Senate Democratic Policy Committee

Senator Katie Muth, Chair

Please contact the Dem Policy Team with any questions at (610) 792-2137 or via email at Policy.Committee@pasenate.com for information regarding the Policy Committee.

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Past Policy Hearings

Check below to view past policy hearing including video and testimony! Questions, comments or suggestions about the hearings, fill out the form below!

Mail-In & Absentee Ballot Access

September 25, 2024

Senate Dems Highlight Need for Election Reforms at Capitol Hearing

HARRISBURG, September 26, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery) and Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) to host a public hearing on access to mail-in and absentee voting.

The hearing, held yesterday in the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, featured two panels of discussion that included perspectives from local government officials and voting rights advocacy groups highlighting the different election policies and procedures in place across the Commonwealth and how the state government can improve the process.

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Serving the Homeless in the Wake of the Grants Pass Ruling

September 13, 2024

 

Senate, House Dems Discuss PA’s Housing Crisis and Homelessness at Joint Hearing

LANCASTER, September 14, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined state Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) and state Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El (D-Lancaster) to host a joint policy hearing discuss homelessness and the housing crisis in Pennsylvania.

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The Harms of Forever Chemicals

September 6, 2024

Policy Hearing Highlights Legislative Proposals to Ban PFAS in PA

WARMINSTER, September 7, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined state Reps. Brian Munroe (D-Bucks) and Greg Scott (D-Montgomery) yesterday to host a joint policy hearing discussing proposals to address the use of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in industrial and consumer applications.

The hearing, held at the Warminster Township Building in Bucks County, featured two panels of discussion that highlighted public health impacts caused by PFAS and policy solutions that could address the use of PFAS – a diverse class of over 15,000 chemicals which are toxic and break down slowly over time yet used widely for household and industrial purposes.

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The Cost of Inaction–Property Reassessments

July 15, 2024

Policy Hearing Highlights Issues with PA Property Reassessment System

PITTSBURGH, July 16, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) yesterday in Pittsburgh to co-host a public hearing highlighting Pennsylvania’s system of property reassessment.

“Yesterday’s hearing highlighted the many issues caused by Pennsylvania’s lack of statewide property reassessment system and also some potential legislative solutions that would require regular, cyclical reassessments that could help alleviate the property tax burden for so many Pennsylvania families,” Muth said.

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Healthcare Deserts

May 14, 2024

 

House, Senate Dems Discuss Access to Healthcare at Scranton Hearing

SCRANTON, May 14, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, chair of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Sen. Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) and Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-Lackawanna) in Scranton to co-host a public hearing focusing on lack of access to healthcare in communities across Pennsylvania.

“The closure of hospitals across the state has dramatically increased over the last several years, leaving many without nearby access to emergency rooms, maternity care services and specialist providers,” Muth said. “Access to quality, timely healthcare is a human right and continuing the for-profit health care business model is not sustainable or equitable. We need a system overhaul that ensures patient-centered care, not for-profit care.”

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Buyer Beware: New Home Construction in Pennsylvania

May 10, 2024

Policy Committee Discusses Challenges of New Home Owners in Pennsylvania

PHOENIXVILLE − May 10, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Sen. Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia) and Sen. Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) today in Phoenixville to co-host a public hearing examining challenges faced by owners of newly built homes in Pennsylvania and the lack of protections for these residents in state and local laws.

“As a new homeowner living in a newly constructed neighborhood, being a first-time home buyer and owner has been challenging and a major eye opener.  I’ve learned that this struggle extends far beyond my neighborhood, with others living in SD44 and across the state who are experiencing similar or even worse situations,” Muth said.

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Road Spreading of Oil & Gas Wastewater in Pennsylvania

April 17, 2024

 

Policy Committee Highlights Public Health and Environmental Concerns Over Road Spreading of Oil and Gas Wastewater

WEST CHESTER April 17, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and Senator Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), minority chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, co-hosted a virtual public hearing today on the environmental and public health impacts associated with spreading oil and gas wastewater on Pennsylvania roadways. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection declared a moratorium on spraying produced water from conventional wells onto roadways in Pennsylvania in 2018. However, despite that moratorium, reports cited at today’s hearing indicate that companies disposed of over 3.5 million gallons of toxic, radioactive drilling wastewater on Pennsylvania roads since 2018.

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Pharmacy Deserts: Ensuring Access for All Pennsylvanians

April 15, 2024

Policy Hearing Highlights Impacts and Causes of Pharmacy Closures

HARRISBURG April 16, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and Senator Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia) co-hosted a virtual public hearing yesterday on Zoom to discuss how pharmacy closures across Pennsylvania are impacting already underserved communities. 

The Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing featured two panels of testimony that included the perspective of both independent pharmacies and larger chain pharmacies – both groups citing the challenges they are facing due to pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

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Death in Custody: A Public Health Crisis

April 2, 2024

Policy Committee Discusses Need for Comprehensive Reporting of Deaths in Custody at Capitol Hearing

HARRISBURG April 2, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery/Delaware) co-hosted a public hearing today in Harrisburg on the lack of reliable information surrounding deaths in the custody of law enforcement and correctional institutions in Pennsylvania.

“Today’s hearing provided much needed awareness regarding the lack of transparency and accountability in reporting the number of in-custody deaths that occur in Pennsylvania’s state and county correctional institutions,” Muth said. “As stated during the hearing, transparency starts with the collection of accurate data, and today’s testimony revealed how Pennsylvania is failing in tracking and reporting this critical data. This is a public health issue and a matter of basic human dignity. Pennsylvania has a lot of work to do in ensuring that deaths in custody are minimized as well as implementing a system where every death in custody is thoroughly investigated, accurately reported, and that the data is publicly available.”

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Eviction Sealing

February 14, 2024

Joint Policy Hearing Focuses on Legislation to Seal Eviction Records

WILKINSBURG, February 15, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny), Senator Nikil Saval (D-Philadelphia), Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks), and several members of the House Democratic Policy Committee to host a joint public hearing on legislation that would establish a statewide policy on the sealing of eviction records.

The hearing, held at the Wilkinsburg Borough Building in Allegheny County, included discussion about the impact of evictions on Pennsylvania residents, the importance of fair and affordable housing, and the legal implications of not sealing eviction records.
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Whole Home Repairs: Lessons from Year One

February 2, 2024

Policy Committee Highlights Whole-Home Repairs Program in Pittsburgh 

PITTSBURGH February 3, 2024 – The Senate Democratic Policy Committee traveled to Pittsburgh yesterday to host two events to highlight the successes of Pennsylvania’s groundbreaking Whole-Home Repairs Program. Less than a year after the distribution of funds, the Whole-Home Repairs program has already facilitated the repairs of hundreds of homes and changed thousands of lives, including many in Allegheny County.

“The Whole-Home Repairs Program is one of the best examples of how the government can directly support our constituents and meet one of their most important needs – safe housing,” state Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said. “Our events in Pittsburgh really highlighted not only the success of the program and the positive impact it has made in people’s lives – but also the unmet needs across the Commonwealth and the requests for funding that were not approved because of the lack of adequate, yearly funding for Whole-Home Repairs.” 

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1: Allegheny County Analysis 

  • Dan Sullivan – Housing Stabilization Program Manager, Action Housing
  • Kelly Scatena – Homeowner
  • Justin Livingston – Owner & Project Manager, JL Homebuilders

Panel 2: Statewide Analysis

Additional Information

 

Reining in Water Rates: The Unintended Consequences of Act 12 of 2016

January 22, 2024

 

Policy Hearing Focuses on Addressing Rising Water, Wastewater Rates

WEST WHITELAND – January 23, 2024 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Senator Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Senator John Kane (D-Chester/Delaware), Senator Tim Kearney (D-Delaware), and Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) yesterday in Chester County to co-host a public hearing focused on water privatization and the unintended consequences of Act 12 of 2016.

The hearing, held at the West Whiteland Township Building in Exton, focused on privatization and consolidation of water and sewer utilities and how the provisions included in Act 12 of 2016 have led to significant rate increases across the Commonwealth.

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Minimizing Risk & Harm: Preparing for Pennsylvania’s Hydrogen Future

December 4, 2023

Policy Hearing Focuses on Minimizing Risk and Harm in Development of PA’s Hydrogen Infrastructure

EAST VINCENT, December 5, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Senator Carolyn Comitta (D-Chester), Democratic Chair of the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee, to co-host a public hearing yesterday on the proposed development of hydrogen infrastructure in Pennsylvania.

The hearing, held at the East Vincent Township Building in Spring City, focused on potential environmental impacts, community safety implications, and the various risks and challenges associated with the development and reliance on hydrogen as an energy source. 

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A.I. and Its Impact on the Commonwealth

Novemeber 16, 2023

Senate Dems Discuss Impacts of Generative AI at Policy Hearing

PHOENIXVILLE, November 16, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senator Jimmy Dillon (D-Philadelphia) and Senator John Kane (D-Chester/Delaware) to co-host a public hearing to explore the potential impacts of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Commonwealth.

“The potential of AI is exciting: there are opportunities for public progress and improving efficiency in so many fields– but the introduction of AI also presents new layers of uncertainty and risk,” Muth said. “Today’s hearing was a great opportunity for all of us to learn more about how AI can impact our government, our workforce, and the future of healthcare.  The testifiers all  highlighted the urgent need to enact protective regulations and policies to ensure that generative AI is used in ways to benefit and help people and not harm them.”

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Roundtable Discussion – Senate Rules Reform

December 7, 2022

 

Sen. Muth, Sen. Williams Highlight Need for Senate Rules Reforms at Virtual Roundtable

HARRISBURG, December 9, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and state Senator Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) hosted a virtual roundtable discussion Wednesday night on the operating rules of the Pennsylvania State Senate and their package of reforms that would enhance transparency and ensure fairness in the legislative process.

The Senate Rules are the parliamentary procedures by which the Senate adheres to and the process by which  the Senate  creates public policy, considers issues and resolves disputes. The Senate Rules are adopted at the beginning of each two-year legislative session by a simple majority vote and will be voted on when the Senate reconvenes for the new legislative session on January 3, 2023.

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Read to Succeed: Early Childhood Education and its Effects on Childhood Literacy

November 17, 2022

 

Senate Democrats Discuss Early Childhood Education and Literacy at Marywood University

DUNMORE, November 18, 2022 – Yesterday, State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined state Senator Marty Flynn (D-Lackawanna/Luzerne) to host a public hearing at the Fricchione Early Learning Center at Marywood University on access to early childhood education and literacy issues facing Pennsylvania students.

The hearing featured testimony from various educators and policy experts who all discussed the importance of high-quality childcare, early language, and pre-literacy skill development and how literacy has lifelong impacts on mental health, academic achievement, and professional success.  Also discussed were issues regarding Pennsylvanians staffing shortages and inadequate compensation.  A recent survey of almost 1,000 PA childcare programs showed nearly 7,000 vacant positions, resulting in more than 32,000 children languishing on waitlists for childcare.

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Deceptive Practices of Anti-abortion Centers II

October 28, 2022

 

Senate Democrats Discuss Issue of Anti-Abortion Centers at Capitol Hearing

HARRISBURG, October 28, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined state Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery/Delaware) to host a hearing to explore the issues and history of state funding for so-called crisis pregnancy centers.

The hearing, which was the second held by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee on the topic of anti-abortion centers, took place at the Capitol in Harrisburg and featured testimony from medical professionals, students, a former volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, and an advocate for the so-called crisis pregnancy centers.

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Why Pennsylvania Needs a Statewide Rape Kit Tracking System

September 23, 2022

 

Policy Hearing Addresses Critical Need to Establish Statewide Rape Kit Tracking System

PHOENIXVILLE, September 23, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined state Rep. Morgan Cephas (D-Philadelphia) and members of the Senate and House Democratic Policy Committees at a joint public hearing that focused the need to establish a statewide rape kit tracking system in Pennsylvania.  

The hearing took place at the Upper Providence Township Building in Phoenixville and featured three panels of testimony from members of law enforcement, victim advocates, and survivors of sexual assault.

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1: Survivors’ Perspective 

Panel 2: Overview of the Current System & Law Enforcement Perspective

Panel 3: Policy Solutions

Health Equity: Enhancing Mobile & Community Clinics in PA

September 13, 2022

 

Policy Hearing Highlights Importance of Mobile Health Clinics in PA

HARRISBURG, September 13, 2022 – State Senator Katie Muth (D- Berks/Chester/Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined state Senator Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia) to host a virtual public hearing on strategies to enhance mobile health clinics and community health centers in Pennsylvania.

The hearing, held earlier today on Zoom, featured two panels of expert testimony from health care providers, advocates and professionals on community healthcare delivery in Pennsylvania.

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1: Community Health 

  • Eric Kiehl, APR − Director of Policy and Partnerships, Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers
  • Richard Rinehart − CEO, Cornerstone Care Community Health Centers
  • Donna Simpson − Director of Communication, Outreach and Mobile Services, Cornerstone Care Community Health Centers

Panel 2: Mobile Clinics

  • Tracy Wood − Executive Director, Black Doctors Consortium
  • Michael McShane, MD, EdM − Assistant Professor of Medicine | Penn State Health Medical Director, LION Mobile Clinic | Assistant Director of Core Clinical Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine | Health Equities Co-Clerkship Director, Penn State College of Medicine
  • Morgan Hutchinson, MD − Assistant Medical Director, Emergency Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital/JMH | Director of Education and SI-Design Track, Health Design Lab, SKMC

Other Materials

Policy Committee Surveys

New Home Survey

Senate Democratic Policy Committee New Home Survey

As Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, I have hosted dozens of hearings across the Commonwealth on legislative and policy initiatives that are important to all Pennsylvania residents. In the near future, we will be hosting a public hearing to examine challenges faced by owners of newly built homes in Pennsylvania and the lack of protections for these residents in state and local laws. We want your input! Click button below or scan QR code to take survey!

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