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Tags Posts tagged with "General Assembly"

General Assembly

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This week, the Pennsylvania House and Senate held leadership elections for the upcoming 2025–26 legislative session. The biggest changes are within the House Republican Caucus. RCPA looks forward to working with the leaders in all four caucuses.

The results of the leadership elections are as follows:

Senate Republicans

  • President Pro Tempore Designee Kim Ward (Westmoreland)
  • Majority Leader Joe Pittman (Indiana)
  • Majority Whip Ryan Aument (Lancaster)
  • Majority Appropriations Chairman Scott Martin (Lancaster)
  • Majority Policy Chairman Dan Laughlin (Erie)
  • Majority Caucus Chairman Kristen Phillips-Hill (York)
  • Majority Caucus Secretary Camera Bartolotta (Beaver/Greene/Washington)
  • Majority Caucus Administrator Lisa Baker (Luzerne/Susquehanna/Pike/Wayne/Wyoming)

Senate Democrats

  • Minority Leader Jay Costa (Allegheny)
  • Minority Whip Tina Tartaglione (Philadelphia)
  • Minority Appropriations Chairman Vince Hughes (Philadelphia/Montgomery)
  • Minority Policy Chairman Nick Miller (Lehigh/Northampton)
  • Minority Caucus Chairman Maria Collett (Montgomery)
  • Minority Caucus Secretary Steve Santarsiero (Bucks)
  • Minority Caucus Administrator Judy Schwank (Berks)

House Democrats

  • Speaker Designee Joanna McClinton (Philadelphia)
  • Majority Leader Matt Bradford (Montgomery)
  • Majority Whip Mike Schlossberg (Lehigh)
  • Majority Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris (Philadelphia)
  • Majority Policy Chairman Ryan Bizarro (Erie)
  • Majority Caucus Chairman Rob Matzie (Beaver)
  • Majority Caucus Secretary Tina Davis (Bucks)
  • Majority Caucus Administrator Leanne Krueger (Delaware)

House Republicans

  • Minority Leader Jesse Topper (Bedford)
  • Minority Whip Tim O’Neal (Washington)
  • Minority Appropriations Chairman Jim Struzzi (Indiana)
  • Minority Policy Chairman David Rowe (Union)
  • Minority Caucus Chairman Martina White (Philly)
  • Minority Caucus Secretary Clint Owlett (Tioga)
  • Minority Caucus Administrator Sheryl Delozier (Cumberland)

If you have any questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

RCPA (Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association), PAR (Pennsylvania Advocates and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities), The Arc of Pennsylvania, TPA (The Provider Alliance), The Alliance of Community Service Providers, and MAX Association sent a letter to the general assembly requesting their support of our joint budget request.

As the organizations representing Pennsylvania’s Intellectual Disabilities/Autism (ID/A) service providers, we are asking them to include $430 million in the 2023/24 state general fund budget proposal to significantly improve the wage rates for the Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) who provide care to individuals with ID/A. This funding and its federal match are crucial because the ID/A system is in crisis. Nearly 60,000 Pennsylvanians with ID/A are at risk of losing or experiencing a reduction of essential services because there are not enough DSPs to care for them.

See the letter for full information.