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EMS (Emergency Medical Services)
It's been brought to my attention that several areas in PA, including a good half of Clarion County, don't have access to ambulance service due to a lack of funding and staff.
This problem gets exponentially worse when you realize that a majority of the folks living in Clarion, Armstrong, and Forest counties (the ones I know of that are affected by this) are older, and tend to need medical help more often.
Every Pennsylvanian, young and old alike, should be able to depend on reliable ambulance and EMT service when they call 911. I've seen people claim to have to wait several hours for an ambulance to arrive, and that is absolutely unacceptable.
Pennsylvania must redirect tax dollars that it already has in its possession to provide the necessary EMS services for all people within the state. The fact that reliable, speedy EMS access isn't a basic guaranteed right in this area is absurd, and I will do everything in my power to fix that.
Rent Control:
Are you tired of the person you rent from sending you a letter at the beginning of the year, saying something to the effect of "we've made no improvements at all, but are raising your rent because we can"?
Pennsylvanians must band together and demand comprehensive rent control laws on the borough level, to prevent this from happening. Housing is a human right, and we must enforce it as such. Given the harsh weather PA experiences, we can't afford to leave anyone out in the bitter cold winter or the brutally hot summer.
Join me in advocating for borough-level rent control policies that ensure no Pennsylvanian is without access to meaningful shelter, regardless of class.
Women's Rights:
People who can give birth have the right to decide what they do with their own bodies, full stop. It's my job as a legislator to protect that right, and to fight tooth and nail to keep Republican legislators' hands out of your medical decisions. If you don't support abortions, that's fine - no one is forcing you to get one. But you do not get to make that decision for other people.
The choice to abort a pregnancy is often one of the hardest decisions a person can make in their life. We should be doing everything in our power to take away as much discomfort as possible when a person is in a position to make a decision like this.
Minimum Wage:
Pennsylvania's minimum wage has remained stagnant at $7.25/hour since 2009. However, most people don't acknowledge that this isn't the real minimum wage in PA. Workers earning tips, including restaurant workers, delivery drivers, and in rare cases, hotel staff, can make as little as $2.13/hour. Gig workers often make less than even this, as many jobs claim that you're an "independent contractor" to get out of paying a minimum wage.
No matter what kind of budgeting a person does, no one can comfortably live off that little money.
Pennsylvania can take a lead where no other state has, in raising the minimum wage to something livable and tying that minimum wage to the average cost of living (a factor often used to determine whether state aid will be rendered) for the zip code in question.
LGBTQ Rights:
Pennsylvania is at a unique turning point in its history - we have the ability to enshrine LGBTQ protections into our state's constitution. As a card-carrying member of the LGBTQ community, I've seen some of the injustices that can take place against people - to the point where I know people who are hesitant to come out out of fear of violent action being taken against them. I was one of them for a very long time.
Live and let live is a motto more people need to live by. We must protect those vulnerable populations among us, known or unknown, and guide them to become to best humans that they were meant to be.
Members of the LGBTQ community are often denied housing, insurance, jobs, healthcare, and more, simply because of their identity. We must not allow Pennsylvania to descend to the levels of Florida, and we must protect our communities from these hate crimes at all costs.
Bridge Tolls:
I'd like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about the proposal that was presented to PennDOT about two years ago, to implement tolls on the Canoe Creek bridges and on a handful of others within Pennsylvania. It was overridden by the House, but the bill still exists in PennDOT's files.
Under the Federal Highway Act of 1956, new tolls were barred from being added to the Interstate Highway System.
Toll roads disproportionately affect working class people. An extra $4 to cross a bridge, twice a day, can easily take away the entirety of what you make in an hour at your job.
Pennsylvania's gas tax is higher than almost any other state. Our roads and bridges have already been paid for more than twice over by these funds alone. Additionally, our district is in the process of receiving funds from the Build Back Better act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve the infrastructure in our area.
I will NEVER vote to impose a mandatory toll on you. I'd like to also mention that I don't see any other candidate vowing to not raise the taxes you have to pay, and a "user fee" to drive on one of the only bridges crossing Canoe Creek is indeed a mandatory tax.
Hospital Access:
Did you know that there's a maternity ward desert in this area? Neither Clarion, nor Cameron, Clinton, Forest, Elk, or McKean counties have access to maternal care. Imagine being a pregnant citizen in Clarion County, and your nearest hospital with maternal capabilities is in Seneca. You go into labor. Are you going to be able to make it the 30 miles drive to the nearest hospital that can help you?
As a citizen of the self-proclaimed "richest country on the planet", in a state with one of the highest levels of economic activity (PA is 6th in Gross Domestic Product), the fact that you likely live more than a reasonable bus ride away from a capable hospital is inexcusable.
Transportation:
Northwest PA is one of the least accessible areas of the state when it comes to public transportation. When elected, I would provide legislation for the improvement and implementation of public rail and bus programs for the entire state, rather than just the big cities - thus allowing all of the towns in PA to be better connected to each other.
An idea that was presented to me that I am in full support of is building a rail connection along the 28 between Pittsburgh and New Bethlehem, then from the 66 up to Clarion and beyond. Most of a right of way still exists and is owned by Clarion County going from the University, through Summerville, then looping back and continuing all the way up to Oil City. I feel as though we should use this for public rail transportation.
Got an issue you want to see my stance on? Let me know and I'll add it to the list! I work for you and will work to address the issues you want addressed.
"Your desires are not known until you make them known." - Dr. John Eichlin, professor at Pennsylvania Western University
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