May 25, 2022
HARRISBURG – May 25, 2022 – Today, Pennsylvania Senate Democrats wrote the following letter to Republican leaders in response to rampant gun violence and mass shootings that have become too common in the United States. Just this year, 215 mass shootings have taken place in the country, with the devastating shooting that occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022, being the 215th.
In the letter, the caucus calls on the Republican majority to act on “reasonable and responsible legislation and appropriations” that does not infringe on Second Amendment rights but will help keep guns away from bad actors and support gun violence prevention. Senate Democrats list seven bills that have been introduced to mitigate gun violence but have sat in committee with no discussion or votes. They also highlight how American Rescue Plan dollars and Pennsylvania’s current budget surplus can be used to help communities prevent horrific violence.
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March 23, 2021
HARRISBURG, PA − March 23, 2021 − New legislation introduced by Senators Katie Muth (D–Montgomery/Chester/Berks), Steve Santarsiero (D–Bucks), and Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia) will ensure Pennsylvanians are able to stay safely housed for the duration of the COVID-19 crisis and economically secure throughout the recovery period that follows. The Housing Security Act (Senate Bill 466) creates a framework for mortgage deferment and rent forgiveness, benefitting property owners and renters alike.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed so many significant gaps in our social safety net, and one of the most significant has been housing insecurity,” said Senator Muth. “Even before the pandemic, so many in our Commonwealth were forced to make impossible decisions between food, medicine, and paying the rent or the mortgage. This is unacceptable, and we must take action now to ensure that every Pennsylvanian has safe, affordable, and secure housing no matter where they live.”
“Housing is a basic human right that too many Pennsylvanians are at risk of losing due to economic hardship at the hands of the pandemic,” said Senator Santarsiero. “We must take steps to protect the families and individuals at risk of losing their homes to foreclosure or eviction. No one deserves to face homeless due to unforeseen financial adversity, especially during a global health crisis, and the Housing Security Act will alleviate that threat for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians.”
The Housing Security Act would function on two fronts: first, creating a means to protect homeowners and property owners, and then building a path for the extension of these important protections to renters.
This bill would mandate that mortgage servicers develop deferment programs to suspend property owners’ obligations to pay their mortgages for the duration of the COVID-19 emergency declaration and for the six months that immediately follow it. Rather than forcing a participant to make a huge lump sum payment at the end of the deferment period, the term of the borrower’s mortgage would be extended for the same number of months that they participated in the deferment program. All late fees, processing fees, and services fees would be waived.
Landlords participating in the deferment program would be required to reduce their tenants’ rent during the time that they participate in the program, in an amount proportional to the amount of mortgage payment deferred.
“The magnitude of the housing emergency in our Commonwealth cannot be overstated. As elected officials, we know that evictions and foreclosures damage the health and vitality of families for generations,” said Senator Saval. “As eviction and foreclosure moratoria expire, a tsunami of houselessness, utility shutoffs, and debt is predicted to crash upon the backs of those who are most vulnerable. This future harm is often spoken of as a forgone conclusion, but legislators can take real action, right now, to prevent this from becoming our reality.”
The full text of the Housing Security Act is available on request.
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