Dear Neighbor, I hope you are well! I wanted to take this opportunity to update you on several happenings in the district as well as Harrisburg. 

As always, I hope you find this informative and useful.

PA House Special Session

Over the past few days, a lot has happened in Harrisburg, and I want to keep you informed. Last Friday, Governor Tom Wolf submitted a proclamation of special session for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to debate a constitutional amendment (known as HB 14 last session) that would address the statute of limitations for claims involving childhood sexual abuse. Pennsylvania representatives were brought back to Harrisburg to explicitly debate this sole proposal. However, before session could formally begin on Monday, rules for the special session were delayed by House Republicans until it was determined that a path forward for victims through the special session was going to be stalled by House Republicans’ incendiary rhetoric and political theatre.

Myself, my Democratic colleagues, and the Speaker's Office want to assure you that we remain committed to protecting children from predators and will continue to bring justice for those too young to ask for it. Since this proposal is a constitutional amendment, which was already approved once before, the bill can still run in the 2023-24 session and be brought before voters on a future Election Day ballot.

Regardless, the disrespectful manner in how Republicans handled this special session is unbecoming of elected officials and equates to political blackmail. Moving forward, I hope to see more bipartisanship and less attempted power-grabs. I will continue to keep you updated on the events in Harrisburg and hope I will be able to inform you of the passage of legislation for the constitutional amendment soon!

National Human Trafficking Awareness Day

Today I wore blue for National Human Trafficking Awareness Day and in support of the #WearBlueDay as part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign to end human trafficking. With January also being National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, it is important to understand the seriousness of human trafficking and recognize the pervasiveness of the crime throughout Montgomery County and Pennsylvania.

Human Trafficking is best defined as the force, fraud, or coercion of individuals for the purpose of subjection of involuntary servitude, personage, debt, bondage, and slavery. This may result in commercial sex work, but also includes labor in the industries of agriculture, hospitality, construction, landscaping, salon and massage parlors, retail, and domestic work. You can learn more about human trafficking and learn how to recognize the signs of human trafficking here. 

Last session I introduced HB 2899 to establish human trafficking prevention methods in massage businesses, as well as provide better protections to victims of human trafficking. I plan on reintroducing the crucial bill soon with updated language so that PA may begin to curb the pervasiveness of this crime. 

Montgomery County Housing

Montgomery is interested in hearing from residents about your perspective on affordable housing in our county.

In a brief survey here, you'll be asked to share a little about yourself, your opinions on the current state of housing in the county, what affordable housing means to you. 

MLK Day Offices Closed

As a reminder, my district office will be closed this upcoming Monday to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A day of service, please consider volunteering and giving back to our community.

As always, if you need state assistance, please leave a message at 484-200-8263 or send an email to [email protected] and a staff member will get back to you.

Please continue to stay safe, healthy and well-informed.

And, if you have questions about any state-related issue, please contact my office at 484-200-8263 or email [email protected].

Sincerely,

Rep. Joe Webster
State Representative
150th Legislative District

PA House of Representatives Democratic Caucus
PO Box 202250 Harrisburg, PA 17120-2250

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