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Election Day was November 4th and women saw incredible firsts!
➡️ Abigail Spanberger became the first female Governor of Virginia.
➡️ Mikie Sherrill became the first female Governor of New Jersey.
➡️ Ghazala Hashmi became the first Muslim and Indian American women in the state to be elected Lt Governor of Virginia.
➡️ Mary Sheffield became Detroit’s first female Mayor.
➡️ Erica Dusso became Downingtown's first openly trans Mayor.
Women now hold a record number of governorships nationwide—surpassing the previous high of thirteen. While significant gains have been made, we need to keep up the momentum - and primaries are around the corner! (More on that for another newsletter).
We ✨finally✨ have state and federal budgets! -While the budgets themselves have both good and bad components, and for the Federal budget it was just another continuing resolution (CR=90 day continuation of the previous budget, not a full budget) the public and nonprofit sectors can breath for a moment as funding has been restored. It is worth noting that it takes time for the funding to start "flowing" again, and there are lasting implications from even short term stoppages of funding.
PA (state) budget - Some highlights include:
💲More funding for public education (including special education and adequacy funding - to decrease the funding gap for historically underfunded schools), increased resources for seniors, and increased workforce development funding
🍊 Increased food assistance budget
💵 Created the Working Pennsylvanian Tax Credit. Anyone who qualifies for the Federal Earned Income Tax Credit would automatically qualify for a state-level tax credit of 10% of the federal credit back when filing taxes.
👶 Created a childcare recruitment and retention program
Federal Budget - The legislative package included full-year spending bills for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects, and the operations of Congress. It also provides backpay for furloughed federal employers and reinstates those whose jobs were terminated during the shutdown. The remaining parts of the federal government are funded under a continuing resolution through Jan. 30, 2026. While the Senate has agreed to hold a vote on extending the ACA subsidies (what makes healthcare under the ACA - Affordable Care Act - more affordable) there is no guarantee that a vote will pass resulting in a significant increase for Pennie users (PA's ACA plan).
Bills we are watching:
Freedom Of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act (HB670) (State)- This bill would prohibit intimidation, obstruction, or violence in front of clinics.
Removing the Waiting Period and Counselling requirements for abortion services (HB2005) (State)- In compliance with current state law, there is a 24 hours waiting period (meaning to access abortion services there needs to be two appointments no less than 24 hours apart) and counselling (with staggering outdated information) BEFORE an abortion can be performed.
HB 1315: Reforming Name Change Procedures/SB 521: Removing Publication Requirements for Name Changes (State)- This bill would remove antiquated requirements to publish the former and updated name. This poses risks to survivors of abuse, domestic violence, and trafficking, as well as for those seeking name changes due to gender identity.
SB 50: Protecting Insurance Coverage for Individuals with Pre-Existing Conditions (State)- This bill would protect Pennsylvanians if the Affordable Care Act gets repealed or deregulated.
Paid Family Leave / Family Care Act (State) - The House bill (HB200) is waiting for a vote on the floor and the Senate (SB906) bill has just been introduced and referred to the Labor and Industry Committee. For more information on paid family leave, click HERE.
Court Cases we are watching:
Allegheny v PA DHS (State)- This court case challenges the ban on abortion services being funded by Medicaid in the PA Commonwealth. While a ruling was set for June, oral arguments were held on November 5th. We are awaiting the ruling in this case, which could come at any time. This case could have a profound impact on access to abortion for patients on Medicaid.
Louisiana v. Callais (Federal) This case challenges the constitutionality of Louisiana's congressional map, which includes a second majority-Black voting district. Initially, the case was a challenge to the map on the grounds of racial gerrymandering under the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. However, the Court requested a reargument to consider a much broader question: whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 itself remains constitutional. In plain terms, this case will determine if race can be considered when drawing voting maps. This is important because the map was drawn in a way to decrease the representation of people of color in Louisiana. For more information, click HERE.
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