Serving the 1st Senatorial District Winter 2020

State Senator

LARRY FARNESELARRY FARNESE

EVERY CHILD...

EVERYDAY...

EVERY CHILD...

EVERYDAY...

deserves a safe,healthy school!

INSIDE...

EXPOEXPO2020

SeniorSAVE THE DATE

Thursday, April 92,500 New Jobs At Philly Port Keeping Philly Affordable

ith a dynamic public/private partnership thriving, the Port of Philadelphia opened its first terminal in more than 40 years with the ribbon-cutting at Southport Auto Terminal andVehicle Processing Center. Sen. Farnese was there towelcome Glovis America officials to the site where200,000 Hyundai and Kia cars will be off-loaded fromships and processed for distribution to showroomfloors this year. The continued expansion and success of portfacilities is a critical economic driver in the 1st SenateDistrict. The workers at Southport will be representedby long-time Philly unions and the jobs will providefamily-sustaining wages for neighborhoods in the region.

W

ast June, Sen. Farnese was one of a handful of senators who voted against the final state budget deal for 2019-20. The reason was simple. Budgets are statements of prioritiesand this budget did not take seriously the emerginghealth and safety crisis in Philadelphia schools. Since that vote, seven schools in Philadelphiahave been closed because of toxic conditions,particularly asbestos exposure. One long-timeteacher was diagnosed with mesothelioma, theterrible lung disease caused by asbestos. The warning signs havebeen there for a long time. In2016, a school maintenanceworker was horribly injuredwhen an out-of-date boilerexploded in a cityelementary school. Fourmonths later he died. Three years later, we’restill waiting for ourcolleagues in Harrisburg torecognize something is verywrong with the way we fundour schools. The lost timefor parents and students hasbeen devastating. No more. Philadelphia’s legislative delegation,House and Senate, is united in standing together tomake the next budget reflect the need for equality in

Leducation. Lawmakers are standing with parents,teachers, and city officials to create the Fund OurFacilities coalition. We must ensure that every child

gets to go to a safe schoolevery day.This is about more than

dollars and cents. This is afundamental moral issue ofour times. Your zip codeshould not determinewhether you get to attend asafe, healthy school.Inequality in Pennsylvaniaschools has never beenworse and that’s immoral,unconstitutional andunacceptable.Pennsylvania has $170

million in a “Rainy Day” fundthat could be used immediately to help start the workthat will remediate the hazards and keep our kids intheir classrooms.

2,500 New Jobs at Southport Terminal

On the Cover...

#FundourFacilities

he Bok Building, formerly the Bok Vocational High School, in South Philly is a great example of keeping Philadelphians working in Philadelphia. Built in 1936 to train3,000 students in trades ranging from cosmetologyto catering, the school was closed in 2013 andauctioned. The 340,000 square foot building is nowhome to nearly 150 businesses, with more than 70percent of them owned by residents of the SouthPhilly community, half of whom are women. Friends of Bok will use a $246,692 state grantfor infrastructure improvements inside their

vacantauditorium,constructed in1938. Therenovatedauditorium willallow this formerschool that hasemerged as acommunity andbusiness hub tohost events that

will attract close to 10,000 attendees.

T

Sen. Farnese’s Legislation� Ending LGBTQ+ Discrimination - Senate Bill 614 would extend anti-discriminationprotections to include gender, gender identity orexpression, and sexual orientation. Introduced inseveral legislative sessions, it has not receivedcommittee consideration although, according tosurveys, nearly three quarters of Pennsylvanianssupports its provisions.

� Helping Guardians of Adult Disabled Senate Bill 924 would streamline the guardianship process for medically disabled adult children. Under current law, for parents ofadult children to remain under guardianship the parents must be appointed by the court as guardian, the child must be declared “incapacitated” in court on the record, and families must pay thousands of dollars to complete this court proceeding.

� ProtectingCivic Groups Senate Bill 95would endfrivolous lawsuitsintended to silencecivic groups andactivists. Specialinterests havethreatened the existence of watchdog groupsthrough expensive litigation. This bill would allow ajudge to review whether the speech is protectedunder the First Amendment before legal costs mount.

� Sharing the Road with Bikes, Pedestrians –Senate Bill 565 would make it easier formunicipalities to create bike lanes and pedestrianplazas without extensive review by the state. Givinglocal control to these decisions empowers citizensover the fossil fuel lobby.

Bok Reborn as Biz Hub

he tax-abatement fueled construction boom in Philadelphia has created thousands of new homes, but many long-time city residents are being priced out of their neighborhoods bywealthy newcomers. Sen. Farnese has been working to make sure thatPhiladelphians can continue to live in Philadelphia bysteering state assistance to the district, including a $200,000 PHARE housing grant for Fitzwater Homes torenovate 22 units of affordable housing to help low incomeresidents maintain their homes. Despite more than $14 million in affordable housing grants and tax credits for 1,000 new units in the district,more needs to be done. As part of the New Deal for a New PA, Sen. Farnese has beenworking with Senate leaders on a series of housing bills to furtherensure that his district remains dynamic, diverse and affordable. These bills will help create Community Land Trusts, requireinclusionary zoning, protect renters from shady landlords,and too much more to mention in the space allowed here. For more, visit www.SenatorFarnese.com/housing.

TKeeping Philly Affordable

The Eastern State Penitentiary hasbecome a major economic driver inthe 1st Senate District throughtourism and a notable educationcenter for the history of incarcerationand criminal justice. They’rebreaking ground on a new visitor’scenter with a $1 million state grant.

� Eastern State Penitentiary

The Philadelphia ChinatownDevelopment Corporation receiveda $5 million state grant for itsresidential tower on Race Streetand celebrated with the opening ofa beautiful new community andrecreational center. It’s a gem thewhole city can be proud of.

� Crane Community Center

Rebuild Together Philadelphia renovated 10 houses during their

Kensington Block Build. The organizersand volunteers gathered in the fall onCambria Street for a celebratory lunch

and more work. Their energy anddedication to housing for all is contagious.

� Rebuilding City Neighborhoods

Upgrades to the 29th Street PedestrianBridge, funded partially by a $30,000state grant and made possible by the

Fairmount CDC, will make this importantpiece of historic infrastructure safer and

more passable. For many years thebridge passing over the rail lines has

been a link between the neighborhoodand the beautiful river walks. New lightsand some sprucing up are on the way.

�‘Green Bridge’ Gets Upgrades

� Sensible Gun ReformStanding with CeaseFire PA thissummer to call for sensible gunreforms. Philadelphia is averaginga homicide a day while theHarrisburg majority continues tothwart common sense solutions.We held a historic hearing thisyear on gun regulation in 2019.Progress is slow, but steady.

Attackers of women’s health care andthe right to choose have beenemboldened by the current administrationin Washington but, in Pennsylvania, wehave stood with Gov. Tom Wolf to builda wall to protect these inalienablerights. Abortion is health care.

� Protecting Women’s Rights

Around the 1st DistrictAround the 1st District

Helping Seniors Find Services

o recognize National Recovery Month in September, Sen. Farnese asked Philadelphians to tell their storiesabout addiction and recovery. Theresult was “There is Hope’ acompelling series of videos revealingthe pain and triumph of city residentswho fought and won this battlefacing thousands of Pennsylvanians. Interest in the video series droveattendance at a September “OpenHouse on Addiction” at theMummer’s Museum in South Philly.The event was attended by the storytellers in the video and hundreds ofpeople turned out to get informationon how they can find the same

T happy ending forthemselves orfamily members. Addiction isnot new tomany of theneighborhoodsin the 1stSenate Districtand thosehappy endingsare elusive. Butthe spread ofthis crisis through ruralPennsylvania’s small towns andvillages forced a bipartisan effortrarely seen in the state.Pennsylvania has invested in the

There Is Hope In Recovery

�Senior Expo Success As technology becomes anincreasing part of our everydaylives, the opportunity to learnmore, live better and stay healthyare greatly increased. It’s nodifferent for seniors, but theysometimes struggle to keep upwith the fast-paced changes. Sen. Farnese has made agingPhiladelphians a central focus ofhis constituent service. His annualSenior Expo brings togetherdozens of vendors, experts andstate agencies to provide in one

recovery of its citizens and thatinvestment is starting to pay off. To see the video series, visitwww.senatorfarnese.com/addiction.

place loads of valuableinformation. Pennsylvania has asubstantial supply ofservices for seniors, butsome of those programsremain unused becausethey’re unknown or tooconfusing to accesseasily. The expo helps attendeesnavigate levels of governmentand numerous private agenciesthat provide everything fromlong-term care to short-termtherapy, security or tax help.

�Senior ScamsAfter hearing word of a

recent spate of scamstargeting seniors during theholidays, Sen. Farneseasked PA Attorney GeneralJosh Shapiro if his officecould provide seniors in hisdistrict with a quick guideon how to avoid falling intothe traps.

Anthony Luker, of the AG’soffice, talked to attendees at theSouth Philadelphia Senior ActivityCenter weeks before Christmas todiscuss the latest scams and howto spot the next ones. Luker stressed that most scamshave some things in common,including phone contact, and animmediate or urgent need formoney or information. No one has the authority to takeany action against you if you don’trespond immediately to their phonecalls. Check with someone youtrust first. For other questions visit,www.attorneygeneral.gov.

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDHARRISBURG, PAPERMIT NO. 603STATE SENATOR

LARRY FARNESESenate Box 203001

Harrisburg, PA 17120-3001

Whether it’s to help you get a voter registration or absenteeballot application, or renew your vehicle registration, the goodmembers of my team are ready and waiting to help. If you can’tget to my office on Broad Street or in Harrisburg, I can alwaysbe reached online or by telephone.

www.SenatorFarnese.com

STATE APPLICATIONS: Vehicle registration • Driver’s license • TitlesSpecial tags • Higher education financial assistance • Car platesand placards for the physically-challenged • Birth certificatesSENIOR CITIZEN’S APPLICATIONS: PACE • Property tax & rent rebates

SOLVING STATE PROBLEMS: State income taxes • State lotteryConsumer protection • Unemployment compensation • PennDOT

Harrisburg OfficeSenate Box 203001Harrisburg, PA 17120-3001717-787-5662 • Fax: 717-787-4531Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

District Office1802 South Broad StreetPhiladelphia, PA 19145215-952-3121 • Fax: 215-952-3155Monday to Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

E-Mail: farnese@pasenate.com

Upcoming EventWork We Do For You:

Services We Provide:

Where You Can Find Us:

@larryfarnese @ senatorlarryfarnese @larryfarnese

Eliminate paper newsletters, sign up for my e-news at

EXPOEXPO2020

Senior

Thursday, April 910 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

South Philadelphia High School2101 S. Broad Street

Philadelphia

FREE HEALTH SCREENINGSEXHIBITS • REFRESHMENTS

LITE LUNCH PROVIDED

SEATING IS LIMITEDPLEASE RSVP TO:(215) 952-3121

All Senior Citizens of the FirstSenatorial District are invited toattend. Representatives from localand state government agenciesas well as public and private

service providers will be availableto discuss programs and services

for older Philadelphians.