Rep. Josh Shapiro has worked tirelessly in the House to promote ethics and reform of our state government while at the same time improving education, providing access to affordable health care for Pennsylvanians, promoting public safety and protecting the Commonwealth’s pension system.
The following are just some of the highlights of Rep. Shapiro’s work. For more, visit his state House web site at www.pahouse.com/shapiro.
Leading the fight to clean up state government:
Rep. Shapiro co-Chaired the Speaker’s Commission on Legislative Reform. Under his leadership, the House passed the most sweeping government reform in decades. He authored a comprehensive package of House rules and policies that led to greater accountability and transparency. Today, votes occur in the light of day, expenses are available on-line, the public has a chance to engage in the lawmaking process before a final vote is taken and individual members are empowered to better represent their constituents as a result of Rep. Shapiro’s work.
Rep. Shapiro is the Chairman of the Legislative Audit and Advisory Commission—a bipartisan, bicameral Commission with exclusive jurisdiction over auditing the General Assembly. Prior to Rep. Shapiro being appointed Chairman in 2007, the audits were largely done in secret. Today, Rep. Shapiro has made the audit process much more transparent, including a detailed accounting of legislative expenditures with spending listed by category to show the public how its tax dollars are being allocated.
Rep. Shapiro is continuing his reform efforts by organizing and sponsoring several important reform bills including campaign finance reform and banning the pay-to-play politics of no-bid contracts in Pennsylvania.
Ensuring a quality education from pre-K through college:
Rep. Shapiro has been a consistent and strong advocate to boost education funding in Pennsylvania. During his 5 years in office, funding for pre-K and K-12 has been increased by more than 23%.
But his commitment to education doesn’t end after the 12th grade. When Rep. Shapiro learned early on that more than 60 percent of college students in Pennsylvania attend more than one college to attain their degree but often can’t transfer their college credits, he drafted a bill and passed two new laws to fix that. The laws Josh wrote now ensure that students in Pennsylvania’s community colleges, state system schools and state-relateds (Temple, Pitt, Lincoln and Penn State) can transfer up to 60 credits when they change schools. Transfers are up 12 percent in Pennsylvania thanks in large measure to this new law.
Bringing accessible and affordable health care to Pennsylvania:
The 153rd Legislative District is home to two major Pennsylvania hospitals—Abington Memorial and Holy Redeemer. Rep. Shapiro has worked closely with health care providers in his district and across the Commonwealth to help reduce health insurance costs and ensure access to providers.
With over 40 percent of providers planning to retire within the decade and only 7 percent of current physicians practicing in Pennsylvania under the age of 35, Rep. Shapiro has likened that to a veteran ball club with no farm team. To address the impending crisis of a lack of doctors—particularly in primary care and OB/GYN—Josh has twice passed legislation in the House to guarantee 100 percent medical school loan forgiveness for doctors who agree to practice medicine in Pennsylvania for 10 years.
At the same time, Rep. Shapiro is working to reduce health insurance costs by allowing small businesses and individuals to pool their purchasing power so they can buy health insurance at reduced rates. This bill he authored passed the House in 2009 as part of a larger health care package.
Josh’s work to improve health care was recognized in 2009 when he was asked by the White House to join 32 state lawmakers from across the United States to form the White House Team of State Legislators for Health Reform. Through this position, Rep. Shapiro has tirelessly advocated for national health reform that would benefit Pennsylvanians and all Americans.
Making our roads safer
Since 2005, Josh has sponsored legislation to make our roads safer by disconnecting distracted drivers through a hand-held cell phone and texting ban while driving. Studies have repeatedly shown that drivers who talk on their cellphones are 3 to 4 times more likely to be involved in an accident and drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident. Rep. Shapiro’s bill has been gaining momentum and will hopefully become law in Pennsylvania soon.
Protecting retiree pensions:
Pennsylvania’s two major pension funds invest about $100 billion of school and state worker retiree pensions. Alarmingly, more than $663 million is directly invested in foreign companies doing business in Iran and Sudan. Iran and Sudan are both state sponsors of terror, according to the U.S. State Department.
In the House, Rep. Shapiro has twice passed legislation requiring that the pension funds divest from any companies doing business in Iran and Sudan. Shapiro has also led the effort to get the Tobacco Settlement Investment Board to adopt a similar policy.
