Prioritize preventing lead poisoning

July 7, 2023

The Pennsylvania Legislature is on the verge of taking two important steps to help reduce childhood lead poisoning by advancing a childhood lead testing bill in the Senate and including funding in the House-passed budget bill to help get the lead out of homes. Lead poisoning, regrettably, is still a critical public health crisis in Pennsylvania. Nearly 8,000 children are poisoned every year, but the actual number is likely much higher since less than one-third of children under age six have their blood lead level tested. Lead paint used in housing built before 1978, when the use ...

Property taxes funding cyber excess

July 6, 2023

More than $3.4 million spent on advertising over a three-month period. Over $75,000 spent on tickets, parking, and concessions for Major League baseball games–including $50 per person for rooftop catering. Tens of thousands of dollars spent sponsoring minor league baseball and hockey teams. Over $100,000 spent on branded clothing and other swag. These aren’t the expenses of a large private corporation. Instead, these are a few examples from nearly 3,000 pages of invoices Education Voters of PA received from Right to Know requests for cyber charter school advertising in the ...

To combat cancer rates, amend IRA

July 5, 2023

The rate of colorectal cancer in Americans under 55 has nearly doubled since the 1990s, and scientists don’t really know why. By 2030, colorectal cancer is predicted to become the leading cause of cancer deaths for people under 50, and is already the second leading cause of all cancer deaths, behind only lung cancer. We need more and better treatments, and we need them now. Unfortunately, the new drug-pricing rules enacted in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act will stymie efforts to develop new cancer treatments. Under the IRA, Medicare will be able to negotiate with drug ...

War on poverty failing miserably

June 28, 2023

“The War on Poverty is not a struggle simply to support people, to make them dependent on the generosity of others. It is a struggle to give people a chance. It is an effort to allow them to develop and use their capabilities as we have all been allowed to develop and use ours, so that they can share, as others share, in the promise of this nation.” — President Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 address to Congress Since its initiation, almost 60 years and three generations have passed. How have we fared in this “war?” Using the Census Bureau’s unadjusted statistics, it has ...

Pa. needs master plan for aging

June 21, 2023

Governor Josh Shapiro recently signed an Executive Order laying the groundwork for creating a Pennsylvania Master Plan for Older Adults. The master plan will serve as a roadmap to building and maintaining a commonwealth where every resident can live and thrive at any age. AARP and the Department of Aging stood together on May 25 to support Governor Shapiro’s Executive Order, and we’re committed to working together throughout the process to ensure all older Pennsylvanians are represented in the plan. The 50-plus demographic is a growing population in Pennsylvania and ...

Offering hope for teacher shortage

June 12, 2023

Pennsylvania’s children — many of whom face academic and social-emotional challenges — deserve high-quality, well-prepared teachers, but due to teacher shortages many school districts are struggling to hire and retain well-qualified candidates. The teacher shortage is real and alarming, but there is hope. The shortage has been building for many years. Since 2010, new in-state teacher certifications have decreased by nearly 70% to record low levels. In response, the state has issued more emergency teaching permits than new certificates. According to 2021-22 data, 6,366 people ...