Fresh off the passage of the Clean Slate Act in 2018, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers are looking to build off their criminal justice reform victory and remove employment barriers for former offenders. 

Senators John DiSanto (R-Dauphin) and Judy Schwank (D-Berks) were joined by House Minority Whip Rep. Jordan Harris (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Sheryl Delozier (R-Cumberland) Wednesday to stump for an occupational licensure reform bill that would prohibit state boards from denying professional licenses based on past criminal convictions that are unrelated to the profession.

A bipartisan group of senators banded together Tuesday to call for legislative action on lead poisoning as they unveiled bills to address lead contamination in homes, buildings and water systems. 

The legislative package is a direct result of the state’s Advisory Committee and Task Force on Lead Exposure, which was established in 2017. Led by Sen. John Yudichak (D-Luzerne), the senators announced bills that would require universal lead testing for children, mandate inspections of child-care facilities, establish a statewide lead-free housing registry, and require all school drinking systems to be inspected and certified. 

It was a slow week in Harrisburg, with lawmakers returning to their districts prior to next week’s session. But just because state legislators weren’t in the Capitol doesn’t mean they weren’t busy introducing new legislation. This week there were a number of new proposals introduced as co-sponsorship memos, detailing upcoming bills in the state legislature. 

If you missed this week’s new co-sponsorship memos, continue reading to learn about the many ideas lawmakers have for Pennsylvania and to keep track of what proposals could become law.

Barbara Price, Public Policy Co-Chair for American Association of University Women (AAUW) of Pennsylvania joined legislators and other advocates to push for equal pay for women. 

Multiple legislators have legislation that they have introduced that are focused on helping women achieve their equal pay goals. 

Members of PSEA joined Sen. Judy Schwank (D-Berks), Rep. Tarah Tohill (R-Luzerne) and Rep. Kyle Mullins (D-Lackawanna) at a press conference, where they discussed their support for raising the minimum teacher salary in Pennsylvania to $45,000.

Currently Pennsylvania has a minimum teacher salary of $18,500 which hasn't been updated in more than 30 years.