaid and SNAP total $1.1 trillion dollars over ten years. And households with incomes over $500,000 a year receive a $1.1 trillion dollar tax cut. People use Medicaid and SNAP temporarily, to overcome short term difficulties they face. So while 3 million Pennsylvanians are currently benefiting from Medicaid and 2 million from SNAP, over a five year period perhaps twice that many take advantage of these program.”
“The Trump Administration has been unleashing chaos for nearly six months, and the Big Bad Bill that Congress approved continues with careless cuts that will harm access to health care in communities across the commonwealth, while weakening our state’s economy,” said Speaker of the House of Representatives Joanna McClinton. “Pennsylvanians deserve more from elected officials in Washington. Here in Harrisburg, we will not give up the fight to help families and communities thrive.”
Already, Trump and Musk’s federal cuts have begun to inhibit programs that support Pennsylvania farmers, families with young babies, and older Pennsylvanians: The Farmers Market Nutrition Program, which helps low-income seniors access healthy local produce, has had to roll back its anticipated distribution. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, each WIC agency expects to receive approximately 49% of their requested quantity of vouchers, and each Senior agency expects approximately 74% of their requested quantity of vouchers.
“The Republican plan is a trillion-dollar attack on the dignity of working families, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. It guts healthcare, food, and housing support while protecting billionaire tax breaks,” said Senator Art Haywood. “Every day, I hear from Pennsylvanians who fear what will happen to them and their loved ones if Medicaid and Medicare are slashed. I challenge anyone who supports these cuts to say it directly to the thousands who rely on them. Congress must reject this cruel legislation.”
“For four months the Trump administration has done everything in their power to make life miserable for working families to fund tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” said Representative Malcolm Kenyatta. “This bill breaks every promise the President made to working families. The US Senate must reject it!”
“My first professional oath was not as a legislator, but as a physician to do no harm and advocate for the health and well-being of my patients and community,” said Representative Arvind Venkat. “As an emergency physician, I have seen how Medicaid is critical to ensuring all Pennsylvanians have access to care. I can state unequivocally that the dangerous and morally bankrupt attempt by President Trump and Congressional Republicans to rip away Medicaid and healthcare access from hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians will cost lives. We must raise our voice to oppose this devastating proposal for the health and well-being of the residents of our Commonwealth.”
Downloadable footage of today’s presser is available here. Still photographs are available upon request.
Learn more about the PA Senate Democrats’ commitment to quality, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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HARRISBURG, PA – May 23, 2025 − Earlier today, President Trump posted about a “partnership” between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa offers the following statement in response:
“As soon as a deal between Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel entered the public discourse, my priorities have been the potential growth of PA’s economy and securing good-paying union jobs for Western Pennsylvania’s families. Presently, there are many, many questions yet to be answered about the details of the deal, including concerns about the Mon Valley assets and benefits for employees. I look forward to learning more details and am grateful for Governor Shapiro and Lt. Governor Davis’s leadership through this process.”
Read State Senator Nick Pisciottano’s statement here.
Read Governor Shapiro’s statement here.
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HARRISBURG, PA – May 22, 2025 − This morning, Republicans in the US House of Representatives passed a budget bill that will result in 15 million Americans losing their health insurance and 3 million American families losing access to healthy food.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) released the following statement in response to the shameful movement of the Republican Tax Scam:
“Congressional House Republicans passed legislation that will hurt Pennsylvanians, Pennsylvania communities, and Pennsylvania’s economy, for the sole purpose of cutting taxes for America’s ultra rich.
From the minute Republicans announced their plan to cut trillions of dollars in federal spending to fund their tax cuts, state lawmakers across the country, including us, sounded the alarm about the impact these cuts will have on Pennsylvania families and Pennsylvania’s budget. Republicans claim they are saving money, but they are not. They are simply pushing the cost of these programs onto the states, which don’t have the financial resources to fill the hole they are putting in state budgets.
Make no mistake, the so called “big, beautiful bill” is a big disaster for Pennsylvania, with rural Pennsylvania likely to see devastating consequences. Yet, our Senate Republican colleagues have been and remain silent, apparently afraid to speak up for their constituents.
Pennsylvania’s elected Senators and Representatives, Republicans and Democrats alike, have a responsibility to condemn the cuts in this bill. It’s time for our state Republican colleagues to speak up. It’s time for them to join Democrats in calling out the impact these cuts will have on Pennsylvania families and communities. At this critical inflection point, every single Pennsylvania legislator should be working together to stop these cuts, regardless of our party affiliation.
This morning, 215 Congressional Republicans voted for the biggest healthcare cut in history. 10 of those Republicans represent Pennsylvania. Those 10 representatives sold out Pennsylvania to cut taxes for billionaires. The silence from our state Republican colleagues speaks volumes.”
Learn more about the Senate Democrats’ commitment to accessible, affordable healthcare for every Pennsylvanian here.
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