Senate Democratic Policy Committee

Senator Katie Muth, Chair

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!

Water, Sewer, & Stormwater Infrastructure

October 24, 2023

Senate Dems Discuss Water, Sewer, Stormwater Infrastructure at Capitol Hearing

HARRISBURG, October 25, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senator Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and Senator Maria Collett (D-Montgomery) to co-host a public hearing on water, sewer, and stormwater infrastructure issues facing Pennsylvania communities.

The hearing, held at the Pennsylvania State Capitol, featured three panels of testimony that included representatives from state agencies, environmental experts, and local stormwater management professionals.

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1: Perspective of State Agencies

Panel 2: Environmental Consequences

Panel 3: Stormwater Management

Other Testimony

Public Utility Commission

Freedom to Read: The Unsettling Increase of Censorship in our Libraries and Schools

October 5, 2023

Senate, House Dems Discuss Troubling Increase in Book Bans at Capitol Hearing

HARRISBURG, PA − October 6, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and state Rep. Ryan Bizarro (D-Erie), chair of the House Majority Policy Committee, joined Senator Amanda Cappelletti (D-Montgomery/Delaware) and Rep. Paul Friel (D-Chester) to co-host a public hearing in Harrisburg yesterday on the impact of censorship and book bans in public and school libraries.

The hearing, held at the State Capitol, featured three panels of testimony that included perspectives from educators, parents, and policy experts who discussed the rise in book bans across the Commonwealth and the country.

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1: Educators

Keith Willard, Secondary Social Studies Teacher – Central Bucks School District

Panel 2: Parents

Panel 3: Policy Solutions

Skill Games in Pennsylvania

August 23, 2023

Senate Dems Discuss Skill Games at Radnor Hearing

RADNOR, August 24, 2023 – 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 yesterday in Radnor to discuss skill games in Pennsylvania.

The hearing, held at the Radnor Township Municipal Building, featured three panels of testimony from experts in gaming, regulation, and law enforcement to discuss the current status of “skill games”, an ongoing court battle over the legality of the games, and how they affect people directly and indirectly.

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1 : Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

Kevin F. O’Toole, Executive Director – Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB)

Panel 2: Gaming Industry

Jeff Morris, Vice President for Public Affairs & Government Relations – Penn Entertainment
Chris Cykle, Vice President of Government Relations – American Gaming Association
Del Guerrini, President of The Pennsylvania Amusement and Music Machine Association (PAMMA)

Panel 3: Criminal Effects of Skill Gaming

Jack Stollsteimer, District Attorney – Delaware County
Curtis Jones, Majority Leader – Philadelphia City Council

Additional Documents

Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention

May 22, 2023

Senate Dems Discuss Domestic Violence Awareness, Funding at Capitol Hearing

HARRISBURG, May 26, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), chair of the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) co-hosted a public hearing earlier this week in Harrisburg to discuss the effectiveness and accessibility of support services, preventive measures, and the socioeconomic impact that abuse has on individuals and families.

The hearing, held at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, featured three panels of testimony from experts in public policy, law enforcement, and prevention of domestic violence.

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Agenda →

Testimony

Panel 1: Services & Support for Victims

Panel 2: Legal and Judicial Perspectives

Panel 3: Socioeconomic Impacts, Education and Prevention

Additional Documents

Promoting Railroad Safety: Addressing Unsafe Practices in the Railroad Industry

May 19, 2023

Senate Dems Discuss Improving Railroad Safety at Pittsburgh Hearing

PITTSBURGH, May 19, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, today joined Senator Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and Senator Wayne Fontana (D-Allegheny) to host a public hearing in Pittsburgh on railroad safety.

The hearing, held earlier today at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Local 400 Building in Pittsburgh, featured three panels of testimony that focused on unsafe practices in the railroad industry and how Pennsylvania can mitigate impacts of a train derailment.

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Testimony

Panel 1: Environmental Impacts

Dr. Andrew Whelton – Professor of Civil, Environmental, and Ecological Engineering, Purdue University

Panel 2: Unsafe Industry Practices

Paul Pokrowka – Legislative Director, Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Union

Panel 3: First Responders

Tim Leech – Vice President, Pittsburgh Firefighters, IAFF Local No. 1
Matthew Brown – Chief, Allegheny County Emergency Medical Services
Question and Answer Period

Panel 4: State Agencies

Randy Padfield – Director, Pennsylvania Emergency Mangement Agency (PEMA)
Stephen M. Defrank – Vice Chairman, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC)
- Rodney D. Bender – Manager, PUC Transportation Division, Bureau of Technical Utility Services (for questions)
Brian Moore – Emergency Response Director, Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
- Don Bialosky – Emergency Response Program Manager, DEP (for questions)

Neuro-Affirming Education in our Schools

April 14, 2023

Policy Hearing Focuses on Supportive Education for Neurodivergent Students

PITTSBURGH, April 17, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee joined Sen. Lindsey Williams (D-Allegheny) and Rep. Jessica Benham (D-Allegheny) to co-host a joint public hearing on supportive education for neurodivergent students.

The hearing, held Friday at the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers Local 400 Building, featured three panels of testimony from educators, advocates, students, parents, and experts.

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Opening Remarks

Senator Katie Muth, Senate Democratic Policy Committee Chair
Senator Lindsey Williams, Minority Chair – Senate Education Committee
Representative Jessica Benham, Co-Chair – LGBTQ+ Caucus

Panel 1: Current Landscape

Lu Randall, Autism Connection of PA
Kristie Lee Lindblom, MA, Permanency Social Worker, The Children’s Home of Pittsburgh and Lemieux Family Center
Question and Answer Period

Panel 2: Student Perspective

Seamus Lindblom, Student – North Hills School District
Adam King, Student – Pittsburgh Public Schools
Question and Answer Period

Panel 3: Emerging Practices

Sharon Janosik, Bethel Park School Board Director / Parent Education & Advocacy Leadership (PEAL) Center
Brice Hostutler, Educator, Pittsburgh Public Schools
Question and Answer Period

Closing Remarks

Representative Jessica Benham, Co-Chair – LGBTQ+ Caucus
Senator Lindsey Williams, Minority Chair – Senate Education Committee
Senator Katie Muth – Senate Policy Committee Chair

OSHA Protections for Public Employees

March 20, 2023

Senate, House Dems Discuss Bills to Extend Workplace Protections to Public Employees

HARRISBURG, March 20, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, and House Democratic Policy Committee Chair Ryan Bizzarro (D-Erie) joined join Sen. Christine Tartaglione (D-Philadelphia) and Rep. Patrick Harkins (D-Erie) to co-host a joint public hearing on legislation that would extend Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) protections to public employees in Pennsylvania.

The hearing, held earlier today at the State Capitol in Harrisburg, featured two panels of testimony on both sides of the issue of extending OSHA protections to public employees in Pennsylvania.

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Violence and Juvenile Prevention Programming for Adolescence

March 15, 2023

Senate Democrats Discuss Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence at Policy Hearing

READING, March 17, 2023 – State Senator Katie Muth (D-Chester/Montgomery/Berks), Chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, joined Senator Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and Senator Art Haywood (D-Montgomery/Philadelphia) earlier this week at Alvernia University in Reading to discuss strategies to engage youth to reduce violence and keep them out of the justice system.

The hearing featured testimony from experts in law enforcement and state agencies as well as nonprofit service providers who each discussed the challenges and opportunities related to Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system and community violence.

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PA Senate Dems Joined PA House Dems & the PA Women’s Health Caucus for Hearing on Maternal Health and Vaccine Safety Amidst COVID-19

Senator Katie Muth

Harrisburg – February 11, 2021 - Yesterday, at the request of PA Women’s Health Caucus chairs Sen. Judy Schwank (D- Berks), Sen. Amanda Cappelletti (D- Delaware/Montgomery), Rep. Mary Jo Daley (D- Montgomery), and Rep. Morgan Cephas (D- Philadelphia), the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Policy Committee joined the House Democratic Policy Committee held a virtual public hearing to discuss maternal health amidst COVID-19.

“Since the beginning of this pandemic, I have been deeply concerned about both the physical and mental health of mothers and families experiencing childbirth and caring for babies in the shadow of COVID-19,” Schwank said. “We must ensure that mothers and babies are receiving the best care possible and are receiving the support and services they need to maintain a healthy life during and after this pandemic.”

Cappelletti continued, “Women, particularly women of color, have been the most detrimentally impacted by this pandemic. Not only must they navigate health and safety for themselves, but they are often tasked as the primary caregivers and providers for their children and family. As we discuss all aspects of healthcare and the impact COVID-19 has had on women, we must ensure that women’s health and the health of their children are not left out of this conversation."

Dr. Richard Beigi, an OB-GYN practitioner and president of UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital, spoke about the many concerns that pregnant women have had about getting the COVID-19 vaccine, as pregnant women were not specifically included in the clinical trials. He said that he is an advocate for including women in clinical trials from the start.

“There is no reason to think that these vaccines are harmful to pregnant women or their babies,” Dr. Beigi said. He stated that while he has seen no evidence to not vaccinate pregnant women, those who chose not to get the vaccination during their pregnancy should still be fully supported in their informed decision.

During her testimony, Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, a maternal fetal health specialist at Baystate Health in Massachusetts, also spoke on the inclusion of women in clinical trials because, “…excluding women from vaccine trials during a global pandemic really is experimentation in itself when we know that they are at high risk of the disease.”

Dr. Catharine I. Paules, assistant professor of infectious diseases at Penn State Health College of Medicine and Penn State Health, has worked at the National Institute of Health with Dr. Anthony Fauci, and is currently pregnant herself. She shared that she chose to get the Pfizer vaccine for COVID-19 after her pregnancy was at full term, and after reading the medical literature from the United Kingdom about the variant of COVID-19 that anecdotally did have more severe impacts on pregnant women in that country.

Dr. Morgan shared that Baystate Health in conjunction with University of Massachusetts Medical School, has produced documents in 10 different languages to assist pregnant women who are currently making the decision on getting their COVID-19 vaccine, and that information has been downloaded over 35,000 times. She also stated that COVID-19 has had other significant determinants of health including low income, food and housing insecurity and crowding, among other factors.

“The fact that it’s 2021, and women of color are still three times as likely to die giving birth than other women is unacceptable,” said Rep. Cephas. “Access to quality and affordable care should never be based on skin color or zip code, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened these disparities. We must now take what we discussed at today’s hearing and turn it into substantial reforms that reduces improves maternal health outcomes across the commonwealth.”

Dr. Sindhu K. Srinivas, the Director of Obstetrical Services at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, said, “I am among many of us who are on the front lines of the maternal morbidity and mortality crisis and am deeply troubled by rising morbidity and mortality rates and associated disparities.”

Dr. Srinivas said that the COVID-19 crisis has accelerated the work of her and her colleagues to pilot programs out of Penn Medicine that assist women immediately after they have given birth and go home with their babies. She said that 50% of maternal morbidity and mortality actually occur in this time frame.

Increasing access to broadband internet, increasing digital literacy, making sure that technological resources are available in multiple languages, and making sure that telehealth is reimbursable by insurance companies and Medicaid are all essential in continuing to create programs that increase parity and decease maternal morbidity and mortality, said Dr. Srinivas.

Data has shown that there are an estimated 700 pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. every year, and three out of five of those deaths are preventable. While maternal mortality rates are declining in other developing countries, but they are rising across the United States.

“The public health social distancing protocols put in place during the pandemic have also increased social isolation. This has left new mothers lacking social support, social interactions, and help with childcare,” Dr. Rhonda C. Boyd, a psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said. “For perinatal women who are of color, especially Black, Latina, and Indigenous mothers, they are also disproportionally being impacted by family members contracting COVID-19 or dying from it. This situation understandably results in increased stress, worry and grief.”

“The impact of this pandemic on women with young families cannot be measured, however, with already limited access to high quality healthcare especially for pregnant persons of color, we must measure the impact to find ways to increase care now and in the future,” Rep. Daley said.

Demia Horsley, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Healthy Start, Inc. of Pittsburgh, stated the importance of doulas in the birthing and post-partum experience of many mothers. Horsley said that pandemic restrictions allowing only one person to be with a woman during birth can be detrimental to a woman’s health during and after birth. Horsley said that a partner may not be the best advocate for a women during the birth and postpartum process, and increasing access to doula services for prenatal, birthing, and postpartum women will create better outcomes in maternal mortality and addressing postpartum depression early and effectively.

“I am so grateful that we were able to bring together the PA Women’s Health Caucus, along with our colleagues in the House, to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on women’s health now, and the impact that this will have on healthcare system for years to come,” Sen. Katie Muth (D- Berks, Chester, Montgomery), chair of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, said. “These conversations and recommendations are essential to crafting the policies that will protect the lives of moms and babies.”

“Giving a voice to women’s health and the inequities amongst women of color is extremely important and I’m thrilled my colleagues are having these conversations. Concerns may seem routine for medical professionals, but it’s a whole new ballgame for women and we must make sure they are heard,” Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, Chair of the House Democratic Policy Committee, said.

Senators who attended included Senator Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D- Allegheny), Nikil Saval (D- Philadelphia), John Kane (D- Chester/Delaware), Wayne Fontana (D- Allegheny), Lindsey Williams (D- Allegheny), Sharif Street (D- Philadelphia), and Tim Kearney (D- Chester/Delaware).

House Representatives who attended this hearing include Bridget Kosierowski (D- Lackawanna), Joe Webster (D- Montgomery), Melissa Shusterman (D- Chester/Montgomery), Mike Schlossberg (D- Lehigh), Elizabeth Fiedler (D- Philadelphia), Pam DeLissio (D- Montgomery/Philadelphia), Perry Warren (D- Bucks), Kyle Mullins (D- Lackawanna), Ben Sanchez (D- Montgomery), Pam Snyder (D- Greene/Fayette County/Washington), Mike Zabel (Delaware), Regina Young (D- Philadelphia County/Delaware), Joe Hohenstein (D- Philadelphia), Carol Hill-Evans (D- York), Dan Frankel (D- Allegheny), and Summer Lee (D- Allegheny).

Below are all who testified in today’s hearing:

Dr. Mark Woodland, M.S., M.D., FACOG, Chair & Clinical Professor OB-GYN, Reading Hospital/Tower Health, Interim Academic Chair, OBGYN Drexel University College of Medicine
Dr. Hyagriv “Hy” Simhan, UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital, Division Chief of Maternal Fetal Medicine
Dr. Richard Beigi, UPMC Magee-Women’s Hospital, President, OB-GYN'
Dr. Aasta Mehta, M.D., M.P.P., FACOG - Philadelphia MMRC, Philadelphia Dept of Health, PA MMRC
Dr. Sindhu K. Srinivas, M.D., MSCE, Director of Obstetrical Services at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Vice Chair for Quality and Safety, Physician Lead, Women’s Health Service Line, Penn Medicine
Nicole Chaney, Certified Nurse-Midwife, Reading Hospital
Markita Glenn, Doula, Pettaway Pursuit Foundation
Dr. Elizabeth Morgan, Maternal Fetal Health Specialist, Baystate Health
Dr. Richard S. Legro, M.D, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Public Health Sciences, Penn State Health College of Medicine and Penn State Health
Dr. Catharine I. Paules, M.D., Assistant Professor, Infectious Diseases, Penn State Health College of Medicine and Penn State Health
Dr. Rhonda C. Boyd, Ph.D., Psychologist in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Demia Horsley, M.P.H., CLC (DONA), LCCE, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Healthy Start, Inc.

The full recording of this hearing can be found at senatormuth.com/policy.

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