Protections for Domestic Violence Victims Becomes Law

Last week the Senate passed House Bill 2060 which will require abusers who have a PFA against them to surrender their firearms within 24 hours of the final order being issued. I believe it can save lives here in Pennsylvania and I voted yes. The Governor has said he will sign it.

A gun is most often the weapon of choice for domestic abusers when their violence reaches fatal levels.

Across the country, October is recognized as Domestic Violence Awareness Month – and Pennsylvania has had more than its share of casualties from domestic violence. In 2017, 117 in our state lost their live to acts of violence at the hands of their intimate partners.

Promoting Women in Corporate Boards & Leadership

The California Governor, Jerry Brown, signed a bill into law that makes California the first state to require corporate boards of directors to include women. By the end of July 2021, a minimum of two women must sit on boards with five members, and there must be at least three women on boards with six or more members.

I would like Pennsylvania to be the next state to have a similar requirement, which is why I signed onto Senator Judy Schwank’s Senate Resolution 255. It would encourage equitable and diverse gender representation on the boards and in senior management of companies in Pennsylvania.

Among Pennsylvania-based companies listed in the Fortune 1000 in 2016, not one in five directors was a woman, while at the 100 largest public companies here, men outnumbered women more than nine to one in the executive offices. A large minority of companies had no women executives at all and a significant number had no women directors.

Together and individually, these institutions and companies broadly impact and influence our local and state economies, the vitality of their communities and our overall welfare. The state’s stake in their success is both material and profound.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I’m sure you’ve been seeing lots of pink everywhere. Raising awareness for this deadly disease is critical; early detection can be life-saving. When detected early, the 5-year relative survival rate is 100% - but many women are not that lucky. Each year it is estimated that over 252,710 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,500 will die. In our efforts to increase awareness, my website will be pink in October and I joined many other state officials to turn the State Capitol Fountain pink.

Pictured Left to Right: Sen. Bob Mensch, Sen. Sharif Street, Pat Halpin-Murphy (PBCC President & Founder), Rep. Pamela A. DeLissio, Sen. Jay Costa and Sen. John Sabatina.

Women Who Work

On October 25th, the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus is co-hosting an event with Philadelphia’s KYW CBS News, called Women Who Work. The two panels of the event will focus on the politics of the issues that affect women, and the policy and workplace rules issues that govern their lives at work.

The event will be live streamed to PASenate.com as well as social media.

Pittsburgh’s own Dana Brown, the executive director of the PA Center for Women in Politics, will sit on one of the panels, as well as my Senate colleague Senator Tina Tartaglione. You will not want to miss that conversation.

In the 43rd – Nancy B’s Bakery

I hope you’re enjoying our regular installments of my web series, In The 43rd. We’ve got three episodes coming at you this month.

Posted last week was my visit to Nancy B’s Bakery, a West Homestead institution known for their delicious chocolate chip cookies. They even let me back into the kitchen to help me bake a few!

Later this month, stay tuned to watch me bartend at a Drink4Pink fundraiser and check out a new outdoor retail store in Regent’s Square.

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