Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer participated in a discussion in Allentown to hear from residents and law enforcement about their experiences and discuss what can be done to advance additional criminal justice reform in Pennsylvania. Read more
HARRISBURG, Aug. 28 – As part of their ongoing efforts to reform Pennsylvania’s criminal justice system, state Reps. Peter Schweyer and Mike Schlossberg, both D-Lehigh, will hold a criminal justice roundtable this Friday in Allentown. The roundtable will be from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Life Church at St. Paul’s, 38 South 8 th St., Allentown. Schweyer and Schlossberg will be joined by House Minority Whip Jordan Harris, D-Phila, and members of the community to hear their issues and concerns to be addressed in reforming the criminal justice system and improving police relations with citizens. Schweyer added the roundtable will be streamed live on his Facebook page. Read more
Important updates and information on COVID-19 mitigation, safety, and in our community. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer hosted a joint hearing of the House Democratic Policy Committee and the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus to discuss the importance of police reforms, particularly in smaller cities such as Allentown. Read more
HARRISBURG, July 7 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, today announced his district office in Allentown has reopened for appointments only. “My staff and I have been assisting hundreds of constituents during the coronavirus pandemic by phone and email,” Schweyer said. “With Lehigh County now in the Green Phase it will be nice to begin providing safe in-person services once again.” Schweyer added all constituents who need assistance must first contact the district office by phone at 610-791-6270 or email at RepSchweyer@pahouse.net to set up an appointment. The office will be following CDC guidelines and all persons who enter the office must be properly wearing a mask. Schweyer said constituents who are not feeling well or have been recently exposed to someone with COVID-19 should not come to the office. Read more
Renters and homeowners who were financially impacted by the economic slowdown related to the coronavirus pandemic will be able to access applications for rent and mortgage relief beginning Monday, June 29. At that time, applications will be accessible from a red banner on the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency’s website at www.PHFA.org . Homeowners who became unemployed after March 1 or who suffered at least a 30 percent reduction in annual income due to reduced work hours and wages related to COVID-19 may be eligible for financial assistance to help with missed mortgage payments. To qualify for the Pandemic Mortgage Assistance Program, the applicant must be an owner-occupant of their residence, the dwelling must consist of one or two separate units, the mortgage must be at least 30 days delinquent, and the applicant-homeowner’s annual household income must not exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence adjusted for the number of people in their home. For renters to be eligible for financial assistance under the CARES Rent Relief Program, they will need to document at least a 30 percent reduction in annual income since March 1 related to COVID-19, or they must have become unemployed after March 1. If unemployed, they must have filed for Unemployment Compensation. Their household income cannot exceed the Area Median Income for their county of residence adjusted for the number of people in their home. For more information Read more
Applications are expected to be available June 30 for a new program aimed at providing critical funding to local businesses hurt by the coronavirus. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 23 – State Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh, is alerting local veterans to expect delays in responses from local American Legion and regional Veterans Affairs offices due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The American Legion Philadelphia Service Office remains closed indefinitely. Veterans and their families can expect significant delays on all replies during the pandemic. Once those offices resume in person visits, Schweyer said the monthly veterans outreach program will resume at his district office. The Department of Veterans Affairs has also closed its regional offices due to COVID-19. All hearings are postponed indefinitely, and all appointments are cancelled. The VA call center is open for anyone with critical questions at 1-800-827-1000. Schweyer added his staff is still available to help via phone and email. Please call 610-791-6270 or email RepSchweyer@pahouse.net . “We are preparing the office to reopen to the public, hopefully by next week,” Schweyer said. Read more
HARRISBURG, June 22 – Homeowners and renters who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic will be able to access applications for federal CARES Act assistance next week, according to state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh. “The COVID-19 pandemic is causing many Pennsylvania families to face extremely difficult financial burdens,” Schweyer said. “We need to make sure these hardworking people are able to get the financial assistance they need quickly to ensure they keep a roof over their heads.” According to Schweyer, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency will have applications for CARES Act assistance available for renters and homeowners on Monday, June 29 . Those applications can be submitted on July 6. Renters who qualify may receive assistance equal to 100% of their monthly rent up to $750 a month for a maximum of six months of assistance for the time period between March 1 and Nov. 30. The assistance available for homeowners who qualify may be up to $1,000 a month for a maximum period of six months. Applications and qualification requirements can be found at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency's website, https://www.phfa.org . Read more
Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer discusses why he voted against a House Republican resolution that would terminate the governor's emergency disaster declaration. Schweyer says that now is not the time to cease our mitigation efforts and risk further spread of the virus. Read more
Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer voted no on the stopgap budget which recently passed the House, saying it failed to address a potential rise in local property taxes from the loss of revenue from coronavirus closures of casinos in Lehigh County. Read more
HARRISBURG, May 19 – A bill that will speed up the distribution of property tax/rent rebate payments for Pennsylvania seniors was signed into law today by Gov. Tom Wolf, according to state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh. “Many of our seniors live on fixed incomes and in these uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic we need to ensure that everyone, especially our vulnerable populations, are able to put food on their tables,” Schweyer said. “I am pleased to see my colleagues on both sides of the aisle recognize this important issue and unanimously pass this bill.” Property tax and rent rebate payments will now be made immediately instead of waiting until July 1. It also directs the departments of Revenue and Treasury to process 2019 rebate payments for all homeowners and renters who received a 2018 rebate. For anyone who became eligible in the past year, those rebates would also be issued immediately upon receipt of their application instead of waiting until July. Schweyer said he also wants to ensure residents understand that the property tax/rent rebate payments are being sent out to those who have already filed for them. If residents have not yet applied, the sooner the application is filed the sooner the payment will be made. Read more
HARRISBURG, MAY 13 – A new bill that would increase funding to the Neighborhood Assistance Program during the COVID-19 pandemic was introduced today by state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh. “The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting each and every one of us, and we all must come together to help each other and our communities in these uncertain times,” Schweyer said. “I have seen firsthand how neighborhood assistance programs are benefitting my home district of Allentown, and by increasing funding, more public-private partnerships will be able to provide much-needed quick relief and community support across Pennsylvania.” H.B. 2523 would provide an additional $10 million in Neighborhood Assistance Program tax credits to be dedicated exclusively to “public health concerns.” Schweyer said that the NAP recently received increased funding from $18 million to $36 million but still isn’t funded enough to provide credits to all the worthy programs that apply. The bill will be referred to a committee during House session. Read more
HARRISBURG, MAY 13 – A new bill which would provide additional financial support to nonprofit organizations serving Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable residents during the COVID-19 pandemic was introduced this week, according to state Reps. Peter Schweyer and Mike Schlossberg, both D-Lehigh. “Nonprofit organizations not only protect the health and wellbeing of our residents, they also employ a substantial number of people. I have heard from many nonprofits who are in desperate need of financial assistance to keep their employees working,” Schweyer said. “We cannot turn our backs on them during this crisis.” House Bill 2515 would transfer $100 million from the Rainy Day Fund to re-open the state’s COVID-19 Working Capital Access loan program to additional small businesses. It would also open the loan program to nonprofit organizations with 100 or fewer employees and that provide critical services such as domestic violence and rape crisis services, health and counseling services, homeless shelters, hunger-relief services, and more. “By strengthening our nonprofits, we strengthen our entire community, help our people and alleviate the government of the need to engage in monstrous spending projects,” Schlossberg said. “We have to do whatever we can to ensure these community organizations survive and thrive.” Schweyer added that H.B. 2515 will be assigned to a Read more
President Donald Trump has chosen this moment – a moment when we are in the middle of a devastating pandemic – to make his first visit to the Lehigh Valley. I have one simple message: please stay away. No one should be shocked to learn that I am no fan of this president, frankly I could not be more disgusted that his name will follow the likes of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy in the annals of history. However, he is still the president and normally a visit from any commander in chief would be most welcome. These are not normal times, however. With the Lehigh Valley experiencing one of the worst outbreaks of the novel coronavirus in Pennsylvania, now is not the time for a visit. It is instead time for social distancing, giving our first responders and medical personnel more space to work and well thought out action. A presidential visit isn’t like a visit from a relative. Police will be blocking highway onramps; the presidential motorcade will be followed by first responders and our very best paramedics; hospitals will be required to keep sections unoccupied in the event of a medical crisis. At the very best of times, a presidential visit requires the attention of our local first responders. But again, these are not normal times. We need every available area of our hospitals and we need our paramedics and EMTs to respond to locals first. We Read more
“We are staying with the group … with Texas and the group” might not sound like much, but this sentence could end up costing millions of Americans access to their doctors, even as the COVID-19 pandemic rages. On May 6, President Donald Trump made this declaration, one that essentially means he will continue to support a lawsuit that would completely dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Here is the backstory: Several years ago, a group of conservative states led by Texas banded together to sue the federal government arguing that the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) is unconstitutional. You should know that Pennsylvania is not part of this lawsuit. If these states succeed in this legal effort, the Affordable Care Act would be thrown out immediately. Since the early days of Donald Trump’s time as commander in chief, his Justice Department has refused to defend the ACA in court. Wednesday’s declaration that he is “staying with the group” reaffirms his commitment to this strategy of killing the ACA through the federal court system. And with that, the 20 million Americans who have health insurance through the Affordable Care Act would be left without coverage. Now, we are suffering through the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918. COVID-19 has cost 33 million Americans (and counting) their jobs. Along with their lost employment, many of those have seen Read more
HARRISBURG, April 27 – A new bill which would protect thousands of Pennsylvania’s most-vulnerable residents was introduced today by state Rep. Peter Schweyer, D-Lehigh. His bill would allocate funding specifically to support homeless organizations that have been exhausting their resources during these unprecedented times to address shelter needs, food security and sanitation efforts. “There is no denying the impact COVID-19 is having on all of us, but it’s effect on our homeless neighbors is impossible to ignore,” Schweyer said. “These folks have little to no health insurance and depend on community organizations for shelter, food and basic sanitation. We have a moral obligation to help our homeless neighbors while getting control of the pandemic. I believe this legislation will go a long way to provide some peace of mind to these folks in these trying times.” Schweyer said H.B. 2451 was referred to the House Human Services Committee for consideration. Read more
As Pennsylvania schools shift to online learning during the coronavirus pandemic, Pa. state Rep. Peter Schweyer has introduced legislation that would help school districts expand access to online services and equipment to families who need them. Read more
Find out what Congresswoman Susan Wild, Allentown Health Director Vicky Kistler and I had to say to your questions. Read more
In Pennsylvania, everyone counts and April 1 is National Census Day! If you haven’t already, don't forget to fill out your census form. Our population count determines our voice in government and how much federal funding we’ll receive for education, health care, transportation and more. Whether you respond online, mail or by phone , participate and help shape PA’s future. Your responses are anonymous and protected by law. To learn more, visit pa.gov/census #PAcounts #2020Census Read more
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