HARRISBURG, April 15 – State Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio, D-Montgomery/Phila., issued the following statement regarding her vote Wednesday in favor of legislation that would legalize medical marijuana in Pennsylvania:

“Our vote this week would allow medical cannabis to be used by patients who have had limited to no success with standard medications. Over the past year, many hearings were held to ensure that both the House Health and Judiciary committees were as well-informed as possible regarding the merits of this legislation. Continue reading →

HARRISBURG, April 15 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a bill this week reforming the statute of limitations regarding child sexual abuse cases, state Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio announced.

The bill would abolish the criminal statute of limitations for future criminal prosecutions for serious child sexual abuse crimes relating to human trafficking, sexual servitude, rape, statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, institutional sexual assault, aggravated indecent sexual assault and incest. The bill also would waive sovereign immunity for state and local public institutions in cases of gross negligence, which would allow civil cases to be filed against them.

“This is a bill of historical proportion for survivors of sexual abuse, in particular those who became victims in their childhood,” said DeLissio, D-Montgomery/Phila. “Through the efforts of many advocates over more than a decade, the Pennsylvania House came to recognize that predators were not being identified in a timely manner and therefore not indicted or convicted for their crimes. The most recent grand jury report of the cover-ups that occurred as recently as three years ago in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown was the final straw for many of my colleagues.” Continue reading →

Philadelphia April 15 -The DeLissio State House Campaign is pleased to announce that DeLissio has been endorsed for a 4^th term by 20 broad and varied organizations for her re-election campaign. The groups range from political entities including the Montgomery County Democratic Committee to statewide environmental groups. She is proud to be endorsed by several organizations that recognize the need for qualified women to serve in the PA House, where currently less than 20% are women.

In many instances these endorsements are the result of a vetting process that includes an evaluation of her voting record and the completion of in depth questionnaires and/or interviews.

Emily’s List recognizes that strong women are needed at every level of government and our state legislatures are no exception. This endorsement recognizes that DeLissio’s experience and qualifications position her to continue to advocate strongly for policies that support issues important to women, including sustainable and equitable funding of basic public education and redistricting reform. Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, April 8 – State Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio, D-Montgomery/Phila., on Monday in the House Health Committee voted against House Bill 1948, one of the most restrictive abortion bills in the United States.

She said that regardless of where Pennsylvanians stand on the issue of abortion, they should be very concerned about the speed at which the bill, which would ban abortions past 20 weeks in Pennsylvania, moved through committee.

“The language was only first made publically available Friday afternoon, and then it was voted out of an advertised ‘call of the chair’ Health Committee meeting held on Monday afternoon,” she said. “Democratic committee members did not even know the bill would be on the agenda until last Thursday.” Continue reading →

HARRISBURG, April 7 – Concerned about the influence that special interests and advocacy groups have on elections, state Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio, D-Montgomery/Phila., plans to introduce a bill that would require disclosure of expenditures for political communications.

“Everyone has the right to make their voices heard, but with the proliferation of political and issue advertising in the wake of the Citizens United decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, it’s difficult to know who is behind the advertising,” DeLissio said. “My legislation would not restrict those voices, but help level the playing field by improving transparency and accountability regarding the money spent to influence elections.”

DeLissio’s bill would require individuals, advocacy groups and special interests engaging in organized political communication to register with the Department of State and file regular disclosure reports.

“This would be similar to the reports that candidates and political parties are already required to file during election cycles. The reports would list the names of people and entities that contribute to the sponsors of the advertising,” she said. Continue reading →

Pa. state Rep. Pam DeLissio argues against last minute legislation that would create the most strict regulations on abortion in the United States. DeLissio says that this legislation comes from the supporters personal, religious beliefs and that as legislators that is inappropriate. Also, She argues that there should have been public hearings on this legislation, instead of having it rammed through the process with minimal input and vetting from the public and stakeholders.

PHILADELPHIA, March 24 – State Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio, D-Montgomery/Phila., will host her 55th town hall Thursday, April 14 with Pennsylvania Secretary of Labor and Industry Kathy Manderino.

The town hall is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 14 in the Philadelphia University Tuttleman Auditorium, 4201 Henry Ave., 19144.

“Everyone who has an interest in discussing programs about career services and job training, vocational rehabilitation services, unemployment and worker’s compensation is encouraged to attend,” DeLissio said. “Secretary Manderino will be discussing the goals and activities of her agency.”

An update on the state budget will also be given.

For several months, DeLissio is featuring members of Gov. Tom Wolf’s cabinet at her monthly town halls to better inform constituents about how the commonwealth agencies work. Her May 12 town hall is scheduled to include Department of Aging Secretary Teresa Osborne. Last month, Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Pedro Rivera joined her to discuss the importance of education funding.

HARRISBURG, March 18 – In her role as a reform minded legislator, state Rep. Pam DeLissio, D- Montgomery/Phila., said she is supporting a plan to keep the state’s redistricting map free of politics.

DeLissio is supporting the HB1835 which is a companion to SB484 that would provide a fair and balanced approach on how the state’s legislative maps are created.

At a news conference held Wednesday, March 16th, DeLissio spoke on the need for traction for this piece of important legislation. Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA, March 17 – State Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio is holding two free shredding events in April for constituents to safely dispose of confidential, unwanted documents.

The events are:

• 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9 at the Roxborough Municipal Lot, at 514 Dupont St. Philadelphia.
• 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 16 at the Old “Anne Sez” parking lot next to Staples, 925 Montgomery Ave., Narberth.

Availability is on a first-come, first-served basis. Shredding will take place until 11 a.m. or until the truck is full. Continue reading →

House reps, concerned groups express need for ‘commonsense’ reform

HARRISBURG, March 15 – Members of PA SAFE, a group of state lawmakers and firearm-safety advocates, held a news conference today announcing their mission and outlining legislation they support to help protect Pennsylvanians from the increasing threat of gun violence.

Members of PA SAFE said that they are committed to reducing all types of violence in society through adequate funding for mental health services, best use of new and existing law-enforcement tools, resources to curb effects of addiction and illegal drugs, and solutions that reduce gun violence and promote public safety. Continue reading →