Welcome to the new site
Thanks for visiting our brand new website, which has been completely redesigned to serve you even better! Updates will be posted frequently, so please check in often. We also want to know what you think, so please feel free to contact us or leave a comment with your thoughts, or join in on any of our other comment threads.
Josh Shapiro joins AIDS Fund Philly for GayBINGO
Rep. Shapiro sponsored a game of BINGO for the AIDS Fund Philly's monthly GayBINGO! event. For more information, visit www.aidsfundphilly.org.
Josh at the Crestmont Train Station Ribbon Cutting
Josh Shapiro with Crestmont residents at the ribbon cutting for the completed Phase I renovations of the Crestmont Train Station, a project funded entirely from state funds.
Shapiro speaks to Temple College Democrats
October 28, 2009 – Rep. Shapiro talks with students from Temple College Democrats at Temple University.
Health Care Reform Rally at the Liberty Bell
October 26, 2009 – Rep. Josh Shapiro speaks at a rally for Health Care Reform at the Liberty Bell. With Josh were Marc Stier from Health Care for America Now, John Meyerson from UFCW 1776, Rebecca Foley from Women’s Way, and John Dodds from the Philadelphia Unemployment Project.
Posted by Josh Shapiro on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Politics and governing is about building community through action and achieving compromise through the productive exchange of ideas. So much of what we witness in our politics today, however, seems to have less to do with building people and ideas up and instead focuses on tearing things down. This is largely due to the filters through which the general community experiences politics.
On this site, I want to avoid those filters and instead, I want to create a respectful dialogue around ideas, principles of leadership and vision that can help grow our community and better our Commonwealth.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Friday, February 5, 2010
From The Earth Times:
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection-Office of Energy and Technology Development has awarded two grants to Abington Memorial Hospital in support of its efforts to “Think Green.”
Three million dollars was awarded to Abington Memorial Hospital for a new cogeneration system to replace the hospital’s 45-year-old heating system. This new system will save over $2 million a year in energy costs, and significantly reduce air contaminants and water usage. It will generate 38 million kilowatt hours on-site, roughly 64 percent of the hospital’s electricity needs, while producing steam as a byproduct.
(…)
“As a non-profit, we do as much environmentally conscious work as we can with very little budgeted dollars,” says Meg McGoldrick, chief operating officer and member of the hospital’s “Green Team.” “These grants are a real shot in the arm for our green efforts.” McGoldrick said State Representative Josh Shapiro was a strong advocate for the hospital’s grant applications.
Shapiro says he is proud to have been able to help secure these grants to create 79 green jobs and reduce energy consumption and emissions in his district. “These grants will help boost our local economy and reduce the amount of air contaminants in our air and water sources, and decrease the hospital’s demand for electricity,” says Shapiro. “I commend Abington Memorial Hospital for their commitment to clean up our environment and energy efficiency.”
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Tuesday, February 2, 2010
From The Philadelphia Inquirer:
By approving a strong ban on all handheld cell-phone use for drivers in Pennsylvania, the state House last week took a major stride toward safeguarding motorists from death and injury in crashes caused by distracted driving.
(…)
The focus in Harrisburg now turns to the Republican-controlled Senate, where House legislation sponsored by Rep. Josh Shapiro (D., Montgomery) should be adopted. Trouble is, there has been a puzzling lack of enthusiasm in the Senate for getting tough enough with distracted drivers.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Monday, February 1, 2010
Oren M. Spiegler wrote to the editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
It is rare that one can praise the Pennsylvania General Assembly for a job well done, but today, we can. The overwhelming vote in the state House to approve a ban on the use of hand-held cell phones and texting while driving is a tribute to the determination of those who support commonsense safety measures to make state roads safer.
The bill now goes to the Senate, where there must be a similar push for reasonable and sensible people to prevail so that this legislation may be signed into law as soon as possible.
(…)
When I say “for he’s a jolly good fellow” in reference to any state legislator, I am usually being facetious, but today, I extend that praise, particularly to state Rep. Josh Shapiro, who was a driving force behind this legislation. If the General Assembly always acted with the interest of the people in mind, as it did last week, our commonwealth would be on the road to good government and progress!
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Saturday, January 30, 2010
From The Daily Review:
The state House overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that outlaws not just texting, but hand-held cell phone use by drivers. And it did so for the right reason.
“This isn’t about punishing someone after the fact. This about preventing the accident from occurring,” said Rep. Josh Shapiro, after the 189-6 vote.
Unlike a Senate bill that banned only texting while driving, the House bill would require drivers to use a hands-free device to talk on a phone while driving.
Using a hand-held device would be a primary offense, meaning that police could stop and cite a driver for that offense alone.
Abundant research has shown that cell-phone use is one of the worst distractions for drivers. Use of a hands-free device lessens but does not eliminate the distraction.
The Senate should embrace the House bill and police should enforce the resultant ban in order to enhance public safety.
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Posted by Mark Koenig on Saturday, January 30, 2010
From the Scranton Times Tribune:
The state House overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday that outlaws not just texting, but hand-held cell phone use by drivers. And it did so for the right reason.
“This isn’t about punishing someone after the fact. This about preventing the accident from occurring,” said Rep. Josh Shapiro, after the 189-6 vote.
Unlike a Senate bill that banned only texting while driving, the House bill would require drivers to use a hands-free device to talk on a phone while driving.
Using a hand-held device would be a primary offense, meaning that police could stop and cite a driver for that offense alone.
Abundant research has shown that cell-phone use is one of the worst distractions for drivers. Use of a hands-free device lessens but does not eliminate the distraction.
The Senate should embrace the House bill and police should enforce the resultant ban in order to enhance public safety.
Read the rest of this entry »
