“It makes you feel defeated and hopeless. It’s like you feel stuck. You have no help and nowhere to turn to all because of something that happened years ago,” said Jennifer Lee, a mother of two who was evicted in 2015. Since the start of the pandemic, Pennsylvania landlords have filed more than 280,000 evictions.…
Last year, Philadelphia released new “assessments” of property values, which are used to calculate property tax bills. If your assessed value went up, your property taxes will, too. Based on the current tax rate, for every $10,000 in increased value, your yearly tax bill will go up by $140. If you think your…
In Pennsylvania, a 70-year-old law is exacerbating barriers to employment for people with criminal histories. The Private Detective Act imposes a strict lifetime ban on working in the security industry—including as unarmed guards found in many stores and businesses—for anyone with most criminal convictions, well after they have served their sentence. On June 27th, two…
L to R: Rachel Labush, State Rep. Rick Krajewski, PHFA Servicing Director Kate Newton, & PHFA Counsel Steven O’Neill CLS attorney Rachel Labush testified before the House Finance Committee in Harrisburg on June 13, 2023 in support of HB 291, a bill that would help homeowners avoid foreclosures and avoid losing their homes at sheriff…
None of us can afford climate change, but the costs are even higher for Black and Brown people, cities, rural communities, and low-income families. PA must allocate permanent state supplemental funding to make LIHEAP available year round. Summer of 2022 was one of the hottest summers on record in Pennsylvania’s history, and temperatures will only…
PA House Votes 189-14 to Expand Clean Slate to Felony Records! On June 5, 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted 189-14 in support of Clean Slate 3.0! House Bill 689 expands Clean Slate automated record sealing to drug felonies and property felonies. If the bill passes the Pennsylvania Senate and the Governor signs it…
On April 26, 2023, CLS and a bipartisan coalition of criminal justice advocates and state lawmakers went to Harrisburg to support House Bill 689, the next expansion of Clean Slate. Just one week later, the House Judiciary Committee unanimously voted H.B 689 out of committee on May 3rd! If passed into law, Clean Slate 3.0…
Pennsylvania’s Occupational Licensing Reform Law (Act 53 of 2020) was signed into law in 2020 with the goal of opening licensed professions to people with old and unrelated criminal convictions, helping both Pennsylvania families and businesses. This law has potentially been undermined by the state occupational boards’ overbroad proposed lists of what offenses are “directly…
There have been special COVID rules for Medical Assistance (MA) since March 2020. Under the COVID rules, MA stayed on even if you did not renew it. On 4/1/2023, the special COVID rules will end. When your next renewal is due after April 1, 2023, you must renew MA to keep it! When to renew…
The four 2023 Philadelphia Water Rate Case Public Hearings will by held at the following times by Zoom and Phone: Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 3:00 and 6:00 pm Thursday, March 23, 2023, at 3:00 and 6:00 pm To join any hearing: Visit https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2562489871?pwd=SWRWSEtDb0phbmNlTDg5RGxlRmlFZz09or Dial 267-831-0333 Meeting ID: 256 248 9871Passcode: 12345 …
