PITTSBURGH, July 14 – Pittsburgh area veterans will benefit from new supports and services thanks to $115,000 in funding to three area organizations providing housing, jobs and other critical assistance, members of the Allegheny County Democratic Delegation to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives announced today. The funding from the Veterans’ Trust Fund includes $40,000 to Veterans Place of Washington Boulevard for support services to homeless veterans, $40,000 to Pittsburgh Hires Veterans for employment services, and $35,000 to Operation Troop Appreciation for financial assistance. “Life is not always easy for those returning home from service. Veterans may struggle with post-traumatic stress and face other obstacles that make it hard to reconnect with their community, find work and afford basic life services,” said Delegation Chair state Rep. Nick Pisciottano, D-Allegheny. “Today’s funding will help Operation Troop Appreciation do what they do so well – provide critical connections and financial assistance to fellow veterans needing this support. ” “After serving our nation, no veteran should have to feel the anxiety and indignities that go with not having a place to call home,” said state Rep. La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny. “This new funding won’t solve the problem of veteran homelessness, but it will help support an important Read more
“With the House Democratic Caucus majority, we continue to deliver for Pennsylvanians by passing the CROWN Act, which would prohibit hair discrimination, thereby ensuring all Pennsylvanians have greater and equal opportunities,” Mayes said. “After four years of House Republicans refusing to act, we have now made progress with the CROWN Act, thanks to my co-sponsor, Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, who previously introduced the CROWN Act in 2021 and 2019, though it did not receive consideration under House Republican leadership.” Read more
As part of the state budget, H.B. 611 appropriates more than $2.3 million to address the Black maternal health crisis, $567 million in Basic Education Funding and $100 million for the Level Up supplement to expand investments in public schools, $50 million in continued funding for the Whole-Home Repairs program, $20 million for the new Historically Disadvantaged Business Assistance program and $2 million for the new Fresh Food Financing Initiative. Read more
“Consistent with its ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard College and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Biden-Harris administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan, creating greater structural economic barriers to higher education by overturning affirmative action and now, student loan debt relief,” Mayes said. “While U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepts six-figure gifts, the U.S. Supreme Court refuses to help Americans with student loan debt, continuing trends of the U.S. Supreme Court exceeding its power.” Read more
“With the end of Pride Month upon us, it is evident that today’s ruling aims to chip away at the foundation of LGBTQ+ rights,” Mayes said. “The U.S. Supreme Court continues to overturn progress we’ve made to establish and expand civil protections of LGBTQ+ Americans. Rooted in hypotheticals, the highest court in our country chose to rule in favor of a plaintiff’s hypothetical business and hypothetical clientele, attacking the LGBTQ+ community in the process. This ruling dismantles the progress we made since the Stonewall Riots, which was a riot for justice and a right for humanity led by trans women of color. This ruling is an affront to the meaning of Pride Month, when LGBTQ+ members should feel proud of their identity, today and every day.” Read more
“The Supreme Court’s ruling closes a window of opportunity for students of color systemically excluded from higher education, thereby reversing decades of progress by allowing racial inequity in higher education,” Mayes said. “This decision is a significant setback for Black and Brown students, but also civil rights in the U.S. We must continue to enhance our investments in K-12 education to support students of color so that we can remove barriers to higher education.” Read more
Long before the Dobbs decision was handed down, the Women’s Health Caucus fought to ensure that Pennsylvanians have the right to make private, personal medical decisions. And we always will. Read more
“When issuing its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court advanced a right-wing agenda when it overturned Roe v. Wade, taking away from millions of Americans the right to control their bodies and their reproduction,” Mayes said. “With the House Democratic Caucus majority, we continue to work to ensure a constitutional ban on abortions will not pass in the General Assembly and to introduce proactive legislation to protect abortion access, thereby protecting Pennsylvanians’ right to make their own medical decisions, without the interference of Pennsylvania state legislators or the U.S. Supreme Court.” Read more
“To ensure health care is equitable, I introduced the Preserving Fertility for Patients Act to require insurance providers to pay for fertility preservation services and assistive reproductive health services, which will enhance access for all Pennsylvanians,” Mayes said. Read more
“With my partner expecting a child this summer, this bill is personal to me,” Mayes said. “As Black women are 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, S.B. 262 will ensure the Department of Health accurately reports maternal morbidity and provide us with data so that we may take legislative action to prevent maternal deaths. Read more
“I am thankful that the House State Government Committee reported the CROWN Act out of committee today,” Mayes, D-Allegheny, said. “Previously introduced by Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton, the CROWN Act did not receive consideration under a House Republican majority in 2021 and 2019. With the new House Democratic majority, we can now make progress to ensure all Pennsylvanians are equal by prohibiting hair discrimination.” Read more
The CROWN Act (H.B. 1394) would update Pennsylvania’s current anti-discrimination law to prohibit discrimination based on hair type, hair texture or hairstyle. Read more
Better tracking and reporting will ensure that Black mamas and birthing individuals are heard. We know that Pennsylvania needs more people in the medical and perinatal field who look like the people they are working alongside to deliver healthy babies and eliminate birth outcome disparities. This data can help us identify the areas where we need more professionals, such as doulas, who can provide emotional, informational and physical support before, during and after childbirth. Read more
“No matter what religion we are or what faith community we belong to, we must root out childhood sexual abuse. We need that window for justice,” Mayes said. Read more
"As the first out lesbian ever to serve in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and a long-time local and national LGBTQ+ rights activist, it means the world to me to lead this march and parade on the 50th Anniversary of the first Pride in the United States," Mayes said. Read more
State grants fund improvements at four local senior centers Read more
HARRISBURG, May 17 – State Rep. La’Tasha Mayes, D-Allegheny, was recently appointed by PA House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Phila., to serve on the Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council. Mayes will serve on the council for the 2023-24 legislative session to oversee the Southwestern Veterans’ Home alongside 14 other members and Adjutant General Mark Schindler. “It is an honor that Speaker McClinton appointed me to serve on the Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council,” Mayes said. “My mother, an Army veteran, dedicated herself to this country as a public servant and she instilled a passion for justice in me. It is a privilege to give back to the community and help veterans in one of the six veterans’ homes located in Pennsylvania.” As part of the council, Mayes will attend quarterly meetings for the Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council. Meetings are open to the public. The Southwestern Veterans’ Home Advisory Council will host its next meeting Friday, July 19. Additional information is available at the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ website . Read more
HARRISBURG, May 3 – State Reps. Gina H. Curry, D-Delaware, La’Tasha D. Mayes, D-Allegheny, and Morgan Cephas, D-Philadelphia, said that they were proud to host Delta Day at the state Capitol on Tuesday. Delta Day is celebrated by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, which was founded in 1913 by 22 collegiate women on the campus of Howard University. Today, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated is one of the preeminent service-based sororities, with predominantly more than 300,000 Black members and more than 1,000 chapters worldwide. The sorority has maintained a commitment to social activism, academic excellence and civic engagement. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated has 29 chapters in Pennsylvania. On Delta Day, members from throughout the commonwealth come to the Capitol to connect with elected officials, advance legislation and serve as a voice for others. “The women of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated continue to be magnificent examples of servant-leaders with their commitment to their communities,” Curry said. “That is why I introduced H.R. 100 to recognize and honor the members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated on Delta Day.” “This was the first year back after three years of meeting virtually for Delta Days in Harrisburg,” Mayes said. “It was a great opportunity for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated members to come to our Capitol to lead the conversations Read more
HARRISBURG, May 2 – Today, the Fairness Act (H.B. 300) passed out of the Pennsylvania House and is headed to the Senate for a future vote. Below is a quote that can be attributed to the co-prime sponsors of this bill: Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila; Jessica Benham, Dan Frankel and La’Tasha D. Mayes, all D-Allegheny; Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster; and Greg Scott, D-Montgomery. “Today is a historic day, as we take a critical step to make Pennsylvania fairer. The Fairness Act is as simple as it is substantive. H.B. 300 would protect LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians from facing discrimination and allow all individuals in the commonwealth to file complaints with the PA Human Relations Commission. “Now, we call on the Senate to quickly consider and pass this legislation and send it to Governor Shapiro’s desk.” Read more
HARRISBURG, April 26 – Today, the PA House LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus, chaired by state Reps. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Phila., and Jessica Benham, D-Allegheny, held a rally on the PA Capitol steps in Harrisburg promoting the Fairness Act (H.B. 300), anti-discrimination legislation currently moving through the state House. House Bill 300 would prohibit discrimination in PA based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity/expression. On Monday, the bill was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee and is headed for an eventual vote by the full House. Today’s rally saw a huge turnout of legislators, advocates and the public. Kenyatta and Benham were joined by the other co-prime sponsors of H.B. 300, state Reps. Dan Frankel and Latasha D. Mayes, both D-Allegheny; Ismail Smith-Wade-El, D-Lancaster; and Greg Scott, D-Montgomery; to speak on their bill. “Pennsylvania is better when it’s fairer. Passing the Fairness Act is the right thing to do for our families, our commonwealth and for our economy. This legislation was first introduced 22 years ago -- leaving committee once before -- and never receiving a full vote,” Kenyatta said. “It’s time for that to change. Pennsylvanians are good and decent people. They know every single one of us should be treated with dignity and respect. We have a chance to deliver on that basic principle and we will.” “The Fairness Act is as Read more
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