HB 129, a bill which is scheduled for a vote by the Pennsylvania Senate Labor and Industry Committee on February 8, 2022, would require Unemployment Compensation (UC) hearings to be transitioned to “primarily via videoconference.” Video hearings would be the default. In a world of Zoom meetings for many, this might seem on the surface…
In a landmark ruling, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that Fourth Amendment protections extend to home inspections conducted by child welfare agencies investigating anonymous hotline calls, and that child welfare agencies may not search family homes without first demonstrating probable cause under the law. This case has broad-ranging racial justice implications for Black and…
During the pandemic, ID.me, a company providing digital identity credentials that promised to screen out fraudulent claims but “leave no identity behind,” emerged as a potential savior against rampant unemployment benefit fraud. Since then, ID.me’s influence has increased, as numerous federal departments and scores of states have signed on for its services, including in the…
Today, October 14, City Council unanimously passed the 2021-2022 Neighborhood Preservation Initiative Program Statement and Budget to provide significant new funding for affordable housing, first time home buyers, home repair programs, small businesses, rental assistance, eviction prevention, and tangled title representation. Community Legal Services strongly supports this new funding. Michael Froehlich, Managing Attorney of CLS’s Homeownership and Consumer…
Updated 02/01/2021 Para información en Español The Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund (PAHAF) provides up to $30,000 to help homeowners who have experienced a financial hardship related to COVID. Last year, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan. The Rescue Plan included $350 million to help Pennsylvania homeowners who have experienced a financial hardship related…
Pennsylvania’s wage laws have not been updated in decades. Meanwhile workplace practices have changed, with more subcontracting of work and more misclassification of workers as “independent contractors.” And the wage theft epidemic rages on. The PA Department of Labor and Industry (PALI) can and must issue regulations interpreting our existing laws to address the realities…
Community Legal Services attorney Rachel Gallegos testified on June 10, 2021, in support of Councilmember Cherelle Parker’s resolution calling for swift state action on the Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF) to help thousands of low- and moderate-income homeowners who have been affected by COVID and are at risk of foreclosure. Read the full resolution My…
CLS is thrilled to welcome Cheryl-Lyn Bentley as its new Deputy Director of Operations and Human Resources. Cheryl-Lyn is an outstanding and experienced employment and civil rights attorney who brings a depth of experience in non-profit, government and private practice, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion work. Cheryl-Lyn comes to CLS from…
Clearing criminal records can be life-changing, leading to employment, higher wages, housing, educational opportunities, and more. For the one in three Americans who have a criminal record, record clearing is one of the most important tools to overcoming barriers and accessing opportunity. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, when unemployment rates remain high, it…
BREAKING NEWS: CLS and superstar pro bono co-counsel Morgan Lewis just settled litigation that will deliver $712 million emergency SNAP (food stamp) benefits to approximately 650,000 of the neediest Pa households! In addition, the USDA will be changing their national policy so that approximately 12 million families nationwide will get additional SNAP benefits they are owed.…
