Press Releases
Lawmakers Announce $357,000 for Philadelphia School District from Rideshare Revenues
PHILADELPHIA, February 16, 2017 — State Sen. Vincent Hughes today joined fellow lawmakers and officials from the School District of Philadelphia to announce that the school district has received its first installment of state funding — more than $357,000 — as a result...
Hughes: Governor’s Budget Plan Invests in Jobs, Working Families
HARRISBURG, February 7, 2017 — State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) who serves as Democratic chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed 2017-18 budget invests in jobs and working families and is a good fiscal blueprint to...
Senate Democrats Call for Special Session on Property Tax Relief or Elimination
Harrisburg – February 1, 2017 – State Senate Democrats said that Gov. Tom Wolf should call a special session of the General Assembly to ensure that legislation that results in significant property tax relief or total elimination is passed and signed into...
Senator Vincent Hughes Calls for Immediate Negotiations on Statewide Paid Sick Leave
Harrisburg – January 27, 2017 – Senator Vincent Hughes issued the following statement calling for immediate negotiations to create a statewide paid sick leave policy for employers: “Earlier this week, the Republican majority on the Pennsylvania Senate’s Local...
Senator Vincent Hughes Announces $125,000 in State Grants to Address Lead Crisis in Philadelphia
Philadelphia – December 22, 2016 – Senators Vincent Hughes today announced two grants totaling $125,000 to combat lead poising in Philadelphia. The grants come from state funded programs earmarked for job training and community revitalization. Senator Hughes also...
Hughes & Tartaglione Call for Pennsylvania Senate to Reconvene to Extend Funding for Labor & Industry Service Call Centers
Harrisburg – November 18th, 2016 – Senators Vincent Hughes and Christine Tartaglione issued the following statements on the failure of the Pennsylvania Senate to extend funding for Labor & Industry service call centers: Senator Hughes: “I am outraged by the...
Senate Democrats Announce Leadership Team
Harrisburg – November 16, 2016 – Senate Democrats today elected leaders for the 2017-18 legislative session. State Senator Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) was re-elected Democratic Floor Leader. “It is an honor and a privilege to once again be chosen to serve the caucus as...
Senator Vincent J. Hughes Calls for Pennsylvania Senate to Begin Proceeding to Remove West York Mayor
Harrisburg, October 7th, 2016 – Today, State Senator Vincent J. Hughes sent a letter to Senator Joe Scarnati, President pro tempore of the Pennsylvania State Senate, calling for him to appoint a special committee to investigate the potential removal of Charles Wasko,...
Costa, Hughes Support Budget Becoming Law; New Funds for Education, Opioid Treatment
Harrisburg, July 10, 2016 - Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa (D-Allegheny) and Senate Democratic Appropriations Chair Vincent J. Hughes (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) released the following comments in support of Gov. Tom Wolf's announcement that he was allowing the...
Senator Hughes Statement on Passage of State Budget
Harrisburg, June 29th, 2016 – State Senator Vincent Hughes today voted with the majority of the Pennsylvania Senate to pass a $31.53 billion General Fund budget. The bill offers an on-time budget that contains a modest increase funding for public education and makes other investments. The bill, which passed the Senate 47 to 3, will now be sent back to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for concurrence.
Senate Democrats Call for More Funding for Human Relations Commission
June 22, 2016 − State Senate Democratic Whip Anthony H. Williams (D-Philadelphia/Delaware) today said that the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission (PHRC) has been devastated by recurring state budget cuts and that the state spending plan now under consideration...
State Senate Roundtable in Philadelphia Focuses on the Dangers of Lead Exposure
Philadelphia – May 19, 2016 – At the request of state Sen. Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia), the Senate Democratic Policy Committee held a roundtable discussion today on the health impact of lead exposure. “The effects of lead exposure are indelible, dangerous and...
Senate Democrats Outline Legislation to Combat Opioid and Heroin Crisis
Harrisburg, May 18, 2016 – With drug overdose deaths reaching epidemic levels, Senate Democrats unveiled legislation today to address the opioid addiction crisis from prevention through recovery. “Addiction is a disease that does not discriminate and there is no easy...
Senator Hughes Responds to the Auditor General’s Audit of the Philadelphia School System
HARRISBURG, May 11, 2016 − Senator Vincent Hughes released the following statement on the Auditor General’s audit of the School District of Philadelphia: “I commend the auditor general and his team for their thorough review of the School District of Philadelphia’s...
Democratic Senators, Community Leaders Call for State Tax Reform
HARRISBURG, May 11, 2016 – At a news conference held at the state capitol today, State Senator Art Haywood joined Senate Democratic colleagues and community leaders calling for tax reform to protect middle and low-income Pennsylvanians. At the event, Haywood...
Sen. Hughes to Propose Council on Jazz to Promote, Preserve Jazz in PA
PHILADELPHIA, April 28, 2016 – After meeting with jazz educators, musicians and experts today at the iconic Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts about steps to take to better promote and preserve jazz’s legacy in the commonwealth, Sen. Vince Hughes said...
To Promote Jazz in PA, Sen. Hughes to Meet with Music Genre’s Experts
PHILADELPHIA, April 27, 2016 – State Sen. Vincent Hughes will meet with jazz educators, musicians and experts tomorrow, April 28, in Philadelphia to talk about crafting a plan to promote, preserve and teach people about the music genre. Hughes will then talk to...
Sen. Hughes Welcomes AG’s Audit of Philly School District; Promises Legislation to Reform Cyber Charters, Give School Boards Greater Oversight
HARRISBURG, April 12, 2016 – Saying the state auditor general’s new investigation of charter schools in the School District of Philadelphia underscores his belief that Pennsylvania’s charter school financing system is “broken,” Sen. Vincent Hughes today promised...
Sen. Hughes, Democratic Senators Call for Statewide Task Force, More Testing to Determine Extent of PA’s Lead Problem
HARRISBURG, March 23, 2016 – With 18 Pennsylvania cities testing higher than Flint, Mich., for elevated blood lead levels, and a growing chorus of evidence indicating a worsening statewide lead problem, Sen. Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Vince Hughes, several of his Senate Democratic colleagues, and state health officials today offered a focused course of action to better protect children and their families.
Sen. Hughes, Other Democratic Senators to Urge Examination of PA’s Lead Problems
Propose measures to improve safety for young children in school, day care HARRISBURG, March 22, 2016 – As headlines spread about the emergence of lead in water supplies and in generations-old buildings, Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee Chairman Vince Hughes...