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.

Black History Month

In February, we celebrate Black History Month to recognize and celebrate black history, current and past leaders, and the movements that have defined equality in America. This year’s theme is ‘Black Resistance,’ focusing on acts and instances of resisting oppression and injustice in all forms throughout history. Many examples come to mind, from Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat in Montgomery, Alabama, to Harriet Tubman leading slaves to freedom on the underground railroad, or to Barak Obama breaking boundaries and serving as President of the United States of America. 

Stories of oppression and resistance have long been cherished and shared throughout our nation’s history. Baked into our American spirit are the inspiring legends and folktales of Americans overcoming injustice for the betterment of all. These stories, stories of black resistance, deserve our attention now more than ever before. I hope to share more of these stories in the coming days and weeks and would encourage you all to find examples of black resistance to oppression and share them where you can. A good place to start for these stories and examples is the following website: https://asalh.org/black-history-themes/

Black history is American history.

Reintroducing Legislation

On Monday, I began the process of reintroducing legislation in the new 2023-24 Legislative Session, starting with bills relating to education and schools. I’ve reintroduced the Civics Education Graduation Requirement, which would require high school students to take and pass a version of the US Citizenship & Immigration test; the School Board Legislative Package that includes training, education, and compensation for school board members; Studies on JROTC Programs, school transportation, and capital costs; Temporarily Raising the Maximum School Age due to COVID and Addressing Healthcare Worker Shortages.

In the following weeks, I will continue to reintroduce previous legislation as the House prepares for session in February. I’m looking forward to this upcoming session and working with friends old and new. If you have any questions about legislation, please send an email to [email protected]

Gun Violence Survivors Week

February 1-7 is Gun Violence Survivors Week to mark the approximate time that gun deaths in America surpass the number of gun deaths experienced by peer countries in an entire calendar year. As of today, there have been over 3,720 Americans killed by gun violence this year alone, according to the Gun Violence Archive. 

Everytown for Gun Safety encourages Americans to participate in Gun Violence Survivors Week by uplifting the stories of Americans who survived gun violence through momentsthatsurvive.org. Countless Americans live with the impact of gun violence in their communities and families on a daily basis. They are not alone and deserve our attention.

District Office Limited Opening

Due to some staffing challenges this week, my District Office will be open for appointments on a limited basis until Monday, February 6th. Please call 484-200-8263 or send an email to [email protected] for assistance. 

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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