Cutting Health Care Costs
Steve is dedicated to expanding access to affordable healthcare for all Pennsylvanians. He has worked to:
- Lower prescription drug costs. Steve voted to make prescriptions more affordable and set price limits on life-sustaining prescription drugs.
- Reduce health care premiums. Co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to put federal health care exchanges in the hands of our Commonwealth, saving us $250m annually.
- Cover pre-existing conditions. Steve voted to expand coverage for pre-existing conditions, such as Lyme disease, so we cannot be denied care.
- Increase funding for providers. Worked for a $2.5m increase for Primary Health Care Practitioners, and a $5.6m increase for county and municipal health departments.
- Expand Property Tax Rebates for seniors.
Protecting Reproductive Rights
Steve stands up for the right to reproductive health services, including family planning, contraception, in vitro fertilization, and abortion services. He is working to:
- Defend choice. He has pledged to work against the repeated attempts to outlaw abortion in PA.
- Support IVF. Steve’s personal experience with IVF has led him to fight against bills that would outlaw this procedure.
- Preserve services. Steve is working to ensure that women’s health clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, remain open to continue to provide essential services beyond abortion, including care for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy.
Supporting Education
Steve is working to improve our schools by supporting:
- Funding. Supported $750m towards basic education funding, decreasing the amount of taxes local school boards would need to raise—lowering taxes for seniors, and middle-class families. $225m will be distributed to the 100 lowest-spending school districts.
- Teachers. Co-sponsored legislation to raise the minimum teacher salary.
- Trade education. Voted to expand certified technical and trade school educational options for high school students, and provide post-high school apprenticeship programs.
- Special Ed. Voted for $100m in special education funding and brought home $231k in special needs program grants.
- School safety. Secured over $600k in safety grants, and co-sponsored legislation to bolster school security and increase access to school counselors and nurses.
- School for military families. Co-sponsored the PA GI Bill allowing families of National Guard members to attend college at reduced or no cost.
Funding and Promoting Public Safety
Steve is focused on increasing the safety of our communities by addressing the causes of crime and improving our police forces. He is working for:
- Funding. Supported a budget with $260m towards Public Safety, including $135m for local law enforcement.
- Community-based police. He is working to strengthen our police departments as community-based police forces.
As a gun owner, Steve knows the power of a firearm. But he also knows how much we need to protect our communities from gun violence. Steve supports:
- Funding. Supported a budget with $50m in Gun Violence Investigation and Prosecution, and $75m towards Violence Intervention and Prevention.
- Universal background checks. Require background checks for private sales of long guns.
- Lost or stolen gun reporting. Support “lost and stolen” legislation to deter gun trafficking and reduce a source of guns used in criminal shootings.
- Improved safety. Keep guns out of schools, and require gun owners to store their weapons safely.
- Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs). Empower family members and law enforcement to petition a judge to temporarily remove guns from a loved one in crisis.
Fighting for Working Families
As a Teamster and former local beverage wholesaler, Steve is an impassioned advocate for working-class families. In Harrisburg, Steve is fighting to reform:
- Property taxes. Lower our dependence on property taxes.
- Health care. Ensure that every Pennsylvanian has access to quality affordable health care.
- Minimum wage. Raise the minimum wage to $15/hour.
- Pre-K programs. Supported funding $60m towards the Pre-K Counts program.
- Retirement. Guarantee a secure retirement.
- Transportation. Invest in public transportation so everyone can get to their job.
Defending Voting and Elections
Steve advocates for fair and open elections and supports a fair, bipartisan redistricting process, including transparency and public input. He is working for:
- Streamlined voting. Promoting same-day registration, early voting, and no-questions-asked absentee ballots.
- Accessibility. Improving voter access by allowing curbside voting for people with disabilities.
- Fair districting. An independent commission to re-draw our Congressional and legislative districts to create boundaries that will better represent and serve us.