Rep. Ben Waxman

It's always good meeting with familiar faces who are doing the work to make PA a better place for all. Scott Nussenbaum is the CEO of Ben Franklin Technology Partners, one of the nation’s leading technology-based economic development programs, and Kathleen Lucas is the Director of Pennsylvanians Against the Death Penalty, a grassroots, human rights, non-profit dedicated to ending executions in the Commonwealth.

Last week, the James Beard award winning Cristina Martinez of South Philly Barbacoa was acknowledged on the House floor by Rep. Joanna McClinton for being a nationally recognized culinary expert, entrepreneur and community advocate. A Mexican immigrant who brought her homeland traditions to Philly, I'm always proud of the folks in my district who make my district extraordinary.

We're extending our Homeless Outreach Drive with Project HOME's Hub of Hope. Donated items can be dropped off at our office (1500 Walnut St) until Friday 6/5. With so much going on in Philly this summer, this vulnerable population will need even more support. Help us give back!

I'm a champion for public transit, in part, because it's something I personally rely on daily. But I'm not alone, tens of thousands of people rely on transit every day to get them to school, work, and medical appointments. We can't grow our city with more cars and highways. We need to fund SEPTA!

PA has become a national leader in safeguarding taxpayer programs. Yesterday, I attended a policy hearing on protecting public benefits from fraud, hosted by Rep. Pat Gallagher and Rep. Sean Dougherty. We have an obligation to both taxpayers and benefit recipients to make sure that our tax dollars are preserved with integrity and used as intended.

This week, during PA Schools Work Advocacy Day, I met with advocates from Teach Plus Pennsylvania, The Arc of Pennsylvania, Make the Road Pennsylvania and other organizations, including teachers, administrators, and advocates, to encourage the passage of a robust education funding package. We discussed key education issues impacting their students and schools, including the importance of fair funding and its impact on students with disabilities, filling in the adequacy gap, reimagining the role of teachers, strategic staffing, and expanding and diversifying the teacher pipeline to attract and retain teachers.

There are 11 days left for our Project HOME Hub of Hope Homeless Outreach Drive! Our office will be taking donations until May 18th. The full list of items we are accepting can be found on the flyer. See you at the office!

The Pennsylvanians for Accountability from Yass, Billionaires, and Corporations (PAYBAC) will be providing a grassroots-level training called Who Broke the PA Economy on Monday 5/11 at the First Unitarian Church 5:30pm-8pm. This training examines why life is so unaffordable for workers in PA and how corporations have rigged the rules to solidify their profits. If you’re interested in attending RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/onepa/event/939855/

Digital ghosts are another way AI's weaponized against us. We shouldn't be losing control of our lives because the tech elite want to create a world that no one else wants. I look forward to introducing this bill and working with my colleagues to get it passed in the .