Sen. Hughes Calls for State Investigation Into Crumbling School Infrastructure

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 29, 2016 – After touring an elementary school that had been forced this month to send students home due to failed heaters, Sen. Vincent Hughes, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, ordered state-level hearings to better understand the breadth of the crumbling school infrastructure problem in Pennsylvania.

Gorgas Park to Receive $188K State Investment for Upgrades

Harrisburg, Jan. 28, 2016 – A renovated ball field, smoother walkways and new landscaping are headed to Roxborough’s Gorgas Park with the awarding of a $188,000 state grant, Sen. Vincent Hughes announced today. The investment is from the Department of...

Senate Democrats React to Budget Line-Item Veto

Harrisburg – Dec. 29, 2015 – Senate Democrats provided the following reaction to Gov. Tom Wolf’s line-item veto of a Republican budget plan. The governor released six months of emergency funding for schools and human service programs, or $23.39 billion of the House...

Senate Hearing Focuses on Budget Impasse’s Impact on Schools

Harrisburg – October 28, 2015 – At the request of state Sen. Vince Hughes (D-Phila.), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee today held a hearing on the devastating impact that the state’s 120-day budget impasse is having on schools across the state. “While many of...

Senate Democrats Ask Treasurer to Withhold Payment to Charters

Harrisburg – Oct, 20, 2015 – State Senate Democrats today called on the Pennsylvania state treasurer to “stop payment” on a scheduled disbursement of property tax revenue headed to charter schools. They have sent a letter to state Treasurer Tim Reese formally asking...

Senate Democrats: Eliminate Property Taxes for 2 Million Pennsylvanians

Harrisburg – June 24, 2015 – A new property tax plan that would eliminate school property taxes for 2 million homeowners, reduce property taxes by $1,990 for another 1.2 million homesteads and provide a $500 rent rebate for more than 800,000 Pennsylvanians was unveiled today by Senate Democrats.

Democrats Press for Shale Tax to Fund $1 Billion Education Investment

Harrisburg – June 2, 2015 – Legislative Democrats gathered in the state Capitol for a news conference today to highlight the broad and deep support in the General Assembly for legislation that would create a new $1 billion natural gas extraction tax for education....

Senator Hughes Statement on Passage of Illegal Pension Bill       

HARRISBURG, May 13th, 2015 − Senator Vincent Hughes released the following statement on the passage of Senate Bill 1: “The Republican controlled Pennsylvania Senate today passed pension “reform” legislation that has historically been ruled illegal and unconstitutional...

Sens. Hughes, Schwank to Propose Expansion of New ‘Revenge Porn’ Law

HARRISBURG, March 19, 2015 – To better protect Pennsylvanians from the unsolicited and embarrassing publication of their private, intimate pictures, state Sens. Judy Schwank (D-Berks) and Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) said today they will introduce a proposal, similar to the recently enacted so-called “revenge porn” law, that would make it a crime for someone to steal and publish unauthorized images of strangers and others.