Harrisburg – September 9, 2021 – The Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee held a hearing today to allegedly examine the PA Department of State’s evolving guidance to counties during the monumental 2020 general election. Testimony today from the Chairman of the Fulton County Commissioners and the Board of Elections revealed that despite all evidence indicating the elections in the county were run smoothly with regular communication and information from the PA Dept. of State, investigations occurred on Fulton County voting machines recommended by Senate Republican members with no information on who paid for such investigations.
“It is disgraceful that Senate Republicans have chosen to waste our time calling into question the legitimacy of an election that four of their members on the Intergovernmental Operations committee were elected in, and that have been certified and held up in numerous courts of law,” Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D- Delaware/Philadelphia), Democratic Chair of the Intergovernmental Operations Committee, said.
Senate Democratic Leader, Jay Costa (D- Allegheny) continued, “The Intergovernmental Operations Committee should not be examining elections because their committee simply does not have the authority to do so. Despite this fact, we heard in sworn testimony today that the Department of State did their due diligence in effectively communicating with counties about new voting procedures as a result of Act 77 of 2019 and the further implications of an unprecedented global pandemic.”
Fulton County Commissioner and Chair of the county Board of Elections, Stewart Ulsh, said in today’s hearing that in his five years and a half years overseeing elections, he has never had so much contact with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Ulsh stated, under oath, that despite numerous changes to voting procedures as a result of Act 77 of 2019, Fulton County found no fraud in their elections and faced no major challenges in conducting the 2020 elections.
During the hearing, Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D- Bucks) asked Ulsh about the election assessment conducted in Fulton County by Wake Technology services and published in February of 2021.
Ulsh said that he felt an investigation was needed after the November 2020 elections, and a member of the Senate Republican Caucus gave him the name of Wake Technology Services for the purposes of reviewing the Fulton County 2020 lection.
Ulsh repeatedly stated that he does not know where the money came from to pay Wake Technology Services, even though they were given full access to voting information in the county, and Ulsh was also unwilling to answer why a draft report of the election assessment was altered before being posted to the county website to include information regarding potential issues with county voting machines.
Despite insistence by Commissioner Ulsh that the report by Wake Technology Systems listed who paid for the assessment, no mention of this is found in the actual report found in full on Fulton County’s website.
Members of the Senate Democratic Caucus said they found it extremely disconcerting that information about payment regarding county election assessments is being withheld from the public domain.
Sen. Vincent Hughes (D- Montgomery/Philadelphia) also stated in the hearing that reporting has shown that Commissioner Ulsh, along with fellow Fulton County Commissioner Randy Bunch, contacted sitting Republican members of the legislature to urge them to support the calls of former President Trump and Sen. Doug Mastriano (R- Adams/Cumberland/Franklin/York) to label 2020 as rigged and stolen election, despite absolutely no proof of any wrongdoing.
“There is a nationally-orchestrated effort to deny people the right to vote,” said Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D- Bucks), member of the Senate Intergovernmental Operations Committee. “It’s a scam. We are standing up to protect our citizens’ right to vote and not allow some elected officials pick the winners. It’s time for us to focus on protecting our communities, our healthcare system and our economy from the ravages of the pandemic. It’s time for us to focus on helping our residents and businesses racked by the damage of tornadoes and floods that are the effects of climate change.”
Senate Democrats continue to assert that it’s time to move past further review of the fair and credible election results of 2020 and get down to doing the people’s business. This includes actual improvements to the election system that the counties are requesting to assist them in carrying out elections more efficiently. Items like pre-canvassing of mail-in ballots, drop box security and ensuring sufficient resources to support poll workers as well as any new technology requirements are the Democratic Caucus’ priorities.
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Harrisburg, PA − August 23, 2021 − Senator Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia), Senator Jay Costa (D–Allegheny), Senator Vincent Hughes (D–Philadelphia/Montgomery), and Senator Art Haywood (D–Philadelphia/Montgomery) today announced their plans for legislation to keep struggling Pennsylvanians housed. This sweeping legislation would pick up aid to Pennsylvania renters and homeowners where federal eviction and foreclosure moratoria left off.
The proposed legislation would require landlords seeking to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent to apply for relief from the Emergency Rental Assistance Program. In addition, courts with jurisdiction over the eviction process would be required to grant a continuance of 60 days, until a decision for the tenant’s rental assistance application is reached.
Mortgage servicers, similarly, would be required to inform borrowers of financial programs to help prevent foreclosure and to halt foreclosure proceedings until they are compliant with federal loss mitigation guidelines. The Office of the Attorney General would oversee claims from servicers that demonstrate difficulties with compliance.
“The eviction and foreclosure moratoria were never designed to permanently prevent the forced removal of people from their homes—these measures simply determined who would be evicted now and who would be evicted later on,” said Senator Saval. “Right now, our Commonwealth has $500 million in state rental assistance funds for struggling tenants and $350 million in federal funds for struggling homeowners. If we act swiftly, we can prevent poverty-based evictions and foreclosures. Our legislation will be a blueprint to keep Pennsylvanians who have struggled for so long safe in their homes.”
“When Congress appropriated more than $1.5 billion in emergency rental assistance to the Commonwealth to address rent and utility delinquencies created due to the COVID-19 pandemic, very few counties had a rental assistance program ready for the sudden influx of money and that has caused significant delays in getting money to those who need it,” said Senator Costa. “We know the necessary funding is available to alleviate the economic stresses the pandemic has put on homeowners, landlords, and tenants alike, and through this legislation, we can ensure that people stay housed without it coming at the expense of landlords and mortgage companies. Knowing that evicting people from their homes is detrimental to our public health and can interfere with efforts to slow the ongoing pandemic, we need an all hands on deck approach to address this matter.”
“For the past 18 months, Pennsylvanians have endured compounding crises—the largest public health crisis in generations, layered on top of a decades-long housing crisis,” said Senator Hughes. “Our highest priority, as legislators, is the health and well-being of our people. In Philadelphia, we have seen first-hand that linking struggling tenants with rental assistance has drastically reduced the number of eviction filings. We need to extend these protections to people across the Commonwealth, and we are excited for our colleagues to add their support.”
“The Supreme Court may end the moratorium this week,” said Senator Haywood, noting that for Pennsylvania renters, the ever-present threat of eviction looms heavily on the horizon. “This legislation to protect Pennsylvania tenants and homeowners from eviction and foreclosure is critical.”
The announcement of the new legislation comes as COVID-19 cases around the United States climb to the highest levels seen since February 2021, near the height of the pandemic. A wave of panic struck renters when the previous eviction moratorium expired at the end of July.
Requiring landlords to apply for rental assistance as a precursor to filing eviction for nonpayment has a proven track record in Pennsylvania. This approach has been used as part of a successful eviction diversion program by the City of Philadelphia, which consequently saw the number of eviction filings drop by more than 75%. Through this process, both landlord and tenant are protected. The proposed state legislation would do the same for renters and extend similar protections to homeowners and mortgage servicers.
The need for this legislation is immense. Recent results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Household Pulse Surveys indicate that an average of 25.1% of U.S. renters reported being unable pay rent or worrying that they might not be able to do so in the next two months. An average of 8.1% of U.S. homeowners reported that they face foreclosure, and another 4.6% indicated they are behind on their mortgage payments.
The full co-sponsorship memo is available here.
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Statewide, PA − June 11, 2021 — As the projected state budget surplus surged to $3 billion and more than $7 billion in federal aid remains idled by inaction, Senate & House Democrats gathered in front of local schools across Pennsylvania on Friday to call for immediate release of funds to end the scourge of toxic and dilapidated school buildings in Pennsylvania.
Elected officials and local leaders in four different regions of the commonwealth talked about how widespread health and safety concerns affect school districts large and small across the commonwealth, where school infrastructure has caused illness and even death to those who are forced to occupy them every day.
“We are here to put an end to the excuses,” state Sen. Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, Montgomery said outside the century-old Overbrook High School where students go without water in science labs and duck pieces falling from the auditorium ceiling. “It’s budget season and the annual excuses that have kept our children trapped in toxic schools are as old and worn as the schools themselves. Enough. We have the resources to end this embarrassment right now.”
Democrats are seeking immediate investment in schools across the Pennsylvania, one of only 22 states that has failed to remove lead from school drinking water and where infrastructure has been rated C- by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, who spoke from Kelly Primary School in Wilkinsburg, said indiscriminate boundaries should not play a role in school quality.
“Something as simple and arbitrary as a zip code determines the quality of buildings and facilities a student will have to learn in,” he said. “This isn’t right and it’s not equitable, but this year we have the opportunity to level the playing field. With $7 billion in federal funding and a $3 billion surplus, we can address aging infrastructure in every district in this state that needs it.”
Senate Democrats and Gov. Tom Wolf have been urging the General Assembly for years to protect students, teachers and staff with investments in our schools that would also create thousands of jobs. Still, news outlets continue to report lead in drinking water, asbestos pollution, and even carbon monoxide dangers in Pennsylvania schools.
Sen. Carolyn Comitta, a member of the Senate Education Committee who spoke said investment of surplus and American Rescue Plan funding would be benefit both students and local economies.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to attend school in a classroom that is a safe, healthy, and productive environment for learning,” she said. With significant ARP funding, we now have a golden opportunity to upgrade Pennsylvania’s school facilities and address problems like mold, asbestos, and lead that are hazardous to the health of students, young people, and teachers. We can fix our educational facilities, create jobs, and prioritize the recovery of both our economy and our schools in the process.”
Under the state constitution, Pennsylvania’s annual budget must be passed by June 30.
“The renovation of schools has been deferred for far too long,” said Sen. Art Haywood, who represents schools in both Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. Now is the time to clear the asbestos, mold, lead, and water. We must fix poor ventilation and other hazardous conditions.”
Sen. Tim Kearney gathered community leaders outside Penn Wood High School in Lansdowne.
“We cannot send our children into schools with overcrowded classrooms and broken heating, and expect them to thrive,” he said. “How can students succeed when their schools are failing? Thanks to a historic investment from the American Rescue Plan, we have a real opportunity to deliver on our promise to Pennsylvania’s children by giving schools the resources they need.”
Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, who represents Southwest Philadelphia and parts of Delaware County, said students exposed to the neglect of their schools can have that reflected in their performance.
“We must invest money that is readily into school buildings across Pennsylvania. It is appalling that we continue to allow students to sit in classrooms, walk hallways, and drink from water fountains that may be contaminated with lead, asbestos, and numerous other dangerous toxins,” he said. “How can we expect students to care about their education if they don’t feel like we are committing and investing to them and their learning environment? We need to fund our facilities and invest now in the students of Pennsylvania.”
Sen. John Kane, who spent decades as a union plumber, said he has seen first-hand the materials once used routinely on large building projects.
“I’m from the construction industry – I spent four decades there,” he said. “There are materials in these buildings that we have learned are dangerous and need to be replaced. And the longer we go without doing that, the more we’re putting our students, our teachers, and our school administrators at risk. It’s that simple. It’s time we all do our jobs to right this wrong.”
Sen. Sharif Street, whose North Philadelphia district is one of the least wealthy in Pennsylvania, said education funding is at the root of economic disparity.
“There has never been a better opportunity to fully and equally fund education in Pennsylvania. With $3 Billion in unprecedented budget surpluses, there is no greater priority than making sure our kids have the resources they need to succeed in rural and urban districts,” he said. “Property taxes, new business and even where people choose to start a family are all linked to education funding. Investing in our students will allow us to grow our economy, population and the next the next generation of Pennsylvania.”
Sen. Nikil Saval, also representing portions of Philadelphia, highlighted the opportunity presented by this year’s budget.
“Healthy communities, in which people of all ages have what they need to thrive, do not exist without healthy schools,” said Saval. “COVID has laid bare the dire conditions of school buildings throughout the state, but organizers, teachers, school administrators, parents, and children have fought long and hard to call attention to the urgent need to repair and update the crumbling infrastructure. We have an incredible opportunity, right now, to respond to their calls.”
The newest member of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus, Senator Marty Flynn, joined the press event from Scranton and represents portions of Lackawanna, Luzerne and Monroe counties.
“Now, more than ever, COVID-19 has shown the need for removing all known health hazards from our classrooms as well as providing proper ventilation systems. An unhealthy learning environment leads to overcrowded classrooms and long-term health issues for students and educators. Our six neighboring states all have existing programs to deal with health and safety hazards in their public school buildings. There is no reason Pennsylvanians can’t move to protect our students in the same way,” said Senator Marty Flynn. “In the past, opponents of fair funding have claimed that more money for broken schools means less money for other schools. The ARP funding eliminates that excuse. The money is there. We have an opportunity to do the right thing now.”
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