Pennsylvania Needs Clean Slate Expansion
On April 26, 2023, CLS and a bipartisan coalition of criminal justice advocates and state lawmakers went to Harrisburg to…
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Transition Paper: PA’s UC System Remains in Disarray and Is Not Prepared for a Recession.
Pennsylvania’s UC System No Longer Can Be Relied Upon to Serve Unemployed Workers. Traditionally, Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) system was…
PA Workers Have the Right to See Their Personnel Files
Under the Pennsylvania Personnel Files Act, 43 P.S. §§ 1321 – 1324, Pennsylvania workers have the right to view files…
Philadelphia’s New Marijuana Possession Law – Get the Facts!
Under the new law: The penalty for possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana for personal use is a $25…
Unemployment Compensation Benefits Modernization Must Be Postponed Until Fall
This post was written May 04, 2021, by Sharon M. Dietrich, Litigation Director at Community Legal Services. The PA…
Proposed Regulations Threaten to Undermine Occupational Licensing Reform Law
During the height of the pandemic in 2020, the Pennsylvania General Assembly made a priority of approving Act 53, known…
Protect Your PUA Benefits from Disqualification Because of Identity Verification!
More than 500,000 people are getting determinations disqualifying them from their PUA benefits because “you did not verify your identity…
Do You Need to Prove that You Lost Work for PUA?
Have you gotten a notice from PUA about uploading proof that you lost work during the pandemic? If you…
Report: The Application for Pennsylvania Pandemic Unemployment Assistance has Problems. Here’s How to Fix Them.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) was passed by Congress as part of the CARES Act to provide unemployment compensation (UC) benefits…
Pennsylvania UC System Must Be Rebuilt Strategically After the Pandemic and Benefits Modernization
Traditionally, Pennsylvania’s Unemployment Compensation (UC) system was simple and effective. An unemployed worker went to an “unemployment office,” filed a…
Report: Breaking Down Barriers to Record Clearing – A Survey of the Field
Clearing criminal records can be life-changing, leading to employment, higher wages, housing, educational opportunities, and more. For the one in…
Report: Legal Remedies and Limitations on the Employment of People with Criminal Records in Pennsylvania
Download the full report Like most Americans, people with criminal records need to be employed to support themselves and their…
Report: Pennsylvania Clean Slate: Delivering on Its Promises
Pennsylvania’s Clean Slate law, Act 56 of 2018, was passed to bring criminal record sealing to scale by the use…
Health & Safety
All workers have the right to a safe and healthy workplace, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. CLS assists workers seeking…
SCOTUS Must End Employment Discrimination Against the LGBTQ+ Community
Update, June 15, 2020: Great news from the U.S. Supreme Court! The Supreme Court just ruled that that a federal…
State Finalizes Regulations to Implement Occupational Licensing Reform
October 18, 2024 – Tomorrow, October 19, 2024, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) will publish the…
